Sonoma County
Corazón Healdsburg
Our mission is to bridge the racial and economic divide in Northern Sonoma County. Glaydon de Freitas is the newly appointed and first full-time CEO. Read news article in Press Democrat here.
Corazón Resource Center, Healdsburg Community Center 1557 Healdsburg Ave, Rm 13, Healdsburg, CA 95448 PO box 1004, Healdsburg, CA 95448
(707) 395-0938
corazonhealdsburg.org/unityfund
Our mission is to bridge the racial and economic divide in Northern Sonoma County. Corazón offers programs to improve health and wellbeing for all who live and work in our area through innovative partnerships and community driven programming. Working with youth and their families, Corazón aims to break cycles of poverty and improve quality of life for those we serve. Scopa Has A Dream dba Corazón Healdsburg is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Our mission is to bridge the racial and economic divide in Northern Sonoma County.
CRP Helping Hands
facebook.com/groups/CRPHelpingHands/about/
A Facebook public group for homeless advocates in the Cotati-Rohnert Park area.
Fair Housing Sonoma County
Problems relating to rental housing such as eviction, 3-day Notice to Vacate, rent increases, unpaid rent, repairs, reasonable accommodations, damages, deposits, privacy, discrimination or lease, and rental agreement questions.
facebook.com/FairHousingSonomaCounty
The federal Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, familial status, and disability. tenants, agents and landlords who live in, manage, or own property in Sonoma County. Problems relating to rental housing such as eviction, 3-day Notice to Vacate, rent increases, unpaid rent, repairs, reasonable accommodations, damages, deposits, privacy, discrimination or lease, and rental agreement questions. Fair Housing workshops will be presented to organizations such as the Realtors Association, property owners and property managers, and cover Housing Practices.
Farm to Fight Hunger
Farm to Fight Hunger is a non-profit organization that grows, harvests and delivers fresh nutritious produce, free of charge, to those in Sonoma County in need of healthy food.
farmtofighthunger@gmail.com
farmtofighthunger.org
facebook.com/growgathergive/
Farm to Fight Hunger is a non-profit organization that grows, harvests and delivers fresh nutritious produce, free of charge, to those in Sonoma County in need of healthy food. Eggs layed by happy pastured hens are also donated to local food banks. We farm in an earth-friendly sustainable manner and work to improve the soil health, therefore improving the nutritional content of the food we grow, increasing the amount of carbon the soil can hold and reducing greenhouse gases. We will work to make the farm its own healthy balanced ecosystem, with habitat for both native plants and beneficial insects.
Generation Housing
420 E St, Ste 105, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
(707) 900-4364
info@generationhousing.org
https://generationhousing.org
Generation Housing is incubated by cross-sector leaders representing healthcare, education, environment, and business who agree that a housing advocacy organization to promote housing policy and educate the public is a crucial missing component in our local housing development.
We envision vibrant communities where everyone has a place to call home and can contribute to an equitable, healthy, and resilient Sonoma County. Our partnership champions opportunities to increase the supply, affordability, and diversity of homes throughout Sonoma County. We promote effective policy, sustainable funding resources, and collaborative efforts to create an equitable, healthy, and resilient community for everyone.
Housing Publications & Resources – https://generationhousing.org/resources/
Homeless Action! Sonoma County
c/o Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma County
467 Sebastopol Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
(707) 742-3733
info@homelessaction.net
https://homelessaction.net
Homeless Action! Sonoma County is a fully volunteer-run organization with a craving to improve the lives of homeless residents of Sonoma County. We are the only independent homeless advocacy organization in Sonoma County where members, both housed and unsheltered, have life experiences that bring passion and dedication to our work. Together, we fight for the rights and resources of those who lack permanent, stable places to live. Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma County, a 501 (c)(3) registered charity, is Homeless Action!’s fiscal sponsor.
Homeless Action Healdsburg
(707) 490-4309
gejonas@sonic.net
This is a volunteer homeless advocacy group covering the area of the City of Healdsburg, and is affiliated with Homeless Action! Sonoma County.
Homeless Action Sonoma, Inc
(707) 304-0502
anniefalcast@gmail.com
https://www.hassonoma.org
Homeless Action Sonoma Inc. is a 501c non-profit organization committed to ending homelessness in the City of Sonoma, making a documentary, and setting an example. We need the help of our community to reach these goals. We believe that lack of funding is not the reason past efforts have been unsuccessful. To fully address the issue, Homeless Action Sonoma Inc. is dedicated to a four part program: Educate, Integrate, Innovate, Create.
