National Homelessness Law Center

The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP) is an American nonprofit organization that uses the power of the law to end and prevent homelessness, through training, advocacy, impact litigation, and public education. It was founded in 1989 by Maria Foscarinis and is based in Washington, D.C. ^[1]

History

In the mid-1980s, NLCHP’s founder, Maria Foscarinis, was a lawyer working at Sullivan & Cromwell when she volunteered to represent homeless families on a pro bono basis. After seeing the impact of first-rate legal advocacy on the lives of homeless people, Maria left the firm to dedicate herself to that work full-time. In 1985, she established and directed the Washington, DC office of the National Coalition for the Homeless. She directed campaigns to enact federal legislation to aid the homeless and went on to become an architect of the 1987 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, the first major federal legislation to address homelessness. ^[2]

In 1989, she established the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (the Law Center). Foscarinis writes regularly about legal and policy issues affecting homeless and poor persons, and is frequently in national and local media. She is a graduate of Columbia University School of Law, Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and Barnard College. ^[3]

Timeline of Major NLCHP Accomplishments

1989- Founding year and report produced on the McKinney-Vento Act, the first national legislation on homelessness. ^[4]

1990- Filing a federal lawsuit against the Social Security Administration, citing failure to reach out to disabled homeless people, 50% of whom were potentially eligible for benefits. As a result, the SSA launched an outreach program educating disabled homeless people about their benefits. ^[5]

1994- Lampkin v. D.C.: the Law Center wins a federal appeals court ruling establishing that homeless children have an enforceable right to education. ^[6]

1998- The Law Center co-organizes “Meeting America’s Housing Needs,” an initiative to promote the right to housing in the U.S., with support from HUD Helps to secure an additional $152 million in HUD funding for HUD-McKinney Act programs providing more shelter, permanent housing, and supportive services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. ^[7]

2004- NLCHP v. Suffolk County: the Law Center wins federal class action, upholding the right of 1,400 homeless children to go to school. ^[8]

2006- The Law Center and allies win a class action lawsuit, providing emergency housing for people made homeless by Hurricane Katrina. Successfully advocates for the 2005 Violence Against Women Act to expand the federal housing rights for domestic violence survivors living in public and subsidized housing. ^[9]

2010- A.E. v. Carlynton School District: the Law Center partners with the Education Law Center of Pennsylvania to win a favorable settlement, upholding education rights of four children and reforming policy for 38,000 homeless children. ^[10]

2012- The Law Center’s “Disaster Edition” manual of education rights helps children displaced by Hurricane Sandy to stay in their schools and receive meals and basic health care. ^[11]

• Big Hart v. Dallas: The Law Center, in co-counsel with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, successfully strikes down a law preventing faith-based groups from offering food to homeless people. ^[12]

2014- Publishes No Safe Place, the Law Center’s 11th report on the criminalization of homelessness, examining 187 cities with over 20,500 downloads from its publication in July to the end of the year. ^[13]

2015- Bell vs. Boise- Challenging a city law in Boise, Idaho that criminalized sleeping in public. The Law Center also advocated with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to support their position, and it filed a strong legal brief in their case, spurring other cities across the country to change their laws on sleeping in public. ^[14]

• Norton v. City of Springfield- Successfully challenging the city’s ban on begging in public as a violation of free speech rights. ^[15]

2016- Advocating for people living in encampments by providing assistance in Cobine v. City of Eureka (CA) and Buker v. City of Akron (OH), helping plaintiffs win a court order requiring Akron to provide due process to homeless citizens in encampments. ^[16]

McKinney-Vento Awards

Every year the NLCHP holds the McKinney-Vento Awards. These awards recognizes individuals and organizations that have helped provide solutions to end homelessness and poverty. The McKinney-Vento awards are named after Congressman Stewart B. McKinney and Congressman Bruce F. Vento.

Stewart B. McKinney Award Honorees:

• Andrew Cuomo

• John Grisham

• Bruce Vento

• Capital Area Food Bank

• Tipper Gore

• Abe Pollin

• Fannie Mae Corporation

• Joseph Horning

• McCormack Baron Salazar

• Senator Jack Reed

• Richard E. Schaden