Advocacy Opportunities:
Local/State Advocacy:
Good News from the 2024 Idaho Legislature!
The following bills, which impact our community passed into law:
S1247: This bi-partisan bill will ensure compassionate care for those with neurocognitive disorders who experience medical crises. It allows family members or friends to act on their behalf to authorize an emergency medical assessment (and care) without a “mental health hold” or police detention.
S1327: This bipartisan “clean slate” bill shields some records of evictions, when they are dismissed, without appeal, and 3+years have passed. This is a win-win for both tenants and landlords and removes potential rental barriers for tenants.
SB1328aa: This bi-partisan bill protects both run-away youth and the facilities that shelter them. It allows youth to remain sheltered, even if they do NOT want their parents notified (or if Shelters attempt, but are unable, to notify parents. For youth who might feel endangered by parental contact, this new law allows them to decline to report and removes penalties against the shelter if they are unable to make contact.
To read additional Legislative Highlights, click HERE.
GREAT RESOURCE:
League of Women Voters (also available to men!)–They host a weekly legislative update every Friday of the session, as well as written updates on this site: https://my.lwv.org/idaho/articles
There is a fee to become a member, but none to access their website.
Federal Advocacy:
National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) is calling on advocates nationwide to contact their members of Congress and keep urging them to pass a final fiscal year (FY) 2024 spending bill that provides increased funding for HUD’s vital affordable housing and homelessness programs, including full funding to renew all existing Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) contracts.
Click HERE to learn more and take action!
Johnson v. Grants Pass + new anti-homeless bills:
Right now, the Supreme Court, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, and Arizona are all debating if they can punish their way out of homelessness. Things like jail cells and tickets make homelessness worse, but sadly, too many people still think punishing people for being poor will end poverty. As the movement to arrest and ticket people sleeping outside grows, your help is needed to shift conversations and policies away from harm, and towards the housing and services that actually end homelessness.
- Visit the National Homelessness Law Center’s web page about new anti-homelessness bills across the country that includes an Emergent Threats Tracking Map so you can stay informed about this alarming trend.
- Sign a petition to the Supreme Court: Affirm the right to adequate housing
Education Resources:
Free Housing Summit
Bipartisan Policy Center: Summit on Housing Supply Solutions
Join BPC’s Terwilliger Center for a day-long summit exploring bipartisan solutions to the acute shortage of affordable homes.
June 11, 2024 – Virtual 2024 Terwilliger Center
No Charge
Register HERE
Local Conference
Idaho Housing and Finance Association: Conference on Housing and Economic Development – April 23-24, 2024, Boise Centre (Registration $275 – $475)
Homeless Voting Guide
This article shares presidential candidates’ approaches to homelessness, including quotes from their websites or speeches: Homeless voting guide: Trump institutionalizes, Biden builds housing (newsbreak.com)
NEW HUD Publication: Fact Sheet: Title VI–Non-discrimination Based on Actual or Perceived Shared Ancestry or Ethnic Characteristics; September 2023
- Find a copy of the Fact Sheet HERE
Housing affordability/shortage gets more and more visibility.
Listen to the NPR Podcast: Homelessness is compounded by more people losing housing because its unaffordable
This is a good (short) summary of the problems we know exist but are well articulated in a 3+ minute podcast. Although the problem is dire, there is benefit in this increasing level of visibility. Doesn’t it FEEL as if it should make some aspects of our work easier???
Learn about homelessness in Idaho: Read Idaho Housing and Finance’s report on The State of Homelessness in Idaho 2023. This illustrated 17-page report includes Forms of Homelessness, Primary Causes of Homelessness, Housing Permanency is Paramount, Extent of Homelessness, Resource Distribution, Characteristics of Homelessness, Need for Additional Housing, How You Can Help, and more.
Learn about homelessness in America: An Urban Institute quiz helps users assess how well they understand the causes of and solutions to one of the nation’s most pressing challenges.
Learn more about the factors that correlate most strongly with homelessness rates, interactions between the criminal justice system and homelessness, effective ways to end homelessness, and more.
Get the Action Alerts!
Throughout the year, as important opportunities arise to contact representatives at any level of government, or to reach out to the public, the Coalition emails action alerts to members and to everyone one our email list. Sign up to receive time-critical information about proposed legislation and policy issues. Most action alerts include links to easily submit input to your representatives, or addresses for your Letters to the Editor. See the Sign Up Form in the Sidebar to the right.