Housing, Homelessness and Possible Solution
facebook.com/Housing Homelessness and Possible Solutions
A place to post articles and comment about the issue of housing and homelessness in Santa Rosa, and what other states and cities (and sometimes other countries) are doing about it.
iBelong
(707) 235-1450
Gillian.haley@justicewise.org
www.ibelong.community
iBelong was founded in April 2018, beginning with the first annual Day of Belonging in response to the destruction of the long-time homeless village known as Camp Michela. The festival was based on the belief that neighborly care is the antidote to many of the challenges faced by Sonoma County residents. Scientific evidence tells us that giving is better for the giver than the recipient. We believe that the enormous unmet needs of our shelterless neighbors are connected to social isolation, heart disease, and other challenges experienced by housed residents. iBelong’s mission is to connect community members with collaborative infrastructure that supports working together to solve shared challenges.
The second Annual Festival of Belonging, a month-long event, was held at Glaser Center, Santa Rosa. It included two photo exhibitions of people who were homeless at the time their portraits were created by the photographers, Pocho Sanchez and Bob Sadler. The festival concluded with a keynote address by Dr. Joshua Bamberger, Associate Director of the UCSF Benoiff Homelessness and Housing Initiative.
Justicewise
708 Gravenstein Hwy N, Ste 136, Sebastopol, CA 95472
www.justicewise.org
Justicewise connects people and organizations with new tools and strategies that are up to the task of supporting communities working together to solve their toughest challenges. We work with a network of partners to help you integrate diverse strategies, engage everyone who has a stake in the issues, and use technology to do more with less. For you that means less time in meetings, the buy-in that’s key to eliminating barriers to progress, and greater ability to leverage resources for maximum impact.
iBelong is a project sponsored by Justicewise to build neighborly connections as the foundation of a healthy, vibrant community that works together to solve shared challenges. The Festival of Belonging was held in 2019 in Santa Rosa, CA, featuring FACES Exhibit and Inherent Worth & Dignity portraits, and talk by health and housing innovator Dr. Joshua Bamberger.
North Bay Democratic Socialists of America
(707) 335-9539
DSAnorthbay@gmail.com
dsanorthbay.org
facebook.com/dsanorthbay
DSA North Bay’s vision is a world that is liberated from the control and corruption of capitalism in our economy, society, and community. Instead of a political economic system which benefits an elite few, we envision a social order based on horizontal, democratic control of resources and production, economic planning, equitable distribution, and social, economic, and environmental justice for all. We seek to build our Chapter and communities as exemplars of these values.
DSA North Bay’s mission is to organize the people of the North Bay in order to establish and exercise collective power that can fight capitalism, combat inequality, and bring about real socialist change.
North Bay Organizing Project (NBOP)
1717 Yulupa Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95405
(707) 843-7858
Info@northbayop.org
http://www.northbayop.org
The North Bay Organizing Projectis a grassroots, multi-racial, and multi-issue organization comprised of over twenty-two faith, environmental, labor, student and community-based organizations in Sonoma County. NBOP seeks to build a regional power organization rooted in working class and minority communities in the North Bay: Uniting people to build leadership and grassroots power for social, economic, racial and environmental justice.
We have had great success in developing leaders and winning policies to minimize deportations, reduce suspensions/expulsions from our local schools, provide free public transportation for students, gain greater rights for tenants, and defend our communities.
Remaking Home: Tiny Houses for Sonoma County
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1858634174447785/about/
(818) 219-7478
How do we solve Sonoma County’s twin housing affordability and displacement crises? Many of us have at some point asked ourselves that question, and there aren’t any easy answers. Affordable housing and a job, that’s what displaced and precariously housed people need most. They need a do-over. A new start. What if we could help them do that? And, in return for our help, they agreed to do the same for the next people, as part of a larger plan? What if the solution to huge problems like homelessness isn’t random acts of kindness, but systematic ones. We are testing a new solution, right now, starting in Santa Rosa. Please consider helping out.
Rohnert Park Homelessness Roundtable
Homelessness Roundtable Webpage
The Homelessness Roundtable is convened by the City of Rohnert Park to enable a group of community members to work together to take meaning actions to solve the challenges of homelessness. Roundtable participants propose ideas and implement initiatives to address homelessness. The City serves as the convener, provides some support and participates. Most meetings are held on the first Monday of each month at Heartwood Church, 4689 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. Visit the City of Rohnert Park’s Homelessness Webpage for more information.
Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights
http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Commission-on-Human-Rights
facebook.com/SonomaCountyCommissionOnHumanRights
The primary purpose of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is to promote better human relations among all people in Sonoma County through education, advocacy, and by initiating action that fosters the recognition of, and appreciation for, the diversity of our community.
