Letter from the NHCHC Executive Director

NATIONAL HEALTH CARE FOR THE HOMELESS COUNCIL
LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR l JANUARY 2010

Greetings!

Like you, we at the National Health Care for the Homeless Council are stunned by the impact of the earthquake in Haiti. All the ravages of homelessness as we know it in the U.S. are evident in Haiti, in hideously exaggerated and concentrated form.

PLEASE HELP OUR HOMELESS NEIGHBORS IN HAITI

We particularly admire the work of Partners in Health, whose work in Haiti has long given powerful witness to the human rights values that we share. Other relief organizations, and information about ways to volunteer or help, are identified by National Nurses United and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

DOMESTIC DISASTERS AND HOMELESSNESS

The world's response to the earthquake has been generous and quick, but the problems of coordination and distribution on the ground remind us that those who are already dispossessed and disenfranchised bear a particular burden in the event of a natural disaster.

The Haiti earthquake, like Hurricane Katrina before it, is a painful reminder of our vulnerabilities and the importance of emergency preparation. In March 2009, the National Council published Disaster Planning for People Experiencing Homelessness in an effort to provide practical guidance for all who seek to assure that no one is overlooked or shunned when a disaster befalls us.

This guide describes the unique disaster vulnerabilities that are faced by people who are homeless and how communities can move towards more inclusive emergency planning and response.

Mass homelessness is, of course, an ongoing disaster in our country, worthy of an alarmed public response that has yet to emerge. We in the National Council work to diminish this crisis every day, by providing quality care to our homeless neighbors, by developing resources like the disaster planning guide, and by consistently calling our nation to a higher standard of human rights.

The disaster planning monograph and other helpful emergency planning resources are collected on the Council's Emergency Preparedness webpage.

AT HOME OR ABROAD: TAKE ACTION

1. Support those affected by the recent earthquake in Haiti:

Visit the websites listed above

2. Support those who are experiencing homelessness in the U.S.:

Donate to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council

Send us names and email addresses of colleagues or friends who would like to learn of our work or forward this message to them using the Forward email link below

Whatever action you choose will be instrumental in building a world in which human rights are respected. Thank you for supporting our work.

Sincerely,
JNL signature

John N. Lozier, MSSW | Executive Director
615/226-2292 | www.nhchc.org | jlozier@nhchc.org

Health Care and Housing Are Human Rights