National Coalition for the Homeless

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 the common goal of ending the American homelessness crisis.

The roots of NCH began in 1981 when the founder, Robert Hayes, filed a lawsuit on behalf of a man experiencing homelessness in New York City. The lawsuit was settled out of court, and people experiencing homelessness won the right to shelter in New York City. The Coalition for the Homeless in New York City formed as one of the early community-based coalitions. With the development of other local and statewide homeless coalitions, the National Coalition for the Homeless was formed in 1982 and incorporated in 1984, and was recognized as a tax-exempt, not for profit organization under the 501(c) (3) internal revenue code in 1988.

Since the establishment of NCH, many other cities in the United States have created organizations which are members of the network, such as Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and Houston. There are also statewide coalitions, like those in Massachusetts and Colorado, and organizations focusing on the region. The local factions of Coalition for the Homeless often rely on volunteers to help with the programs assisting those who are homeless and at risk of being homeless.

NCH is committed to creating the systemic and attitudinal changes necessary to prevent, and eventually end, American homelessness. Simultaneously, NCH works to meet the immediate needs of people who are currently experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of doing so. One of the guiding principles of NCH is to include people experiencing homelessness in all aspects of its work. NCH works to empower communities and those experiencing homelessness to advocate for positive change, while acting as a national voice for these local advocates. NCH's focus is on advocacy work in four policy areas: affordable housing, comprehensive health care, livable incomes, and the preservation of civil rights. To achieve these goals, NCH utilizes six major strategies: policy advocacy, litigation, public education, community organization, research, and technical assistance.

NCH projects include: National Homeless Persons Memorial Day (since 1990 on December 21 each year, the longest night of the year) in an effort to honor all the men, women and children who have died while homeless, Hate Crimes and Violence on Main Street USA reports, Criminalization of Homelessness reports, Co-sponsors National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, the week before Thanksgiving. There are also local projects which seek to make the issue of homelessness more visible to the public, such as the One Night Count, conducted by the Coalition of the Homeless in the Seattle area.

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