NATIONAL HEALTH CARE FOR THE HOMELESS COUNCIL
LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR l JANUARY 2010
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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.
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PLEASE HELP OUR HOMELESS NEIGHBORS IN HAITI
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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.
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DOMESTIC DISASTERS AND
HOMELESSNESS
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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.
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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.
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AT HOME OR ABROAD: TAKE ACTION
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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
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Whatever action you choose
will be instrumental in building a world in which human rights are respected. Thank
you for supporting our work.
Sincerely,
John N. Lozier, MSSW | Executive Director
615/226-2292 | www.nhchc.org | jlozier@nhchc.org
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Health Care and Housing Are Human Rights
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