Opening Statement: Kristin Colangelo, National Union of the Homeless, 12/10/25

This clip is from the National Union of the Homeless (NUH) and Nonviolent Medicaid Army (NVMA)’s virtual “People’s Hearing” as part of our Winter Offensive Organizing Drive! Originally recorded on Wednesday, December 10th at 7pm, we put the system on trial, demanded our human rights and an abolishment of poverty!

On December 10, 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This year marks the 77th Anniversary of this declaration.
We take this day to acknowledge the inspiration and legitimation that the internationally recognized UDHR provides for the NVMA and the NUH and our fight to abolish poverty!

WHY A PEOPLE’S HEARING!?

It's time we put this system on trial! A system where policy makers enact policies and “laws” that create the conditions that they then criminalize us for.

As we enter 2026 we are also feeling the deadly effects of the June 28, 2024 Supreme Court decision Grant’s Pass v. Johnson, as well as executive orders by state governors and the President that further criminalize homelessness and poverty. We are seeing an increase in the deadly practice of sweeps and in the incarceration of our homeless communities.
Simultaneously we are facing massive cuts to benefit programs like Medicaid and SNAP. Hospitals continue to close while we build new prisons and forced labor camps for the unhoused and terrorize and imprison undocumented workers. Our nation's military budget nearing one trillion dollars annually. Sixty (60%) percent of the United States population reports they are struggling to make ends meet while the top ten billionaires grew their collective wealth by $698 billion dollars in the last year alone.

We know there's enough food to feed everyone and that there are 24 empty homes for every single individual in need of one while 1000 souls will freeze to death on the streets this year and homelessness and poverty continues to rise at record numbers! We declare NO MORE.
It's time to unite across all lines of division and demand our human rights and an end to poverty! Join us for our December 10th virtual People’s Hearing and find out how you can get involved in the movement to abolish poverty!

To learn more about the Winter Offensive check out this piece here https://universityofthepoor.org/homel...

To keep up to date on other Winter Offensive events or to get involved follow us on social media!

To learn more about the National Union of the Homeless, or to read our 2025 Winter Offensive Statement or to get involved check out our website at www.nationalunionofthehomeless.org.
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