Shelter, Housing And Respectful Change (SHARC) is a group of advocates for the fight against homelessness. The group –which consists of homeless and formerly homeless men and women as well as other supporters – meets to discuss everything from politics and out- reach efforts to shelter conditions and upcoming meetings and marches. SHARC aims to recruit advocates to the fight against homelessness, the overall goal being to end homelessness in Washington.
In 2011, the group received a $1,000 grant from the Diverse City Fund for advocacy purposes, so that SHARC can organize politically and participate in the National Right-To-Housing movement. This money will be used to fund outreach efforts and recruit new members to at- tend meetings and join SHARC.
In December, the grant came in handy when the group traveled through the streets distributing
surveys, food and drinks to the homeless, and talking to people about why they should come to homeless shelters. Another portion of the grant has been used to purchase Metro cards for people without means to travel. The cards are distributed for the purpose of helping people get to SHARC meetings, so that people can hear what the group is about. SHARC is dedicated to educating Congress on the needs of the homeless and bringing the issue to Capitol Hill, and its concerns include affordable housing and the creation of jobs and job training.
On March 12, SHARC members joined a rally at the John A. Wilson Building at 10 a.m. to state their demands to the mayor before his budget is published. Anyone impacted by the possible budget cuts
was invited to participate.
SHARC’s fiscal sponsor is Steve Thomas, founder and executive director of the S.T.E.V.E. organization (Striving to End Vagrancy Everywhere). The chairman of SHARC is Eric Sheptock.