The role of the County of Sonoma Commission on Human Rights is to provide leadership, guidance, and assistance in assuring that all members of our community — especially those among us who are marginalized or disadvantaged — enjoy the full range of human rights to which every person is entitled. Working with you – residents of the Sonoma County community – we represent your needs, issues, and concerns in areas that affect your human rights. We work to bring attention to the issues faced by marginalized or disadvantaged members of our communities to those in elected office. Through us, you have a voice. Currently, we have openings in the 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Districts – please consider getting involved! Commissioners are appointed by their respective Supervisors and serve for a 2-year term, and are expected to attend monthly meetings and work on at least one Commission ad hoc committee or project.
On February 8, 2021, the Commission sent out a press release – Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights Reaffirms Need to Respect Human Rights of People Experiencing Homelessness. Click for the press release dated February 8, 2021, and the full resolution dated January 26, 2021.
Sonoma County Peer Council
(707) 481-7965
https://sonomacountypeercouncil.org/
Our vision is a world in which the inherent worth and dignity of every person is valued and respected.
Sonoma County Tenants’ Union (SCTU), a project of North Bay Organizing Project
(707) 387-1968
http://www.northbayop.org/housing#
The Sonoma County Tenants’ Union was born out of the recognition that there is a strong need for a political vehicle for the renter class of Sonoma County. In order to challenge the consolidated power of the landlord class and create a housing system that truly honors “housing as a human right,” we must build a base of organized tenants. The Tenants’ Union formed to build tenant power through education, advocacy, and grassroots organizing. We build campaigns for transformative housing policies, leadership development, direct action and community.
Sonoma Food Runners
(415) 516-7374 (call or text)
sonomafoodrunners@sonic.net
sonomafoodrunners.org
Sonoma Food Runner’s mission is to alleviate hunger, prevent food waste and build community. They collect quality, donated perishable and prepared foods that would otherwise go to waste. The San Francisco based ecological non-profit Matter of Trust, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, is Sonoma Food Runner’s fiscal sponsor.
Squeaky Wheels Bicycle Coalition
facebook.com/SWBCSonoma/
Sonoma County is at the heart of one of the United States’ worst housing crises. In addition to the influx of tech companies in the Bay Area pushing out working-class residents, on-going devastating wildfires encroach upon the availability of actual living structures, roads, and other civic infrastructure. Along with depleted healthcare and mental healthcare resources and a stagnant minimum wage, conditions are ripe for the abuse of privilege. This is most evident in the houseless communities, who rely on public space for shelter, and on bicycles for transport. Cities continue to displace houseless people; privileged communities continue to dangerously misdiagnose the problem as the displaced.
Squeaky Wheel Bicycle Coalition is composed of Sonoma County residents standing united with our houseless neighbors. To that end, our mission is to support them by telling their story, advocating for their needs, and countering narratives that only seek to malign and endanger.
West County Homeless Advocates
(707) 793-9835
Artgeorge74@gmail.com
Information sharing and program strategies targeted at Sebastopol specifically and West County generally. Focus on homeless services, safe parking, sanitation and hygiene, Little Homes, food programs. Meets third Monday of month at 5 pm at Sebastopol Senior Center, 167 North High Street, Sebastopol. Open membership, generally from churches, Rotary, any interested citizens.
Your Tiny Farm
PO Box 124, Geyserville, CA 95441
(707) 481-2935
https://yourtinyfarm.com
facebook.com/yourtinyfarm/
Your Tiny Farm was started because many people do not have access to affordable, healthy food. Urban agriculture helps to correct this through providing healthy food by eliminating the middleman and increasing the opportunity for community members in need to participate in the growing of this food.
Homelessness is among the most urgent social crises of our time. And while it’s true that there are many organizations and programs working to meet the growing need, it’s not enough. We believe that we will never end homelessness by pointing our fingers and waiting for someone else to solve it: government, nonprofits, religious institutions. We believe we will only end homelessness when each of us gets involved. When we open our lives in big and small ways to the most vulnerable among us. Your Tiny Farm provides a tangible solution that is also an invitation to come closer and to open our hearts. By doing this, it uniquely builds our collective compassion and capacity for all of the needed solutions. Your Tiny Farm is a 501(c)(3) registered charity. Support for project management and community engagement comes in part via donations on PayPal and GoFundMe.
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Outside Sonoma County
California Department of Housing and Community Development
https://www.hcd.ca.gov
Our mission is to promote safe, affordable homes and strong vibrant communities throughout California so that every California resident can live, work, and play in healthy communities of opportunity.
