HHH Goes to Washington
Twelve members of HHH headed to DC for four days to attend the National Alliance to End Homelessness conference and to meet with our public servants on Capitol Hill. We were especially pleased that HHH was able to present a workshop on personal power at the conference. The trip was informative, inspiring, and team-building. After a long drive on Sunday, we arrived in DC around 9 pm and settled into our hotel rooms. On Monday morning, we enjoyed prayer and breakfast together in the morning, then split off into two groups - one group partook in a yoga class offered by the conference and the other group went to explore the U.S. Capitol and Botanical Gardens. We met up for lunch, then returned for the opening speech of the conference.
Monday afternoon was spent in various workshops, followed by a reception for the entire conference in the evening.
On Tuesday morning, we continued with workshops and met together for lunch, during which the new HUD secretary spoke. On Tuesday afternoon, we all attended the workshop led by HHH members Tommy Yarborough, Rob Weigle, and Liz Clasen. Tuesday evening we celebrated our hard work with a dinner together out at Union Station. We were pleased to have the new homeless outreach worker for Raleigh and the head of Charlotte's Homeless Services Network join us.
On Wednesday morning, Jerry Gray represented Charlotte in a meeting with Senator Burr's office, then the rest of the group joined him for meetings with Representative Sue Myrick and Representative Mel Watt. With Myrick, the group advocated for the SOAR program, designed to get disability benefits quicker for homeless individuals. With Watt, the group spoke of the HEARTH act, which re-authorizes the primary bill that funds Homeless Assistance Programs. We were pleased with both meetings and in fact, the very next day Watt cast a vote in support of the HEARTH act, just as we had asked him to do.
We headed home on a car ride filled with reflection on our time in DC and engaging conversation. We were able to take such a large group thanks to scholarship assistance from the National Alliance and a successful fundraising dance. Thank you for your support.
See below for some snapshots from the trip:
Monday morning after our prayer and breakfast together.
Rob and Rollon at Myrick's office
The whole crew joined with Susanna from the NC Coalition to End Homelessness
At our celebratory dinner at Union Station
The crew gathered outside Union Station. This year, we rented wheelchairs, which greatly eased our tourism and visits on the Hill.
Jerry outside Burr's office.
Cora and Sara Kay taking on the topiary bear at the Botanical Gardens.
A group gathered outside the U.S. Capitol
The last day of the conference, we also bid farewell to our HHH summer intern Sara Kay.
The group poses with Sue Myrick, showing off her new HHH T-Shirt. (The shirts were a big hit at the conference. We sold 10 of them to groups from around the country)
posted by Group of Concerned Citizens @ 6:05 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Reflections on 2008 NAEH Conference
This was my first participation in such an event. I was struck by the incongruity of holding a conference on homelessness in a Hyatt hotel; this was somewhat compensated for by the fact that there was construction going on in the hotel – the noise, inconvenience, and difficulty getting from point A to point B reflect the routine experience of the poor.
It was encouraging to see approximately 1200 people passionate about ending homelessness. Several participants, including members of HHH, took the opportunity of visiting local shelters and hearing from the local homeless community.
Here are a few “sound bites” that particularly inspired me from the workshops I attended:
• Interventions that are having an impact:
- Supportive housing
- Planning for folk to exit shelters
- Focus on most needy first
- Improved data systems to measure & report progress
• Homelessness should be a temporary, short-term phenomenon, not a way of life.
• Churches must shift their focus to providing housing rather than shelters.
• Homelessness can be lethal: hundreds needlessly are dying on our streets every day.
• Our relationship with the Police should be partnership rather than adversarial: ending homelessness will achieve their goals as well as ours.
I returned inspired and energized to continue working with HHH and others to engage our community in ending the scandal of homelessness in our time.
Highlight: The team spirit and camaraderie among HHH: pushing wheelchairs, looking out for each other, fetching & carrying – it was maximum cooperation with minimum whining!
Lowlight: Being informed by one of our Representatives that Congress will take no action this year on any spending except for military purposes.
Hello. I am very excited to see this blog online. I became aware of your group, I believe during your recent trip to D.C. My mother, son and daughter, were eating lunch in the Union Station food court one afternoon while a group of HHH members were, too. I saw and read the hats and t-shirts and was intrigued by them. The group left before I had a chance to approach them so I am glad to have found you online. Do you have a website so we can find local chapters? How are you organized? What a great message you have for everyone - helping each other. Everyone should learn from that message.
Lisa,
Thanks for finding us on-line. HHH is local organization, based in Charlotte, NC. We are part of the Urban Ministry Center (www.urbanministrycenter.org).
There is a staff person at the Center that helps oversee the group, but we are governed by a leadership team that includes homeless, formerly homeless, and housed volunteers. We meet every Wednesday and each Friday have a leadership team meeting.
Thanks again for your interest.
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