About
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We the Unhoused is an advocacy group and community for by and with the unhoused to bring about change and reduce stigma.
Unhoused Facts:
66,436
People in L.A. County are unhoused. 75% of them lack permanent shelter and have to rely on tents, makeshift shelters, or their vehicles for accommodations. Structural racism causes Black People to be 4X more likely to experience being unhoused.
47%
U.S. cities studied have "anti-homeless" laws on the books
According to the National Law Center on Homeless and Poverty around 47% of the 197 U.S. cities studied have "anti-homeless" laws on the books, making the homeless prone to arrest for sitting or loitering in a public place for too long.
49%
Houseless persons report violence or harrassment while on the streets.
Based on a study by the U.S. Department of Justice 49% of homeless individuals surveyed state being victims of violence (including harassment and violent injury from police), compared to 2 percent of the general population.
12 out of 15
L.A. City Council members voted to pass the amendment of municipal code 41.18.
Now anyone can be arrested for sitting, sleeping or laying down outside. The unhosed have nowhere to go without the possibility of criminalization for simply existing.
Our Purpose
In newsrooms, city council buildings, neighborhood councils, police stations, courtrooms, state houses, and governor’s offices all across the country “solutions'' to the “problem” of houselessness are discussed and debated every day, yet very few of these conversations involve or center unhoused people and their voices.
We the Unhoused grew out of a need to show the world that the unhoused have a voice in shaping policy and solutions to the complex factors that shape our lives, and to expose the harm and violence caused by the so-called solutions that criminalize our people. As the old saying goes, nothing about us without us.
Our Mission
We the Unhoused creates news and media for the unhoused by the unhoused. We foster a safe space for the unhoused community and our allies to access accurate information, education, support, camaraderie and resources to build a better tomorrow. By debunking the harmful, racist and stigmatizing myths that motivate carceral policy decisions, we hope to show people a better way, where we can all meet in the light of understanding.
Our Vision
Our podcast, news articles, newspaper, and advocacy focus on and showcase the direct impact that carceral solutions to houselessness have on our people from our point of view. By creating a strong network of unhoused folks, our allies, and our accomplices, we can show the world that we are more than trash to be swept off the street. We are complex people worthy of dignity and respect.
Our long-term goal is to create a national, and international network to build political power and set our own agenda through the use of media, education and advocacy.
We envision a national unhoused march on Washington where we can finally demand that no one should ever die on the street.