What we do:
- Increasing the supply of affordable places to live in California
- Preserving affordable homes and protecting public investment
- Protecting mobilehomes and manufactured home owners
- Guarding health and safety of all Californians through building standards and code adoption
- Ensuring California Plans for range of housing that meets varied needs of Californians
- Creating effective solutions to the housing crisis through policy and research
California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council
https://www.bcsh.ca.gov/hcfc/mission.html
The Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council was created in 2017 to oversee the implementation of “Housing First” policies, guidelines, and regulations to reduce the prevalence and duration of homelessness in California. The Council’s mission is to develop policies, identify resources, benefits, and services to prevent and work toward ending homelessness in California.
California Housing Partnership
http://chpc.net
Created by the Legislature in 1988 as a private nonprofit organization with a public mission, the California Housing Partnership plays a unique role in California’s struggle to provide housing that is sustainable and affordable to working families, homeless, veterans, seniors and the disabled. The Partnership is a “do-and-think-tank” that uses the experience gained from helping hundreds of nonprofit and local government partners leverage $20 billion to create 75,000 affordable homes over the past 30 years. We are the trusted advisor to these mission-driven organizations, helping them envision and execute multilayered plans for creating and preserving sustainable affordable rental housing. We are also the trusted advisor to many of the elected officials who pass laws to provide the necessary resources and the state and local government housing organizations that allocate these resources.
The California Housing Partnership is unique in combining on-the-ground technical assistance with advocacy leadership at the state and national level to increase the supply of affordable homes in California. What we learn from providing technical assistance and training to our partners directly informs our advocacy work to improve and expand existing funding programs and create new ones.
Denver Homeless Out Loud
2260 California St, Denver, CO 80205
(720) 940-5291
info@denverhomelessoutloud.org
https://denverhomelessoutloud.org
Denver Homeless Out Loud (DHOL) works with and for people who experience homelessness to help protect and advocate for dignity, rights, and choices for people experiencing homelessness. We commit our efforts toward goals affirmed and raised by homeless people, within our organization, and throughout the homeless community. We strive to add our strengths together to expose the root causes of homelessness and to create ways of living in which everyone has a safe place they can call home.
DHOL’s work and mission are to both amplify the voice and defend the rights of people experiencing homelessness. In this work, we believe the priorities must be set by those most affected – people who are or were homeless. This does not mean that any individual who is or has been homeless can decide what the priorities should be within any given project. Rather it means that there is a continual process of checking in with large numbers of people who are homeless, asking for input, documenting that input, and basing our project priorities off what the large majority of people say. This does not mean that we must check in through mass outreach for every little decision, such as to ask how we should go about acquiring washing machines. Any project entails some major decisions concerning what is or is not included (i.e. Bill of Rights, Hygiene Centers, Tiny Houses…). These priority decisions must come from the people who will be using or are most affected by the project.
Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California
1314 Lincoln Ave, Ste A, San Rafael, CA 94901
(415) 457-5025
http://www.fairhousingnorcal.org
Our mission is to ensure equal housing opportunity and to educate our communities on the value of diversity in our neighborhoods.
Founded in 1982 as a program of the Marin Housing Center (now known as Homeward Bound), Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California (formerly Fair Housing of Marin) became an independent nonprofit dedicated to equal housing opportunity in 1984.
We are currently the only full-service fair housing agency in Marin County and the only housing counseling agency in Marin County certified by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). We provide varying levels of fair housing services and mortgage foreclosure prevention services as well as advisory and training services in Marin, Sonoma (except the city of Petaluma), Solano, and other counties. Our services to clients are available at no charge in both English and Spanish.
Homebase
870 Market St, Ste 1228, San Francisco, CA 94102
info@homebaseccc.org
https://www.homebaseccc.org
About Homebase: We are a collective of legal, policy, and subject matter experts who are also data geeks, skilled facilitators, and strategic thinkers and planners dedicated to addressing homelessness and its root causes.
Mission: Our Mission is to build community capacity to end homelessness and reduce poverty, and to foster thriving, inclusive communities. We support communities and agencies in establishing the systems and programs needed to help people who are homeless or at-risk achieve housing stability, improve health and wellness, maximize economic self-sufficiency, and reclaim their dignity.
Its website is full of resources to empower community action. [Read]
Homeful.LA
An Inner City Law Center initiative
1309 E Seventh St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 891-2880
https://homeful.la
Inner City Law Center created Homeful.LA because our desire to stop calling what we see on our streets the “new normal.” None of us can solve this crisis on our own, but together we can do better.
