The EAU Committee has achieved significant accomplishments in grass roots organizing, leadership development, documentation and public policy work over the two past years and has elevated the voices and leadership of homeless women within our internal organizational decision making processes. Some of the activities and accomplishments of our Homeless Women and Families Committee during the past year are listed below:

♥ Won a second intake center for homeless couples without children to relieve overcrowding in the EAU – the first change in how families access shelter in 10 years;

♥ Major policy recommendations of our Homeless Women and Families committee were included in the report of the Special Master Panel released in June, 2004, and we were the only grass roots organization invited to attend a 2 day session to brainstorm ways to improve conditions in the EAU in July 2004. As a result of our participation, homeless women attended and provided input, and utilized this opportunity to enhance relationships with senior members of Commissioner Gibbs staff: receiving a subsequent commitment to have members included in task force meetings to review the process of eligibility determination in the EAU;

♥ Achieved concrete victories regarding physical conditions in the EAU and Shelters, including repair of the air conditioning units, water fountains and pest control in the EAU, and installation of new beds, furniture, painting and repairs at a notorious welfare hotel in East Harlem, the Washington Hotel;

♥ Trained homeless women and families in media work, public speaking, campaign development, outreach and organizing, documentation, participatory research, and meeting with elected and public officials;

♥ Published a major report which documented conditions inside the EAU that DHS has denied existed: families risked their eligibility for shelter by clandestinely taking photographs that were later publicized and helped begin to improve conditions inside the building, as well as gathered surveys to expose patterns of abusive conditions;

♥ Moved other grass roots and advocacy groups to organize around our demand for an improvement in the delivery of emergency services in the EAU including Voices of Women, Child Welfare Organizing Project and Amnesty International and are currently working with the Brennan Center for Justice.