What we’re working on 

Article 25 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights states that “All Human Beings have a right to a standard of living adequate for themselves and their families, including food, housing, medical care and all necessary social services, and security in the event of old age, widowhood or any other circumstance beyond their control.” Yet tens of millions of people survive on our streets every night without access to these most fundamental rights. Those same people are continually assessed and studied and have thousands of reports written about them every year by well educated, and well paid, consultants who continue to regurgitate the same “solutions” that failed to address the root causes of homelessness 40 years ago as new innovations. The only true experts on how to end homelessness are those who have, and are currently living through it. These are the voices that are typically either ignored, marginalized or excluded from the decision making around homeless services and policy.

The People's Needs Assessment aims to correct this by giving people currently living on the street an opportunity to assess how the system has either succeed or failed to serve them. By administrating this survey about access to housing, food, medical care and interactions with law enforcement we hope to give those experiencing homelessness a voice of their own in the discussions about them, as well as quantitative and qualitative data they can use to organize and advocate for policies that will help people currently living on the streets realize their Human Rights.