The only provider of legal services on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles, Inner City Law Center combats slum housing while developing strategies to end homelessness. We are recognized for our expertise in housing issues, veterans’ benefits, and homelessness prevention. Our staff of 44, including 24 attorneys, provides quality legal representation for people who have nowhere else to turn. We fight for justice for low-income tenants, working poor families, immigrants, people who are living with HIV/AIDS or are disabled, and veterans.
Homeless Garden Project
30 West Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 426-3609
https://homelessgardenproject.org
The Homeless Garden Project provides job training, transitional employment, and support services to people who are experiencing homelessness. Conjointly, we provide vibrant education and volunteer programming for the broader community. All of our activities and programming are integrated and share the space of our 3-acre organic farm, workshop, and related enterprises. Working hand in hand, our community of volunteers, interns, customers, and trainees form strong bonds through collaboration.
Housing California
1107 9th St, Ste 560, Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 447-0503
https://www.housingca.org
Our Vision: A California in which no one is homeless and everyone can afford a safe, stable place to call home in a healthy and vibrant community.
Mission and Goals: Since 1988, Housing California has been working to prevent and end homelessness and increase the variety and supply of safe, stable, accessible and permanently affordable homes. Housing California accomplishes its goals through education, advocacy, and outreach.
We educate lawmakers, advance the field of community development, marshal the power of our wide and growing network, organize residents, and build strong, broad coalitions and be a thought leader.
Invisible People
7119 W Sunset Blvd, #618, Los Angeles, CA 90046
info@invisiblepeople.tv
https://invisiblepeople.tv
There is a direct correlation between what the general public perceives about homelessness and how it affects policy change. Most people blame homelessness on the person experiencing it instead of the increasing shortage of affordable housing, lack of employment, a living wage or the countless reasons that put a person at risk. This lack of understanding creates a dangerous cycle of misperception that leads to the inability to effectively address the root causes of homelessness.
We imagine a world where everyone has a place to call home. Each day, we work to fight homelessness by giving it a face while educating individuals about the systemic issues that contribute to its existence. Through storytelling, education, news, and activism, we are changing the narrative on homelessness.
Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about homelessness through innovative storytelling, news, and advocacy. Since our launch in 2008, Invisible People has become a pioneer and trusted resource for inspiring action and raising awareness in support of advocacy, policy change and thoughtful dialogue around poverty in North America and the United Kingdom.
KTown For All
ktownforall.org/
facebook.com/KtownforAll
Ktown for All is a volunteer-led grassroots organization serving Koreatown’s homeless community members through direct aid and political advocacy.
Our goal is to make Koreatown a more inclusive and vibrant community by working with and advocating for our homeless neighbors. Homelessness in Koreatown and Los Angeles more broadly is a crisis. We seek to ameliorate the suffering it causes in our own neighborhood and advocate for policies that respect the rights, dignity, and needs of the unhoused. In order to achieve these goals, we work on direct outreach, political advocacy, networking and coalition building.
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.lccr.com
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area (LCCR) works to protect and promote the rights of people of color, immigrants, and low-income people in California. As one of the oldest nonprofit civil rights organizations on the West Coast, our attorney network has provided free legal representation to communities on the front lines of Racial, Economic, and Immigrant Justice struggles for over 50 years. Our community-centered approach leverages direct services, precedent-setting litigation, and policy advocacy to dismantle systems of oppression and build a more just and equitable society.
Lived Experience Advisers
5060 Shoreham Place, Suite 350, San Diego, CA 92122
(310) 461-7000
john@livedadvisers.org
https://www.livedadvisers.org/
We share our stories with, among others, the community, academic and professional groups across the county to change the perceptions of homelessness, showing the unique diversity, strength, and the real POSSIBILITY of PEOPLE! We combat NIMBYism by supporting political leaders at community planning groups and hearings focused on new projects to serve the people experiencing homelessness. We also weigh in with political leadership at legislative meetings where homelessness and housing policies are on the agenda.
Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH)
369 Pine St, Ste 350, San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 989-8160
info@nonprofithousing.org
http://www.nonprofithousing.org
The Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH) activates our members to make the Bay Area a place where everyone has an affordable and stable home. We are 750 affordable housing developers, advocates, community leaders and businesses, working to secure resources, promote good policy, educate the public and support affordable homes as the foundation for thriving individuals, families and neighborhoods.
State of California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency
915 Capital Mall, Ste 350-A, Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 653-4090
info@bcsh.ca.gov
https://www.bcsh.ca.gov/about/index.html
With over 6,000 employees and a $4.6 billion operating budget department-wide, the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency is responsible for fostering an equitable and inclusive California. BCSH does this by: licensing and regulating over 4 million professionals, businesses, and financial services; funding and facilitating the preservation and expansion of safe, affordable housing; advancing statewide collaborative efforts to prevent and end homelessness; and guarding and enforcing California’s civil rights laws. Read their 2020 End of Year Report.
