Spotlight On

Mission:
Picture the Homeless was founded on the principle that homeless people have civil and human rights regardless of our race, creed, color or economic status. Picture the Homeless was founded and is led by homeless people. We refuse to accept being neglected and we demand that our voices and expertise be heard at all levels of decision making that impact us.

We oppose the quality of life laws that criminalize homeless people in any form by the city, state and national governments. We work to change these laws and policies as well as to challenge the root causes of homelessness. Our strategies include grassroots organizing, educating homeless people about their rights, public education, changing media stereotypes, and building relationships with allies.

"Don’t Talk About Us, Talk With Us!"

Background:
Picture the Homeless was created by two homeless men in the Fall of 1999, Anthony Williams and Lewis Haggins. The catalyst for founding Picture the Homeless was an urgent need to respond to the Guiliani administration’s policy of criminalizing homeless people which was broadly supported by the local media outlets. An isolated criminal act where a women was tragically injured on the street became the pretext to stigmatize and harass people based on their lack of housing. The co-founders of Picture the Homeless began reaching out to allies for support, a place to meet and to figure out strategies to create an organization of homeless people that could carry out this work.

In January 2000, Picture the Homeless held its first organizing meeting at Charas. Lynn Lewis, a grass roots activist was at that first meeting and joined with Anthony and Lewis to help build an organization led by homeless people. We worked for our first two years as volunteers, at first without an office or funding and then with donated office in Judson Memorial Church and intitial funding from the North Star Fund. Picture the Homeless has worked to develop an organization directed and run by homeless people by building an infrastructure that keeps organizational decision-making in the hands of homeless people.

Current Programs:

Picture the Homeless has 4 primary organizing campaigns and a media project.

• The SHELTER/EAU Campaign:
  We’re organizing families and individuals who are stuck in the Emergency Assistance Unit and the City shelter system to try to fix all the problems. Staff abuse, unsafe and unhealthy living conditions, no way out or support in moving to self-sufficiency…We’re also working to change the process by which people leave shelter for housing—currently, NYC’s Department of Homeless Services has only one housing subsidy available, Housing Stability Plus, and it is deeply flawed and destined to create more homelessness in the long run. We’re fighting to make HSP work for homeless people!
• CIVIL RIGHTS:
  Led by homeless leaders who refuse to stay in shelters, our position is that if you lose your housing and chose to live in public spaces rather than go shelter your constitutional and human rights should not be abused by the police! We fight to end selective enforcement of Quality of Life regulations (we ask "Whose Quality of Life” is improved by moving homeless people from public spaces?) We fight the lack of legal representation for homeless people advised by legal aid lawyers to plead guilty instead of exercising their right to trial, and forced to return to court over and over if they chose to not plead guilty. We are also working to ensure that homeless New Yorkers right to vote is protected, including in city jails.
• HOUSING:
  Homeless people face countless obstacles getting back into stable, self-sufficient housing. The Housing Committee has identified a number of concerns, and we are organizing to fight to fix them! Criminal backgrounds keep homeless people from accessing public housing; the city’s financial emphasis on shelter means that real housing is not a priority. Currently, our work is focused on implementing our Homeless Housing & Jobs Platform, which would deal with the huge quantities of abandoned buildings and create housing for homeless folks out of those properties.
• CANNERS:
  The "Canners' Committee" fights for the benefit of over a thousand workers throughout New York City who redeem recyclable bottles and cans for the deposit. Our current efforts concentrate on supermarkets that discriminate against canners by not attending them or accepting a lesser amount of recycables than the law obliges them. Also, we joined the (environmental) "Bigger Better Bottle Bill"-coalition with the objective to expand of the redemption system in NYS.

Funding Needs:
We need general operating support and project support for each program area. This year we are also looking at funding for capacity building to help us develop a solid administrative infrastructure to support our growth. We are trying to increase our foundation support as well as diversify our sources of income by increasing individual donations and holding more special events.

Every month, the "Spotlight On" highlights the activities of a different 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located in the tri-state region (NY, NJ, or CT). The selection of organizations for the "Spotlight On" is based on criteria such as programmatic interests, geographic focus, and size, to ensure the broadest possible representation of the region's nonprofit sector. While the Foundation Center strives to showcase the diverse range of organizations in the area, selection for "Spotlight On" does not constitute an endorsement by the Foundation Center.

If you'd like to see your NPO in the "Spotlight," please use this submission form to send us a profile of your organization. Or e-mail a description of your organization, following the above format, to nyweb@foundationcenter.org with "Spotlight Submission" in the subject line.