Every One Votes: Their Voices Must Be Heard

The past couple of years have been a tumultuous time, with great uncertainty for people experiencing homelessness and the organizations serving them. The federal government’s effort to reshape the social service safety net and change federal homelessness policy threatens to upend homelessness response systems across the country. People experiencing homelessness are collateral damage to these changes. Litigation and advocacy have, so far, limited the administration’s ability to implement its most harmful plans.  

Elections matter; federal policy decisions have real community and human impacts. People who have the most to lose from bad policy decisions must have a say in who makes those decisions. That is why the Alliance started Every One Votes, a clearinghouse of resources designed to provide homeless services organizations with guidance to ensure their clients can exercise their right to vote.

Below are some best practices from Every One Votes to help your clients have their voices heard:  

• Help your clients register to vote. Registering to vote is easy in almost all states, and helping your clients register is an allowable activity for federally funded service providers. Our friends at the National Low Income Housing Coalition have set up a website to assist in this effort. 

• Assist your clients in obtaining proper ID for your state. Research and help your clients stay in compliance with state law by ensuring they have the proper identification when it is time to vote. 

• Educate your clients. Creating voter guides is one of the best ways to educate clients on the candidates and issues on the ballot. In lieu of creating your own guide, there may be other non-partisan groups in your area that may have voter guides you can use. 

• Take advantage of early voting. Confirm when in-person voting begins in your area, as most states allow their citizens to vote well before Election Day. You can also help your clients with absentee ballots or voting by mail (if permissible in your state). 

• Reduce barriers to shelter. If your shelter has a curfew, please suspend it in advance of Election Day so that clients don’t have to choose between exercising their right to vote and having a bed to sleep in. This may mean adjusting staffing in advance. 

• Help your clients get to the polls on Election Day. You can offer transportation assistance by using car/van pools, public transportation assistance, or providing bus/subway route information. Non-partisan voting groups in your area may also provide transportation to the polls. Consider providing your clients with water in case of long lines, or items to stay warm in case of cold weather. 

The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), and the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) all have resources to help you with Election Day and create a voting plan to make sure everyone in your community can access their right to vote. 

Advocacy can move mountains for people experiencing homelessness and the systems designed to serve them. Now is the time to help people experiencing homelessness have their say.