Their Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS) provides us with a clearer picture of what we can do to end homelessness, together.
Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP)
2940 16th St, Ste 200-2, San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 621-2533
wrap@wraphome.org
https://wraphome.org/
www.facebook.com/Western.Regional.Advocacy.Project/
WRAP was created to expose and eliminate the root causes of civil and human rights abuses of people experiencing poverty and homelessness in our communities. WRAP is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Donations are tax-deductible
As a regional organization, WRAP has the power of collective mobilization, which incorporates local issues into an inclusive framework. All of our efforts are grounded in the experiences of those living in poverty and or working to address homelessness. Our strategies include:
- Community Organizing
- Advocacy
- Research
- Public Education
- Direct Action
- Artwork
Youth Spirit Artworks (YSA)
1740 Alcatraz Ave, Berkeley, CA 94703
(510) 282-0396
https://youthspiritartworks.org
Youth Spirit Artworks (YSA) is an interfaith art jobs and job training program located in Berkeley, California which is committed to empowering homeless and low-income San Francisco Bay Area young people, ages 16-25.
The mission of Youth Spirit Artworks is to use art jobs and jobs training to empower and transform the lives of youth, giving young people the skills, experience, and self-confidence needed to meet their full potential.
Youth Spirit currently carries out its work through three paid jobs training program areas:
(1) Fine Art Program involves youth in creating original artwork made of traditional, recycled, and reused materials.
(2) Community Art Program, engaging young people in neighborhood revitalization through the creation of murals, tile projects and other public art.
(3) And Art Entrepreneurship and Sales, helps youth participate in the marketing and sales of original and reproduced art.
In January 2016, youth at YSA initiated a community organizing campaign to build a Youth Tiny House Village in the San Francisco East Bay. As of fall 2019, we’ve built 14 beautiful, youth-designed houses with the help of over 800 volunteers in Habitat-for-Humanity style builds. We’re working in partnership with non-profit developer Housing Consortium of the East Bay and the local interfaith community to complete a multi-face, community-led Village that is designed by the young people it will benefit.
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National
My Dog Is My Home
PO Box 863329, Ridgewood, NY 11386
Info@mydogismyhome.org
https://www.mydogismyhome.org
My Dog Is My Home is a national organization dedicated to preserving the human-animal bond in circumstances of homelessness. Due to a general “no pets allowed” rule within social services, people experiencing homelessness are often asked to decide between their companion animals or shelter. We don’t believe this is an ultimatum anyone should have to face.
Enterprise
101 Montgomery St, Ste 1350, San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 395-9405
https://www.enterprisecommunity.org
As a proven and powerful national nonprofit, Enterprise brings together nationwide know-how, partners, policy leadership and investment to multiply the impact of local affordable housing development.
Enterprise’s Northern California team has led efforts to address the region’s housing affordability for more than a decade. By sharing expertise, bringing together stakeholders and cultivating capital resources, we’ve helped create or preserve homes for nearly 20,000 families and leveraged more than $1 billion in grants and investment toward strengthening the region and its diverse communities. Read about its work in Northern California.
National Alliance to End Homelessness
1518 K St, NW, 2nd floor, Washington, DC 20005
(202) 638-1526
https://endhomelessness.org
The Alliance is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States. We use research and data to find solutions to homelessness; we work with federal and local partners to create a solid base of policy and resources that support those solutions; and then we help communities implement them.
Our strength is that we are an outcome-driven organization. Starting with our name and continuing with how we choose the work we do, allocate staff time, and use our resources, we focus on one thing: ending homelessness.
Principal activities include:
- Improve homelessness policy
- Build knowledge through research
- Enhance capacity
National Center for Homeless Education
5900 Summit Ave, #201, Brown’s Summit, NC 27214
(800) 308-2145
homeless@serve.org
NCHE operates the U.S. Department of Education’s technical assistance and information center for the federal Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Program. In this role, NCHE works with schools, service providers, parents, and other interested stakeholders to ensure that children and youth experiencing homelessness can enroll and succeed in school. NCHE is based at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Resources include:
- Helpline: (800) 308-2145
- Publication resources dealing with issue of education of homeless children and youth
- Homeless Education listserv to communicate with colleagues across the nation about emerging issues within homeless education
National Center on Family Homelessness
American Institutes for Research
1000 Thomas Jefferson St, NW, Washington, DC 20007
(202) 403-5000
https://www.air.org/center/national-center-family-homelessness
For more than 25 years, NCFH has been at the forefront of national efforts to understand and respond to homelessness, trauma, poverty and the need for social services and supports to mitigate the impact of homelessness on children, youth, and families.
