Rising housing costs continue to rapidly outpace wages, forcing more families to live on the streets. We have the power and the money to guarantee housing as a human right, but we need the will to reorient congressional priorities.

As Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness, Rep. Cori Bush just reintroduced the Unhoused Bill of Rights, which provides a blueprint for the federal government to permanently end the unhoused crisis by 2027.

The legislation calls on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to declare the unhoused crisis a public health emergency, and calls for rigorous federal investments into homeless assistance programs, affordable housing initiatives, and wraparound services that keep people permanently housed.

Specifically, the resolution:

• Provides a blueprint for the federal government to permanently end the unhoused crisis by 2027 by drastically increasing the affordable housing stock, providing universal housing vouchers, and bolstering funding to federal housing programs, shelters, transitional and permanent housing programs, social services, and permanent emergency rental assistance;

• Calls on the HHS to declare the unhoused crisis a public health emergency;

• Protects unhoused individuals from the violation of their fundamental human rights to housing, health care, livable wages, education, employment opportunities, access to public facilities, and freedom from harassment by law enforcement, private businesses, property owners, and housed residents;

• Supports historic federal funding levels for state and local governments to provide 24-hour support for unhoused people, including: shelters, transitional housing programs, supportive services, public restrooms, hand-washing stations, showers, laundry facilities, and water fountains in coordination with grassroots and community-led organizations;

• Develops holistic, health-based, and non-carceral solutions to the unhoused crisis in coordination with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), community-led organizations, and unhoused advocates from a health-based approach that addresses both the unhoused and public health crises.

Please sign on today to demonstrate public support by becoming a grassroots co-sponsor of the Unhoused Bill of Rights.

Participating Organizations:

Able Dems

Blue Future

Cori Bush for Congress

Daily Kos

Democratic Values PAC

Forward Blue

Free and Fair Democracy PAC

Rashida Tlaib for Congress