Dear friend, In 2016, Althea became a member of VOCAL-NY, advocating for care for those experiencing homelessness and living on the street. It was not until 2019, when her own Bronx home was damaged in a horrific fire, that she found herself homeless and in need. Three years later, Althea remains in the homeless shelter system, sharing kitchen and bathroom facilities with other individuals. While sanitation can be an issue, she is grateful to at least have her own room, knowing that others are not as lucky and are forced into congregate sleeping spaces. Althea dreams of having her own apartment, but the sky high rents, source-of-income discrimination, and lack of affordable housing supply have made that impossible. And she's not alone. Althea is one of the 90,000+ New Yorkers across the state that experience homelessness on a given day. Althea became a leading voice in VOCAL-NY's Homeless Union by joining forces with other people experiencing homelessness to build power and demand change. And she's winning ! She's helped pass legislation to set aside 15% of newly constructed affordable housing, right to legal counsel to fight evictions, convert distressed hotels into housing for the homeless and increase the value of rental assistance vouchers in New York City. But these fixes are not enough. Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams need to make massive, bold investments to adequately address the scale of our homelessness crisis. This year we're demanding an expansion of safe-haven beds, the passage of the Housing Access Voucher Program, an end to source-of-income discrimination, and safety and human dignity for all New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. But we need your support to win! Donate now to support VOCAL-NY. Your donation will provide food for membership meetings, access to membership training and development, buses to Albany to advocate for our demands, and salaries for organizers to recruit directly impacted members into VOCAL-NY campaigns. Can you donate today to support our work to end homelessness? Every bit helps get us closer to our goals. Thank you, Alyssa Aguilera & Jeremy Saunders Co-Executive Directors, VOCAL-NY. | 
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