Homelessness Advocacy
Everyone deserves a place to call home. But a severe shortage of affordable housing and a critical lack of services continue to result in alarming rates of homelessness around the country.
On any given night in 2023, roughly 650,000 people experienced homelessness. That is a 12 percent increase compared to 2022 and the highest level of homelessness since the federal government began tracking that statistic. At the same time, there is a national shortage of more than 7 million affordable homes.
Through a series of advocacy training forums held around the country in 2024, CCUSA increased awareness around the homelessness crisis, equipped people of goodwill with the tools needed to advocate on the federal and local levels and helped develop legislative solutions to the ongoing homelessness crisis.
The shared solutions developed through these conversations will be developed into federal legislation that we hope, with your help, will be introduced in Congress by 2026.
7.3 million
Estimated shortage of affordable housing
units for 11 million extremely low-income renters
75 percent
Share of renter households unable to
pay more than $694 per month in rent
Get Involved
You can play a critical role in supporting our brothers and sisters suffering from homelessness. Lend your voice and your time to a nationwide effort to raise awareness around this pressing moral crisis.
Stay informed with action alerts and important updates on federal issues related to homelessness.
Take action to end homelessness in your community. Visit CCUSA’s Action Center to search for policymakers from your area.
Contact Lucreda Cobbs at lcobbs@catholiccharitiesusa.org for more information about CCUSA’s homelessness advocacy efforts.
Resources
CCUSA Resources
State of Homelessness Presentation
This presentation, offered at the homelessness advocacy forums held throughout the country, provides a thorough examination of the scope of homelessness throughout the country.
Advocacy 101 Presentation
This presentation, offered at the homelessness advocacy forums held throughout the country, offers a primer on legislative advocacy.
Catholic Social Teaching Presentation
This presentation, offered at the homelessness advocacy forums held throughout the country, contains an overview of the foundations and principles of Catholic Social Teaching and recommendations for additional reading on this critical topic.
Advocacy Basics
A perfect companion to the Advocacy 101 presentation, this manual offers a thorough, actionable introduction to legislative advocacy.
Legislative Priorities
In this document, CCUSA outlines all of its federal legislative priorities, including those pertaining to housing and homelessness.
Housing Backgrounder
This one-page guide provides an overview of CCUSA’s policy positions and initiatives related to affordable housing and homelessness.
Poverty and Racism
CCUSA’s policy paper on the connections between poverty and racism carries specific contains lessons that are particularly relevant to the national conversation surrounding homelessness.
Federal Resources
Homelessness Data and Trends from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH)
Federal Funding and Programs from USICH
Definition of Homelessness from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Homelessness Data from HUD
Homelessness Programs from HUD
Homelessness Programs for Veterans from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Homelessness Programs and Resources from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Additional Resources
State of Homelessness: 2024 Edition from the National Alliance to End Homelessness
An interactive, data-driven guide to the state of homelessness in each state.
Past Events
Throughout 2024, CCUSA is hosting homelessness advocacy forums in communities around the country, building a network of informed advocates committed to influencing federal, state and local policymakers.
Phoenix
October 24 – 25, 2024
Minneapolis
August 8 – 9, 2024
Philadelphia
June 5 – 6, 2024
Dallas
May 7 – 8, 2024
St. Petersburg/Tampa
March 14 – 15, 2024
East Bay
February 28 – 29, 2024