Advocacy & Public Policy
Advocacy Efforts and Campaigns
Project H.O.M.E.'s Public Policy/Education & Advocacy Department seeks to ensure that all members of our community have a voice, especially those who struggle with poverty, mental illness, and/or addiction. We achieve this through leadership development and empowerment activities which engage members of our community in speaking out on the issues affecting homeless and poor persons, and acting to bring about change. We work with a variety of coalitions on city, state, and national levels to impact public policies, educate elected officials, maximize resources for housing and services, and advocate for human and civil rights for persons who are poor, homeless, and/or disabled.
- Facts on Homelessness
Definitions, statistics, and resources. - Allies and Organizations
Websites of other organizations involved in homeless advocacy efforts.
Current Activities
- Advocacy & Public Policy Archives contain the most up-to-date reports and articles relevant to Project H.O.M.E.'s advocacy work toward ending homelessness. Archives: 2011
- Vote For Homes! is a nonpartisan advocacy effort focused on the issues of affordable housing, living-wage jobs, and quality services in Philadelphia . Learn how to register voters and about voting rights for people who are homeless, living with disabilities, or ex-offenders at www.voteforhomes.org .
- Project H.O.M.E.'s Economic and Fiscal Impact on Philadelphia Neighborhoods examines and measures the impact of Project H.O.M.E. facilities on the values of neighborhood properties and was conducted by Econsult Corporation (stay tuned for an updated version soon!).
- Saving Lives, Saving Money: Cost Effective Solutions to Chronic Homelessness in Philadelphia is a 2010 report which advocates addressing homelessness by providing permanent supportive housing in order to ensure quality of life for everyone as well as save precious public resources.
- Project H.O.M.E. Evaluation was sponsored by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and conducted by Public Health Management Corporation. This analysis outlines the positive impact of community-building and the lasting social support system that Project H.O.M.E. provides to those in recovery.
- Until All Of Us Are Home: The Process of Leadership at Project H.O.M.E. is an ethnographic analysis accompanied by photographs that trace the emergence of leadership at all levels at Project H.O.M.E. The stories and photographs compiled for this project tell the story of Project H.O.M.E. from the participants' perspectives. Thanks to Professor Kathleen Hall of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvey Finkle, photographer, for their work on this project. View final report [94K PDF]
- Strategies for Reducing Chronic Street Homelessness (excerpted appendix) provides an in-depth analysis of the causes and impact of homelessness, and excerpted chapter summarizes the homeless system in Philadelphia . Written by Martha Burt in 2003, most of this thorough research maintains its relevancy today, and illuminates the current situation of homelessness in Philadelphia.
- Philadelphia's Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness: Creating Homes, Strengthening Communities, and Improving Systems was created under the leadership of the Mayor's Task Force to End Homelessness, co-chaired by Project H.O.M.E. Executive Director S. Mary Scullion and City Managing Director Pedro A. Ramos, Esq. Project H.O.M.E. and other organizations throughout the City are partnering with the City of Philadelphia to further develop and implement the Ten-Year Plan. Read the full version of the plan [6.6MB PDF] or the Plan's Executive Summary [97K PDF] .
For more information on Project H.O.M.E. public policy, education, or advocacy activities, contact: Laura Weinbaum, Vice President, Public Affairs & Strategic Initiatives, at 215-232-7272, ext. 3037 or lauraweinbaum@projecthome.org ; Will O'Brien, Special Projects Coordinator, at 215-232-7272 ext. 3047; or Jennine Miller , Associate Director of Education and Advocacy, at 215-232-7272, ext. 3042 or jenninemiller@projecthome.org.