Occupy the DC Council: A Homeless and Poor People's Town Hall Meeting
Homeless advocates, non-profits and the faith-based community from DC will mobilize at least 1,000 homeless people – abused mothers with their children, working men who can't afford housing, disabled people, veterans and the mentally ill – to demand that the mayor and the DC Council end homelessness. Not by accident during the month of the World Zero Evictions Days - for the Right to Housing.
Occupy the DC Council: A Homeless and Poor People's Town Hall Meeting at City Hall October 29th, 2012 -- 10 AM to 4 PM
Freedom Plaza and the Wilson Building (City Hall), 1350 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
In DC at least 7,000 people are homeless at any given time and over 17,000 people experience homelessness each year – many of hem victims of domestic violence or vulnerable in other ways.
Over 1,000 homeless people will gather on Freedom Plaza (Pennsylvania Ave NW between 13th and 14th Streets) to demand that DC Government provide at least 20,000 units of affordable housing by 2014 and that they address the many reasons for with people enter into or return to homelessness.
There will be music, speakers and other events throughout the day. People will
enter the Wilson Building throughout the day to pressure the DC Council and other public officials into ending homelessness.
Homelessness is a national and international problem. For that reason, Congressman John Conyers, Jr, 83 who served as Martin Luther King, Jr's lawyer has drafted House Congressional Resolution (H. Con. Res. 119): “ Expressing The Sense of Congress To End Involuntary Homelessness For Families, Children, And Women In America By 2015”. This campaign will be
taken to other cities across the nation and people will be brought to Capitol Hill from every state to fight for affordable housing and the human right to housing.
NOTE: The District collected $140 million more in taxes than projected for Fiscal year 2012 and multiple departments have under-spent their budgets by at least $36M. It has not yet been determined as to whether or not any of that money will be used to back-fill the $7 million budget shortfall in homeless services for FY 2013 so as to avoid mass shelter closings (1,200 beds) and the
loss of some funding for feeding programs. Even if it IS, this event will still take place. Due to loss of much homeless services funding since 2008 (about $200M), we have stopped fighting to IMPROVE services or END HOMELESSNESS and backed into fighting to SAVE services and MAINTAIN HOMELESSNESS. We must reverse that trend.
Contact: Eric Sheptock at 240-305-5255 or ericsheptock@yahoo.com
Visit the fan page: “Homeless Homeless Advocate Eric Jonathan Sheptock” on Facebook.
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Martedì, 30 Ottobre 2012 17:33:08
RICHARD DEMUTH