Every week at All Saints Church we put our faith into action. This week our focus is again addressing the housing crisis in California.

We are asking people to sign a petition to the California State Legislature supporting Housing First. The root cause of today’s homelessness crisis is a severe lack of housing and historic patterns of socioeconomic segregation.
So it is extremely disheartening to see growing trends of criminalizing homelessness. For example, just recently, the LA City Council passed an ordinance to ban sleeping and sitting in public spaces. It seems once again our elected officials are sweeping the unhoused under the rug rather than providing housing to them.
Across homelessness service providers and advocates, the consensus remains that criminalization is ineffective. In fact, the arrest and disperse approach undermines hard-earned progress made by outreach, service, and case management workers, causing them to lose the connection and trust, built through months or even years of effort, with their clients.
Now is not the time to divert our attention and resources away from building homes. Rather, now is the time to continue pushing for bold and comprehensive housing reforms that will:
• Legalize more homes
• Make homes easier to build
• Fund affordable housing
• Strengthen tenants’ rights

Please take action today. Click on this link and urge your state legislators to reform housing and support a Housing First approach to homelessness, so that we can achieve housing for all, and end homelessness for good.