This October, Homeless Voices for Justice (HVJ) conducted its annual Candidate Forums, hosting candidates running for Portland City Council and the US House at Preble Street Offices and the City of Portland’s Homeless Services Center. HVJ is a grassroots social change organization that works with, and on behalf of, people with lived experience of homelessness and poverty.
HVJ facilitators led the forums, asking candidates questions about important policy decisions and critical issues facing Portland and Maine. The candidates discussed affordable housing and Housing First as well as the rights and dignity of people experiencing homelessness and poverty. To learn more about the candidates and their positions, you can read Homeless Voices for Justice 2024 Voting Guide.
At each candidate forum, the audience had the opportunity for questions and comments, giving individuals a chance to share their personal experiences with homelessness and how current policies affect them every day.
Eric Brewer, an advocate with Homeless Voices for Justice, said “One of the best benefits [of the candidate forums] is that the candidates get to see who they’re actually working for.” Brewer shared that the forums provide an opportunity for candidates to hear from people with lived experience of poverty and homelessness on the issues that matter most to them and affect their day-to-day lives.
In coordination with Preble Street’s Advocacy Program, HVJ hosts candidate forums every year as part of their You Don’t Need a Home to Vote campaign, connecting people with lived experience of homelessness, hunger, and poverty directly to policy and decision makers. Over the past 20 years, HVJ has hosted over 70 forums, with candidates for local, state, and federal office in Maine.
HVJ has held more than 70 candidate forums over the last 20 years.
In addition to the forums, HVJ members and Preble Street Advocacy staff have been busy conducting voter outreach, registering a total of 65 Maine voters (!!!), providing absentee ballots, distributing information on candidates, and educating people on their voting rights.
In Maine, U.S. citizens have a right to vote regardless of any felony convictions and, in every state and territory in the U.S., anyone without a fixed address can vote by writing “unsheltered at the intersection of ____ and ____” under “residence address.”
We look forward to seeing you at the polls on November 5, and remember, YOU DON’T NEED A HOME TO VOTE!
