Media Advisory
For Immediate Release

Contact: Jennine Miller,
(215) 232-7272 or (215) 990-5668

WILL THE HOMELESS VOTE DECIDE THIS ELECTION?

Vote for Homes! Coalition Launches Registration and Education Effort for Low-Income and Homeless Voters Throughout Philly

WHEN: Monday, March 12th at 11am -- Vans will be dispatched at 11:30

WHAT: HOMELESS AND LOW-INCOME VOTER REGISTRATION KICK-OFF EVENT

Homeless voters and their allies will gather at Project H.O.M.E. to launch a voter registration and education campaign that will dispatch a fleet of vans to the city’s shelters, soup kitchens, and health centers to register and educate thousands of potential voters. They will educate voters on:

Voting rights of all Philadelphians
Issues that speak to the economic crisis in Philadelphia
The power of each vote in this year’s mayoral race

Vans will depart at the close of the event to launch a massive drive to register voters from the politically-ignored corners of Philadelphia.

Journalist ride-a-longs are invited.

WHERE: 1515 Fairmount Ave.

WHO: Rev. Isaac Miller, Church of the Advocate: will speak about how voting build power in our communities
Hyacinth King, Project H.O.M.E. Resident: will quiz the crowd on voting rights
Jennine Miller, Vote for Homes! Coalition Chair: will outline the mobilization campaign
Arthur Pitman, Currently homeless volunteer: will explain why he’s voting this year

BACKGROUND:
The Vote for Homes! Coalition is a nonpartisan election effort that seeks to raise issues of affordable housing, living wage jobs, and quality services in the Mayoral election. Since 1999, they have registered almost 10,000 voters living in shelters, jails, affordable housing residential programs. The coalition’s efforts also include the upcoming publication of a nonpartisan Voters Guide, which will include the candidates’ answers to questions on housing, jobs, and services; and hosting a candidates forum on April 26th, where the candidates will answer questions and present their ideas on poverty and homelessness. For more information, visit www.projecthome.org/vote.

The Philadelphia Inquirer says that 80,000 voters will decide this Mayoral election. 15,000 people access shelter each year.

GREAT VISUALS AND PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES
(Homeless VOTErs will assemble their life-size replica of the LOVE statue!)

Vote for Homes 2007 Sponsoring Organizations (as of March 8, 2007): Arch Street United Methodist Church • Bethesda Project • Catholic Social Services • Church of the Advocate • Dignity Housing • Drueding Center Project Rainbow • Episcopal Community Services • Homeless Advocacy Project • Horizon House • Impact Services Corporation • Interfaith Advocates • Mercy Hospice • New Kensington CDC • Northwest Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network • PA Prison Society • Pathways PA • People's Emergency Center • Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations • Philadelphia Beauty Showcase National Historic Museum • Philadelphia Health Management Corp. • Philadelphia Senior Center • Project H.O.M.E. • Ready, Willing, and Able • SELF Inc. • SHARE • St. John's Hospice • Temple Center for Nonprofits • The Salvation Army • Travelers Aid Philadelphia • United Way Southeastern Pennsylvania • Visitation Homes • Women of Hope-Lombard • Women of Hope-Vine • Women's Community Revitalization Project • WOMENS

For more information contact: Jennine Miller, (215) 232-7272, jenninemiller@projecthome.org

Last Updated: March 9, 2007