The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has estimated that, on a single night in early 2023, more than 650,000 people in the United States were experiencing homelessness — a 12% increase from 2022.
“It’s no secret that there is a lack of affordable housing in the U.S.,” said Lucreda Cobbs, deputy vice president of administrative and regulatory affairs with Catholic Charities USA. “However, it takes time and money to increase the housing supply. So, what happens in between? What are we doing, and what can be done, to help our brothers and sisters who are without homes and living on the streets?”
Seeking these answers, leaders and staff from nationwide Catholic Charities agencies; members of Catholic organizations, Catholic parishes and other faith communities; and members of local and federal agencies have been convening to discuss solutions to homelessness both on a national and local level.
One such gathering will take place Aug. 8-9 at Catholic Charities Twin Cities’ Minneapolis location.
“Our focus is to raise awareness at the federal level around the homeless crisis and to offer legislative solutions that can translate to the work of local and state governments and impact communities across the country,” said Cobbs, who is presenting at the forum. “To make an impact at the federal level, we believe that it must come from people on the frontline providing help and creating hope, communities affected by the issue, and all people of goodwill willing to lend their voice and time to tell the story, share challenges and solutions with policymakers, and to call on them to make change.”
The Minneapolis gathering –– Catholic Charities USA’s Advocacy Forum: Convening on Practical Solutions to Homelessness –– is among a series of nationwide events. Four meetings have taken place so far in Oakland, California; St. Petersburg, Florida; Dallas; and Philadelphia. In addition to Minneapolis, Phoenix is an upcoming forum location. A virtual forum will also take place later this year, with a date yet to be determined, inviting those who attended and those who weren’t able to attend an in-person forum.
The locations were selected for several reasons, Cobbs said, including that they are locations with agencies already addressing homelessness or the location has been identified by HUD as having higher levels of homelessness.
The forums, including the upcoming event in Minneapolis, include presenters suggesting ways to engage in advocacy. Attendees discuss how to develop best practices as people doing frontline work to end homelessness share their experiences of what has worked and what hasn’t. Cobbs said some of the forum sessions can include conversations about case management, mental health and substance use. There are conversations about navigating, and tapping into, community resources and discussions on collaboration and collective impact models.
Federal agencies invited to attend the forums include the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, HUD, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Cobbs said although not all representatives are able to participate in every forum, “for the most part, we’ve had at least three to four agencies that we invite to participate.”
“We hope to bring together people who both work in spaces where people are experiencing homelessness as well as those interested in getting more involved,” said Mike Rios-Keating, director of culture and belonging with Catholic Charities Twin Cities. “In this work it is important to take moments, in the spirit of community and the common good, to gather with the goal of learning from each other how we can better walk alongside those in need and help them on their journey toward stability.”
Rios-Keating, who will be attending the forum with several colleagues, will welcome attendees on the convening’s first day with prayer and notes on how to frame the event using Catholic social teaching. Cobbs said while the forum includes Catholic social teaching framework, “we also want to know why others do this work as well. So, all people of goodwill, they’re welcome to attend the convening.”
Rios-Keating said attendees will also have opportunities to visit Dorothy Day Place in St. Paul and Hope Street for Youth in Minneapolis “where we will be able to highlight the work we are doing to support our neighbors in need in the Twin Cities.”
Though a final attendee count for the Minneapolis convening has yet to be determined, “the forum could easily get up to 50 people,” Cobbs said, adding that organizers typically cap the events at 75 people.
ADVOCACY FORUM
WHAT: Catholic Charities USA’s Advocacy Forum: Convening on Practical Solutions to Homelessness
WHERE: Catholic Charities Twin Cities, 1007 E. 14th St., Minneapolis
WHEN: 9:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. Aug. 8 and 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 9
HOW TO REGISTER: Registration for the forum is free. Registration information.
“People should come to the forum to learn, share and hear from others of like minds interested in addressing homelessness, but it’s also a way for them to get connected, hear ideals and learn (about) available resources and efforts taking place locally, regionally and nationally,” Cobbs said.
Cobbs said the ideas and information gathered at the convenings “will help guide the creation of a white paper of recommendations to support our advocacy efforts” to be delivered to the U.S. Congress “and also inform preparations for a national summit on homelessness in 2026.”
Rios-Keating suggested the upcoming Minneapolis forum “will be of interest to those who want to learn more about homelessness and about ways they can build support for people experiencing homelessness in their own communities and neighborhoods.”
It is “an opportunity to connect with others interested in learning about approaches to advocacy rooted in human dignity and caring for our most vulnerable neighbors,” Rios-Keating said. “The program answers our call to walk with both feet of loving service: charity and justice.”
MORE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED: Those interested can sign up for Catholic Charities Twin Cities’ action alerts, which notify subscribers about ways to connect with lawmakers, how to attend Homeless Day on the Hill, and opportunities for educational events. Learn more at cctwincities.org/advocate.
