Summary of Advocacy

 

NEOCH Advocacy Highlights September 2008

Areas that NEOCH staff are tracking and actively working to pass.  Also, we provide opportunities for members to participate in our efforts to end homelessness

 

Housing Trust Fund Federal

·   We celebrate the passage of the National Housing Trust.  We have an overview under Advocacy Alerts on our website under “Help Us End Homelessness—Action Alerts.” This bill was attached to the foreclosure assistance bill and the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac bill and signed into law by the President.  This historic piece of legislation will eventually provide new funds to build affordable housing again in 2010.  We will need to keep an eye on the rules for distribution of the funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development as well as the State of Ohio administration.

Housing Trust Fund Locally

·   The Coalition is a part of the County implementation task force to look at the development of a local housing trust fund or a dedicated revenue source to match the funding from the National Housing Trust.  The local goal is a $10 million fund, and we hope to have a unified position to take to the County Commissioners regarding revenue sources and guidelines for possible projects by the end of this year.  We will keep you informed as we proceed.

State Hate Crimes Bill

·   As a result of the beating death of Anthony Waters, NEOCH is asking our state legislators to give a hearing to Representative Mike Foley’s bill to add homeless people to the state’s hate crimes bill.  There has not been an arrest in the Anthony Waters death.  This bill would allow prosecutors to increase the penalty on those convicted of attacking homeless people.  Ohio saw a sharp increase in attacks on homeless people with 10 in 2007, which made Ohio the fourth most dangerous state in the union.

Homeless Voting

·   NEOCH is still pursuing the rights of homeless people (who often do not have ID) vote on election day in person with our lawsuit against the state of Ohio.  In addition, we are working to get every person staying in a shelter to vote by absentee ballot.  We have a unique opportunity in Ohio to transport homeless people to the main board of election site; help the individuals to register or change their address, and then vote at the same time.   This unique quirk in the law adopted in Ohio in 2006 allows homeless people to go to the Board of Elections between September 30 and October 6, 2008 register to vote and then complete an absentee ballot all in the same trip.  We would like to assist with this process by helping with transportation.  If you can provide vans or other help with transportation please call us.  We need help from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on all five days in order to help homeless people participate in our democracy. 

Homeless Congress

·   The Homeless Congress expanded and grew over the last year meeting with Council members, city administration and county officials.  We have not received any traction on the shelter standards bill.  We will need a new strategy to get this critical piece of legislation passed.

 

NEOCH Advocacy Highlights

March 2008

Despite the financial crisis that drew a great deal of staff attention away from program operation, we accomplished a great deal of work on advocating for an end to homelessness.  The Housing Trust Fund report was released in 2007, and NEOCH helped form a committee to put in place a pool of resources to preserve and expand affordable housing. The Coalition worked to coordinate all of food providers who were coming downtown to serve food to homeless people. We now have a coordinated schedule with the eventual goal of moving to an indoor location.  In the face of passage of an offensive curfew on Public Square, NEOCH organized outreach workers to prevent the shelter resistant from being arrested or from dying on the streets.  Out of this collaboration came the development of an idea to create an overnight drop in center.  The Homeless Congress expanded and grew over the last year meeting with Council members, city administration and county officials. NEOCH organized a Family Homelessness Forum and published a report on the problems faced by families as they try to stay together while they search for affordable housing. NEOCH staff participate in the National Coalition for Homeless Board of Trustees working to assist with the publication of the National Hate Crimes Report and a report on municipal action against the distribution of food in urban centers.