By Maya Alexandra

The National Coalition for the Homeless is a

non-profit organization that

provides assistance for

homeless people including shelter, food, affordable

housing, and opportunities to work and earn a

living wage.

Their goal is to protect the rights of

the homeless as citizens and human

beings.

The National Coalition for the

Homeless, founded in 1982, is a

national network of people who are

currently experiencing or who have experienced

homelessness, activists and advocates,

community-based and faith-based

service providers, and others

committed to a single mission.

That mission,

our common bond, is to end

homelessness.

We are committed to creating the systemic and attitudinal changes necessary to prevent and end homelessness.

“We work to meet the immediate needs of people who are currently

experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of doing so.”

In addition to housing, the Coalition helps provide a variety of services to the homeless, near-homeless and formerly-homeless community such as job

placement, medical assistance, food and

clothing distribution, legal advice and aid,

transportation, and self-help counseling.

80,000 homeless individuals in Chicago

cannot find permanent, adequate housing.

The cost of housing in Chicago is 37% higher than the national average.

Michael Stoops tells reporters that the

organization has named Little Rock the

meanest city toward the homeless in the

nation. The group ranked it above

Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York.

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless,

Los Angeles is one of the top five “meanest” cities in the

United States. Municipal laws criminalize homelessness by

prohibiting “anyone from sitting, lying or sleeping on any public sidewalk, street,

or alley at all times anywhere.”

Homeless persons are at great risk of hypothermia, poor nutrition, chronic health problems, physical attack and even death.

We take as our first principle of practice that people who are currently experiencing homelessness or have formerly experienced homelessness must be actively involved in all of our work.

Thank you.