Advocacy & Social Justice

SOME's Advocacy & Social Justice Department promotes SOME's mission to "help the poor and homeless of our nation's capital." Informed by the direct experiences of SOME clients and staff, we seek to influence the political systems and societal norms that cause and sustain homelessness and poverty. We educate public officials and the community about the root causes of homelessness and poverty, and call on community leaders to develop policy initiatives to better serve homeless and low-income District residents.

Our activities are divided into three sections:

• Advocacy
• Social Justice Outreach and Education
• Citizens About Real Empowerment (C.A.R.E.)

Advocacy

The primary focus of the Advocacy Department is systemic change to relieve poverty and homelessness, as well as improve opportunities for people who are homeless. Our advocacy work can be better understood by exploring the following focus areas of SOME’s services and public policy initiatives:

• Access to Health Care
• Affordable Housing
• Families, Children, and Homelessness
• Employment and Income Streams
• Homeless Services
• Access to Nutritious Food

We encourage you to join us in our efforts. Here is how you can become an advocate:

• Sign up to be part of the Advocacy Network and receive our bi-monthly Advocacy & Social Justice Update informing you about the latest policy and community developments, as well as periodic action alerts on urgent issues affecting homeless individuals locally and nationally. See a copy of the most recent email here.
• Make use of our Homeless Advocate's Guide to the New Session of the U.S. Congress
• Make use of our Homeless Advocate's Guide to the District's Government

Social Justice Outreach and Education

The Social Justice Program seeks to educate volunteers, donors, staff and community groups about the issues of poverty and homelessness, chiefly through Social Justice Reflections, group exercises, speaking engagements, and written materials.

C.A.R.E.

Citizens About Real Empowerment (C.A.R.E.) is a group of people who are currently or formerly homeless, mostly residents of SOME's SRO housing, who work to ensure that people in desperate circumstances have opportunities for help. This is achieved by both facilitating a sharing environment for concerns and advice, and educating public officials. The members of C.A.R.E. also publish a bi-monthly newsletter, C.A.R.E.’s Corner.

Contact Us

Contact the Advocacy & Social Justice Department at advocacy@some.org or 202-797-0701 extension 107 if you have any questions or suggestions, and if you want to take action!