Addressing Housing Instability and Homelessness Matters More Than Ever
Mayors and governors across the country are playing a leading role in how their local response to COVID-19 takes shape. Their actions are critical to protecting people experiencing homelessness, preventing further spread, and protecting the capacity of our hospitals to serve everyone who needs it.
We are pleased that our federal lawmakers provided fiscal relief through the CARES Act, and we need to ensure that our state and local governments prioritize people experiencing homelessness and those who serve them.
This crisis is a stark reminder that our health depends on the health of others. When the most vulnerable people in our community are safe, we are all stronger.
We need your help urging your mayor and governor to protect people experiencing homelessness and homeless system response staff, and prevent housing instability and homelessness in the long-run.
Contact your Governor and Mayor
Your story can make a difference. Please add your own stories and information to the email template. Your local elected officials want to hear how organizations in your community are impacted and responding to this pandemic.
Sample phone script
You can use this sample script when calling your mayor governor. If you don’t get through, feel free to leave a message.
- Hi, my name is ___________ and I live in [city, state.]
- I am calling [the Mayor or the Governor] to make sure that they prioritize people experiencing homelessness and those that serve them when making decisions about how to allocate funding and resources.
Please ensure: - All people on the streets are connected with safe accommodation. Make sure those who are older, disabled, ill and chronically homeless are moved into permanent housing.
- All those in temporary accommodations are moved into permanent homes. Nobody goes back to homelessness. We must rapidly identify and secure affordable housing options and provide the proper support for those temporarily housed in hotels and motel rooms across the country.
- We must prevent a new wave of homelessness. Every indicator, from unemployment to expiring eviction moratoria, points to a surge in new homelessness. We must prevent this crisis now.
- Can I count on [the mayor or governor] to prioritize the needs of those in our state experiencing homelessness and those helping them?
- Thank you for your time.
Using CARES Act funding to Reduce Housing Instability and Homelessness
Federal funding for local governments is available through the CARES Act to be used for emergency housing assistance. Our coalition partners, National Low-Income Housing Coalition and National Alliance to End Homelessness, created this useful guidance for what local officials should do to address housing instability and homelessness.
COVID-19 reaffirmed that everyone deserves a safe, permanent home and lawmakers have the tools to make this a reality – right now. Call upon your local, state, and federal lawmakers to ensure that our homeless response leaders have the resources, tools, and support they need to protect themselves, as well as those they serve. And work toward ending homelessness in your community.
