Voting, Foreclosures, and Homelessness… Interesting Combination

The Executive Director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty wrote an interesting letter in the New York Times, linking the above three topics.

Here it is:

Foreclosure victims are now becoming vulnerable to one of the critical issues that millions of homeless Americans have faced for years: the loss of a home often leads to the loss of political rights.

Courts have ruled that you don’t need a permanent address to vote — even a park bench can serve as your lawful address for voter registration. But as a practical matter, registering, holding on to your documents and even focusing on your civic rights and duties may be impossible when basic survival needs are at stake.

People displaced by foreclosure now face the same challenges, and many are showing up at shelters. The irony is, just as their stake in political solutions to the crisis increases, their likelihood of affecting the result decreases.

My organization and others are helping make sure that people can vote even when they don’t have a stable home. At this critical time in our nation, let’s make sure that all voices have a chance to be heard.

Maria Foscarinis
Executive Director
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty


(Pic from http://a.abcnews.com)