Thursday, January 31, 2013

National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty: the latest news

Looking Back: A Milestone Year for Homeless Advocacy

The year 2012 was an important milestone for the Law Center, as we marked the 25th anniversary of the McKinney-Vento Act—the first federal legislation to address homelessness—for which our founder and executive director was a primary advocate.  But while great progress has been made since McKinney-Vento’s passage, there is still much to be done.  That’s why we used the occasion to renew our commitment to finish what we started and end homelessness in America.

The year began with exciting achievements in our civil rights and human rights programs.  In February, after observing Sacramento denying sanitation and safe drinking water to homeless residents during a visit organized by the Law Center, the UN Special Rapporteur on Water and Sanitation wrote an unprecedented letter to Mayor Kevin Johnson, calling the City’s actions a blatant violation of human rights.  This sent a powerful message that the U.S. is accountable to its international treaty obligations and generated strong media coverage, which reinforced the human rights implications, helping to change the political playing field and empowering marginalized homeless advocate.

To read the whole article click here. 

 

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