Through research, programs, trainings, and partnerships with the homeless service system, NCFH provides accessible trainings, technical assistance, and reports addressing the causes, correlates, and consequences of homelessness to inform local, state, and national efforts to prevent and end homelessness.
In 2013 the National Center merged with American Institutes for Research (AIR), and continues to inform policy-makers and practitioners about the conditions of homeless families. As part of AIR’s Health and Social Development Program, NCFH
The latest version of America’s Youngest Outcasts, released in November 2014 to raise awareness of the current state of child homelessness in the United States, documents the number of homeless children in every state, their well-being, their risk for child homelessness, and state level planning and policy efforts.
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
1730 M St. NW, Ste 705, Washington, DC 20036
(202) 546-1969
info@nchv.org
http://nchv.org
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization governed by a 23-member board of directors – is the resource and technical assistance center for a national network of community-based service providers and local, state and federal agencies that provide emergency and supportive housing, food, health services, job training and placement assistance, legal aid and case management support for hundreds of thousands of homeless veterans each year.
NCHV also serves as the primary liaison between the nation’s care providers, Congress and the Executive Branch agencies charged with helping them succeed in their work. NCHV’s advocacy has strengthened and increased funding for virtually every federal homeless veteran assistance program in existence today.
National Coalition for the Homeless
2201 P St. NW, Washington, DC 20037
(202) 462-4822
info@nationalhomeless.org
https://nationalhomeless.org
The National Coalition for the Homeless is a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others committed to a single mission: To end and prevent homelessness while ensuring the immediate needs of those experiencing homelessness are met and their civil rights are respected and protected.
NCH affirms the following Guiding Principles/Values:
- We can and prevent homelessness.
- People who are currently experiencing or have experienced homelessness must be leaders in all the work of NCH and in the movement to end homelessness.
- NCH believes in the dignity of all people: housing, healthy food, quality health care, education and livable incomes as basic human rights.
- It is morally, ethically, and legally wrong to discriminate against and criminalize people struggling to meet their basic needs.
- Public policy makers and elected officials at all levels must be held accountable to end the systemic and structural causes of homelessness.
- Structural racism and discrimination are root causes of homelessness and violates human dignity.
- Collaboration between NCH and its diverse stakeholders is critical in directing NCH’s work.
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
PO Box 60427, Nashville, TN 37206-0427
(615) 226-2292
https://nhchc.org
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council is the premier national organization working at the nexus of homelessness and health care. Grounded in human rights and social justice, the NHCHC mission is to build an equitable, high-quality health care system through training, research, and advocacy in the movement to end homelessness.
We work to improve homeless health care through Training and Technical Assistance, researching and sharing best practices, advocating for real solutions to end homelessness, and uplifting voices of people experiencing homelessness.
National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
2000 M St. NW, Ste 210, Washington DC 20036
(202) 638-2535
email@nlchp.org
https://nlchp.org/coronavirus/
The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, and is the only national advocacy organization dedicated solely to using the power of the law to end and prevent homelessness in America. With the support of a large network of pro bono lawyers, we use our legal expertise to help pass, implement, and enforce laws addressing the immediate and long-term needs of those who are homeless or at risk. In partnership with state and local advocates, we work towards strengthening the social safety net through advocacy and advocacy training, public education, and impact litigation.
We believe that the right to adequate housing, healthcare, food, and education lie at the heart of human dignity and we envision a world where no one has to go without the basics of human survival. Everyone should have equal access to justice and opportunity.
PATH
path@epath.org
https://www.epath.org
Our mission is to end homelessness for individuals, families, and communities. PATH envisions a world where every person has a home. Our values include creative collaborations, strategic leadership, empowerment for all, and passionate commitment.
The group was formed in 1983 when 60 people gathered together to figure out how to help people who were experiencing homelessness in their neighborhoods. They started by distributing food and clothing to people living on the streets. As homelessness continued to grow nationwide, research revealed that Housing First—a best practice model that first connects people to permanent housing and then focuses on stabilization through voluntary supportive services, proved more effective. Now, over thirty years later, we have more than 25 locations throughout California, provide services in more than 140 cities, and more than 1,000 units of permanent supportive housing completed or in the pipeline.
Pathways Housing First
https://www.pathwayshousingfirst.org
Dr. Sam founded Pathways to Housing in New York City in 1992 based on the belief that housing is a human right.
