National
Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness
Joins CAP In Anti-Poverty Rally
Thousands gather in Washington, call for White House Conference
For
Immediate Release
For More Information: Rob Wilbanks, (202) 714-5378, rwilbanks@npach.org
WASHINGTON,
September 4, 2004- The National Policy and Advocacy Council
on Homelessness (NPACH) joined dozens of other national,
state and local agencies in an historic “No Room For
Poverty” rally today in honor of Community Action
Partnership’s 40th anniversary. Before
thousands of Americans gathered in Washington and a national
television audience, NPACH Executive Director Dr. Brad A.
Paul noted, “it is here that we mark the 40th
anniversary of the war on poverty; a proud moment in our
history to be sure. And yet, sadly, in recent years
we’ve seen a dramatic step backward on that
commitment.” According to Dr. Paul, however,
solutions to many of the ills of poverty are being considered
by the US Congress, such as the Bringing America Home Act and
the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund. (see
below)
The
goal of the rally is to raise awareness of the millions of
Americans who are living in poverty, and to call for the
first ever White House Conference on American Poverty.
Poverty,
Homelessness, and the Affordable Housing Crisis
The
American housing crisis and its resultant homelessness can be
defined in human terms: 14.4 million people pay over 50% of
their income on housing, over 5 million renter households
live in "worst case" housing situations, the
poorest renters face a lack of over 2 million affordable
units, and 3.5 million people experience homelessness each
year, 40% of whom are children. The housing crisis takes
place against the troubling backdrop of recent U.S. Census
data, which revealed that 35.9 million Americans are living
in poverty.
Despite its inextricable connection to
core economic indicators, homelessness has become an insular
policy area, separated from the poverty and the housing
crisis that underlie it. The perpetuation of homelessness as
a phenomenon that is distinct and somehow
“different” from poverty has contributed to the
marginalization of the issue among the public and
policymakers, and thus distanced it from the very
constituencies who have the power to end it.
National
Solutions Already Available
Bringing America Home Act (BAHA)
This
comprehensive bill (H.R. 2897), introduced in the 108th
Congress, includes housing, health, and income components.
The proposed legislation represents the most far-reaching
initiative to date to address modern homelessness and is
based on research, data, and the experience of front line
providers and advocates.
National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act
The
National Housing Trust Fund Act (HR 1102, S. 1411) would
establish a source of revenue for the production of new
housing, and the preservation or rehabilitation of existing
housing that is affordable for low-income people. The initial
goal of the National Housing Trust Fund is to produce,
rehabilitate, and preserve 1,500,000 units of affordable
housing by 2010.
The National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness is dedicated to eradicating homelessness through inclusive partnerships with anti-poverty organizations and through grassroots advocacy driven by the experiences, insights, and data of local communities.