Make it Law – Standards for Shelters
As part of the Homes For All 2o21 Legislative Agenda, AlignMinneapolis is asking its member congregations to help support statewide legislation for enactment of the Shelter Resident Bill of Rights.
History:
4 years ago, AlignMpls facilitated the development of Street Voices of Change (SVoC) – a supportive and self-empowering advocacy community for persons experiencing homelessness. Within 2 years they responded to the distressing tales of woe being told by their members about unjust experiences in the city’s shelter system, and they developed the Shelter Resident’s Bill of Rights (SRBOR). The Bill purports that people in shelters should have a safe, respectful, and dignified experience while staying at shelter. With Align MPLS’s support, Street Voices of Change lobbied Hennepin County Commissioners, Shelter Providers, and Funders.
As a result of their Advocacy, Hennepin County now requires implementation of the tenets of the SVoC Shelter Residents Bill of Rights in its shelters. Cognizant of the need for SRBOR’s implementation and enforcement across the entire state, Street Voices of Change has successfully secured the support of the Homes for All Coalition (H4All), and it is now included in the Legislative Agenda for 2021.
What Is The Shelter Bill of Rights?
Every shelter resident has the right to:
• Be treated with respect and dignity
• Shelters with adequate space
• Clean facilities
• Safety
• Case management to help exist shelter
• Trained and compassionate staff who create a safe and welcoming atmosphere
• Disclosure of services and finances of their stay from shelters
• Mediation with outside representation before separation
• Quality food
• Property and secure storage
The Ask:
We need your support to move this bill through the legislative process.
• Contact State Senators and Representatives
• Participate in Align MPLS SVoC SRBoR events
• Support all events organized by the H4All Task force on the SVoC SRBoR
Contact your Senator and Representative!
Strongly encourage enactment of the Shelter Residents Bill of Rights.
The Message: Support the Shelter Residents Bill of Rights
“Hello Senator /Representative I am calling to ask you to support the Shelter Residents Bill of Rights that folks who have stayed in shelters have written. For too long shelter residents have been written out of legal protections and their wellbeing ignored. Sleeping outside should never be safer and less traumatic than staying in a shelter, but every day right now people make that choice. It is the State’s responsibility to ensure that shelters are safe, humane, and dignified spaces for anyone who is staying there.”
Or replace any part of the above script with a personal or spiritual reason for your support of the Shelter Residents Bill of Rights and any of its individual aspects.
Talking Points:
- As a person of faith, I believe in creating a better place for everyone to live and thrive.
- Everyone deserves a safe and dignified place to rest their head at night.
- 60% of unsheltered folks choose to be outside, on the train, or somewhere unfit for habitation because they do not feel safe in shelters.
- 30% of people in single adult shelters are under 18 or over 55 years old.
- Shelters should be regulated to protect the people they are charged with like every other sector.
When you contact your Senator and/or Representative:
- Tell them you support the Shelter Residents Bill of Rights
- Ask them how they plan to make it law and enforce it
Ways to reach out: (click here to find your state representative and senator)
- Call them and leave them a message
- Write them an email
- Attend an online meeting; they are often listed online or on Facebook events
