A Way Home America’s Post

Revisiting an older Abt Global discussion that's more relevant today than ever. How is climate change affecting homelessness response systems, and how can we design equitable, intersectional solutions? As Lisa Brooks puts it: “It is absolutely essential, to make space and share power with people with lived experience…when we’re thinking about working with people with lived experience, we’re recognizing that BIPOC folks are the most likely to experience homelessness, particularly Black and brown communities, and LGBTQ+ youth, [it’s] just absolutely essential to be partnering with them” when devising solutions." #Homelessness #ProgramDesign #ClimateResponse

LGBTQIA+ youth are 120 percent more likely than non-LGBTQIA+ youth to experience homelessness. What's more, shelters and other services are not often designed to support young people or LGBTQIA+ people, which means LGBTQIA+ youth face unique barriers to getting the support they need when experiencing housing instability. Learn more from National Coalition for the Homeless about solutions to better support these young people. https://lnkd.in/gjHAhGEy

In a world where queer youth face so many barriers to thriving, including homelessness, this article from OUT provides a much-needed story of hope and resilience.

Read full article here: https://lnkd.in/eHhjaDxD Research on intersectionality in public administration reveals the diversity of marginalized groups and provides greater understanding of the ways intersecting identities influence inter- and intra-communal relationships. This article highlights the nuances that exist at the intersection of LGBTQIA+ and Jewish identities and how intersectionality can inform public service and engagement with minoritized populations in public and nonprofit organizations. The authors use LGBTQIA+ Jewish communities to construct four tenets of intersectionality—multiple and mutually constitutive identities, dynamic processes in managing multiple identities, discrimination within identities, and intersectional organizations—and discuss their relevance to public administration. #NonprofitAdvocacyLab #Research #UF #FriendsoftheLab

In New York City, around 1,000 young adults age out of foster care each year, and about 20% of them become immediately homeless. Communities like Homeward Central Harlem -- a supportive housing development in Harlem with services for LGBTQ+ young adults -- provide on-site supportive services such as counseling, case management for residents to access financial and health care benefits, connections to community resources, group activities, and skills-building programs. Here's the thing. We know how to end homelessness. It's to provide supportive housing that benefits individuals and families, provides the stability they need, and also ends up costing less than cycling individuals through jail and emergency rooms. This is the model for moving forward. And it's why nearly a fifth of our tax credit investments are in permanent supportive housing at Enterprise Community Partners. Because we know it works. https://lnkd.in/eDsA_jzt

Navigating the complexities of housing stability while embracing their most authentic selves remains a persistent struggle for many #LGBTQIA+ individuals. Often faced with the decision of sacrificing secure #housing to live openly and proudly in their own identity. Among those most severely impacted are LGBTQIA+ youth, who represent a disproportionately large segment of the #homeless and #housing-insecure population in the United States. Nearly 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQIA+, with transgender and other Black and Brown LGBTQIA+ youth experiencing even greater disparities. The consequences of homelessness are profound, affecting mental, physical, and behavioral health. To improve the overall health and well-being of all Chicagoans, it is crucial to support LGBTQIA+ youth experiencing #homelessness. This includes addressing discrimination and ensuring access to culturally competent support services. Additionally, we must strive for equitable treatment, honoring the bravery and resilience of those who have fought for equality and continue to do so. #pridemonth Visit https://bit.ly/3Ro4cu3 to learn more.

We’re proud to present the final film in our More Than One Story series: This Is What It Means. A rousing chorus for justice, fairness and societal change.  “If the people in charge were up to the job, their conscience could never preside over a society that allowed profit margins over people, housing markets over families, data over caring”    Written and directed by our Artistic Director and joint CEO, Chris Sonnex, performed by Shahab Awad together with Community Company, this film is a powerful reminder that there is More Than One Story to homelessness. Over the past nine weeks, we’ve explored various forms of homelessness - from street-sleeping and overcrowded living to the hidden struggles of those in the prison system and sofa surfing. We’ve amplified the voices of migrant, LGBTQ+, and Black communities, sharing stories that often go unheard.  242,000 households in the UK are experiencing the most severe forms of homelessness – rough sleeping, living in cars, squats, tents, sofa-surfing, or in temporary and unsuitable accommodation. Over 100,000 households are living in conditions that fail to meet basic needs   that’s a larger population than Brixton, Camden, Notting Hill and Hackney combined.  These are the stories of what it means to be homeless in the UK today.  Watch 'This Is What It Means' here: In collaboration with Black Apron Entertainment.   #morethanonestory #cardboardcitizens #bigissue #homelessness  

#EpiphaniesofEquity a Black, queer, trans, and disabled-owned small business—offers social equity consulting and research services to all organization types and centers disability justice, antiracism, and systems-level change for equity and justice. ALT ID: The Epiphanies of Equity Education & Consulting is a black square graphic with circular purple laurel encasing “Epiphanies of Equity, Education & Consulting” in gold writing. Above the name' is a light bulb encasing a raised fist. - - - - - - - - #SPMDisabilityJusticeFund #DisabilityJustice #InclusiveFund #AccessForAll #EqualityInAction #SupportDisabledCommunities #DisabilityAdvocacy #InclusiveSupport #Neurodiverse  #InvestInAccess #JusticeForAll

Continuing its unprecedented assault on human and civil rights, the Supreme Court ruled that cities can arrest or fine people for being homeless and sleeping outside when they have nowhere else to go. It’s a failure of conscience, and it endorses a cruel and failed policy. Evidence and experience shows housing and services end homelessness -- and that criminalization makes it worse. But now public officials are free to throw their weight behind punitive policies. If they aren't required to provide housing or shelter, too many of them surely won't. This ruling allows cities to focus on making homelessness less visible, but no less real. It emboldens those public officials who care only about reducing complaints about encampments, and don’t have the heart or the guts to address root causes of homelessness. Make no mistake -- this ruling validates cruelty. The ordinance the court supported makes it a crime to even use a pillow or a sleeping bag. It saddles homeless people with debts they cannot pay, and gives them a criminal record which becomes a barrier to housing. This was the same 6-3 conservative court majority that has eliminated reproductive freedoms, curbed voting rights, attacked LGBT rights, and gutted environmental regulations. Those applauding this decision should look at who they are standing with. This ruling will make it harder to address homelessness in Los Angeles, in California and across the country. To find out what you can do, follow National Homelessness Law Center National Alliance to End Homelessness and all the members of the United to House LA coalition.

Homelessness is not simply a consequence of personal failure but a symptom of a deeply flawed housing system that prioritizes profit over people, resulting in a severe lack of stable, affordable housing that meets people's needs. Black, Indigenous, and Brown communities — along with young people, disabled people, seniors, and LGBTQ+ people — are disproportionately affected by housing insecurity and homelessness. A stark reminder of the historical and structural inequities that underlie our society, the court’s ruling will subject the most burdened among us to further harm and indignity. “Housing is a basic human need and an American civil right. What a shame to relitigate victories already won on behalf of all people. This decision underscores the urgent need for housing policy and strategies to ensure that everyone is safely housed, equally protected, and able to thrive.” Read the full statement here: https://lnkd.in/g5m-TwcT #HousingJustice #SupremeCourtRuling #HousingFutures #Homelessness