907 homeless kids in our schools. 16 sleeping in their cars.
Someone asked me what we do about it?
Well, work with the Fighting Poverty Coalition is a start. We meet the 3rd Thursday at 6:00, usually at the South Madison or Hawthorne Library, we’re seeking a permanent venue.
Work with the Affordable Housing Action Alliance and the Progressive Dane Housing Task Force is a second. They meet on the 4th 1st Monday at noon at the Social Justice Center (1202 Williamson St. – Conference Room).
If you work in a non-profit, join the United for Funding group. We meet at 9:30 on the 2nd Tuesday at the Center for Families (2120 Fordem Ave)
You can also donate to your favorite non-profit, but we need people to go beyond that. Non-profits need the money to help serve people, but we also need to change policies. I’d suggest Operation Welcome Home if you don’t have one in mind.
The city passed a Housing is a Human Right Resolution. The county will work on one.
We also have a People’s Affordable Housing Vision that we created because the city’s housing diversity committee didn’t produce anything quickly or relevant.
If you want to work on tenant’s rights, check out the Wisconsin Alliance for Tenants’ Rights.
There are also many other issues besides housing that impact people. Transportation, food and water access, jobs and job training, criminalization of homelessness, childcare and early childhood development, mental health issues, alcohol and drug addiction issues etc. etc. etc. The Fighting Poverty Coalition plans to come up with action plans for these items as well.
There is much work to be done, but many people interested in doing it, we just need to join together and help put pressure on our elected officials to make this a priority. Because right now, it still isn’t. Poor people and homeless people don’t vote in the minds of our elected officials, so they are easily ignored, except when we give them more police officers to take care of “the problem”. I think we are identifying the wrong “problems”.
(See comment below)
The Affordable Housing Alliance meets on the first Monday at noon, not the fourth Monday. The next one should be March 5.
Doh! Well, its usually during my radio show, so that’s why I never remember. On the 5th I’ll be interviewing former Chief Couper with Stacey Harbaugh and doing the pledge drive.