At Pathways, Tsemberis developed the consumer-driven evidence-based Housing First model that provides immediate access to permanent supportive housing to individuals who are homeless and who have mental health and addiction problems.
Dr. Tsemberis leads Pathways Housing First, which trains direct service organizations, conducts research projects, and influences policy related to Housing First. Dr. Tsemberis is also on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center. He is currently participating in national studies of homelessness, mental illness, and addiction, and has published numerous articles and book chapters on these topics, including the Housing First Manual (Hazelden Publishing, updated in 2015). Dr. Tsemberis is continuously engaging with communities and agencies considering Pathways’ model nationally and around the world.
The People Concern (Formerly Lamp Community)
2116 Arlington Ave, Ste 100, Los Angeles, CA 90018
(323) 334-9000
customerservice@thepeopleconcern.org
https://www.thepeopleconcern.org
The People Concern empowers the most vulnerable among us to rebuild their lives.
One of Los Angeles County’s largest social services agencies, The People Concern was formed in 2016 in a merger of two trusted social service organizations based in Los Angeles County, OPCC and Lamp Community. Informed by more than fifty years of work in the community, The People Concern is a leading provider of, and advocate for, evidence-based solutions to the multi-faceted challenges inherent in homelessness and domestic violence.
With compassion and profound respect for those we serve, we provide a fully integrated system of care – including outreach, interim housing, mental and medical health care, substance abuse services, domestic violence services, life skills and wellness programs, and permanent supportive housing – tailored to the unique needs of homeless individuals, survivors of domestic violence, challenged youth, and others who have nowhere else to turn.
The People Concern’s model of integrated and comprehensive care empowers our participants to navigate the multi-faceted obstacles in their lives, become their best selves, and ultimately, connect with and contribute to their communities.
Population Health Learning Collaborative (PopHLC)
10700 Hwy 55, Ste 135, Plymouth, MN 55441
info@improvepophealth.org
https://improvepophealth.org
PopHLC is a learning collaborative focusing on improving and accelerating the refinement and adoption of practices to improve population health. We are a network of consultants, associations, academics, technology vendors, non-profits, public health professionals, healthcare providers and related organizations working together to improve the health of our communities.
The challenges we are addressing–issues like chronic disease, addiction, poverty, toxic stress, and Social Determinants of Health–are serious and often getting worse. Fortunately, there are many promising innovations and inspiring examples of how we can do things better. To improve community health, it is essential that we accelerate the process of learning and putting this knowledge into action.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857
(877) 726-4727
https://www.samhsa.gov
Congress established the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in 1992 to make substance use and mental disorder information, services, and research more accessible. It is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA’s mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities.
United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH)
301 Seventh St, SW, Rm 2080, Washington, DC 20407
(202) 708-4663
usich@usich.gov
https://www.usich.gov/
At the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, we coordinate and catalyze the federal response to homelessness, working in close partnership with senior leaders across our 19 federal member agencies.
By organizing and supporting leaders such as Governors, Mayors, Continuum of Care leaders, and other local officials, we drive action to achieve the goals of the federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness—and ensure that homelessness in America is ended once and for all.
USICH was originally authorized by Congress through Title II of the landmark Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 (PL 100-77) to serve as an “independent establishment” within the executive branch. We were charged with coordinating the federal response to homelessness and creating a national partnership at every level of government and with the private sector to reduce and end homelessness in the nation while maximizing the effectiveness of the federal government in contributing to the end of homelessness.
The agency was most recently reauthorized by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009.
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Centre for Homelessness Impact
The Evidence Quarter, Floor 4, Albany House, 94-96 Petty France, London, SW1H 0EA, UK
hello@homelessnessimpact.org
https://www.homelessnessimpact.org
The Centre for Homelessness Impact is an independent organization that supports the use of data and evidence in bringing about a sustainable end to homelessness. Good decision-making should be informed by the best available evidence of what works. As a member of the What Works Network, we support organizations in the field of homelessness and beyond to make evidence-led decisions and adopt evidence-led practices. We make evidence accessible and fill the gaps. We support data and evidence to be applied in practice. We are mobilizing a learning culture.
Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH)
Kaneff Tower, 6th Floor, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
(416) 736-2100 ext 30208
https://www.homelesshub.ca
COH is a non-partisan research and policy partnership between academics, policy and decision makers, service providers and people with lived experience of homelessness. To bridge the gap between research, policy and practice, the COH goes beyond the mandate of a traditional research institute. As one of the largest homelessness-dedicated research institutes in the world, we support service providers, policy makers and governments to improve their capacity to end homelessness.