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Occupy the DC Council: A Homeless and Poor People's Town Hall Meeting

Homeless advocates, non-profits and the faith-based community from DC will mobilize at least 1,000 homeless people – abused mothers with their children, working men who can't afford housing, disabled people, veterans and the mentally ill – to demand that the mayor and the DC Council end homelessness. Not by accident during the month of the World Zero Evictions Days - for the Right to Housing.

 

Occupy the DC Council: A Homeless and Poor People's Town Hall Meeting at City Hall October 29th, 2012 -- 10 AM to 4 PM

Freedom Plaza and the Wilson Building (City Hall), 1350 Pennsylvania Ave, NW

In DC at least 7,000 people are homeless at any given time and over 17,000 people experience homelessness each year – many of hem victims of domestic violence or vulnerable in other ways.

Over 1,000 homeless people will gather on Freedom Plaza (Pennsylvania Ave NW between 13th and 14th Streets) to demand that DC Government provide at least 20,000 units of affordable housing by 2014 and that they address the many reasons for with people enter into or return to homelessness.

There will be music, speakers and other events throughout the day. People will

enter the Wilson Building throughout the day to pressure the DC Council and other public officials into ending homelessness.

Homelessness is a national and international problem. For that reason, Congressman John Conyers, Jr, 83 who served as Martin Luther King, Jr's lawyer has drafted House Congressional Resolution (H. Con. Res. 119): “ Expressing The Sense of Congress To End Involuntary Homelessness For Families, Children, And Women In America By 2015”. This campaign will be

taken to other cities across the nation and people will be brought to Capitol Hill from every state to fight for affordable housing and the human right to housing.

NOTE: The District collected $140 million more in taxes than projected for Fiscal year 2012 and multiple departments have under-spent their budgets by at least $36M. It has not yet been determined as to whether or not any of that money will be used to back-fill the $7 million budget shortfall in homeless services for FY 2013 so as to avoid mass shelter closings (1,200 beds) and the

loss of some funding for feeding programs. Even if it IS, this event will still take place. Due to loss of much homeless services funding since 2008 (about $200M), we have stopped fighting to IMPROVE services or END HOMELESSNESS and backed into fighting to SAVE services and MAINTAIN HOMELESSNESS. We must reverse that trend.

Contact:  Eric Sheptock at 240-305-5255 or ericsheptock@yahoo.com

Visit the fan page:  “Homeless Homeless Advocate Eric Jonathan Sheptock”  on Facebook.

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The date for the "homeless event" I meant to type was 10/29. Mistypes usually occur with the computers I use.

HOMELESS EVENT

I was one of the SHARC members involved with helping launch the 10/19 "OCCUPY THE DC CITY COUNCIL" event which was most unfortuneately rained out by Hurricane Sandy. It couldn't have happened worse if it was deliberately planned to coincide. Instead, I have been informed that there will first be a "feed-in" here at the CCNV shelter at Second and D Streets for the homeless, and then a "march" to city hall to still express our dissatisfaction and requests to the city council. Since there has not been wide-spread notification of this change of operation, it is highly unlikely there will be as great a turn-out as there would have been for 10/19; which I tend to doubt would have attracted 1000 anyway.

This points up the emphasis that ALL homeless people have to basically advocate for THEMSELVES without exclusively relying on others or organizations to do it for them. For instance, I was notified at the last SHARC meeting that there would be a "march" and demonstration at Freedom PLaza in front of city hall sponsored by PeaceHouse on last Friday, the 26th at noon. I showed up and NOBODY was around involved with the event. The only good thing about it was that I got to wave my sign at Prez Obama as he rode past twice to and from the capitol. I also typed up a personal message describing my situation and perspective for the mayor and each member of the city council so that they KNOW where I stand.

I am one of the INvoluntary homeless who was LITERALLY harassed into this plight at the apartment complex I was staying at in Boulder Colorado until June of this year when my lease expired and property managment refused to renew it WITHOUT explanation for the first time in four years, though I am a SS disabilty recipient and they KNEW I had no other options in the area to move to. Personally, I think the reason had to do with my wanting to take extra steps to prevent the vandalism I was experiencing, by installing a high-security lock. I have endured this kind of harassment, as well as INTENSE surveillance, for the past three years and it is MOST DEFINTELY linked to the cause of which I am now homeless! I have a HUD Section 8 housing voucher which is set to expire, without further chance of renewal, at the end of the year so I DESPERATELY need to find a suitable residence before then, or I will be homeless for DECADES (the rest of my life!) since the DC housing waiting lists are so long!! I am also planning on contacting the Coalition Against Homelessness to show them how serious my situation is and how SERIOUS I AM about getting out of it! These are PERSONAL acts that the destitute and disadvantaged have to do for themselves at times, APART from group assistance. My advice to EACH and EVERY one is: MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD AND YOUR SITUATION KNOWN!!

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