Have you heard of the
#WithTheseHands campaign?
It is part of Give US Your Poor’s
initiative to raise awareness of the homeless veterans and their families
living around the nation. With These Hands is a photo campaign inspired by the final
verse of the Bruce Springsteen song, “My City of Ruins.” It is designed to
engage us all to be part of the solution to ending veteran homelessness,
whether you are a veteran or civilian, homeless or housed.
The #WithTheseHands campaign
already includes musicians such as Jon Bon Jovi, Mario Frangoulis, and Steve
Earle – not to mention all the amazing average Joe’s and Jane’s who have also
submitted their photos! It is constantly
growing!
Based on the 2014 Homeless
Census there are 49,933 homeless veterans nationwide. The good news is that the
nature and scope of the problem makes this solvable. Veteran homelessness is
down by 33% since 2010. Cities around the country have started to report that
they have ended chronic veteran homelessness, look to New Orleans as a perfect
example.
Efforts have even been made at
the federal level. President Obama declared a plan to end veteran homelessness
by the end of 2015. First Lady Michelle Obama has partnered with the U.S.
Housing and Urban Development Department on the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran
Homelessness. This is a call to action for mayors to make a commitment to
ending veteran homelessness in their cities in 2015. Progress is being made.
If you want to show your
support for the fight to end veteran homelessness you can participate in the
#WithTheseHands campaign. All you have to do is tweet or post to Facebook a
photo of yourself showing your hands with the hashtag #WithTheseHands to
@GiveUSYourPoor. There is no right or wrong way to hold your hands – be creative!
Show your support to ending
veteran homelessness in four easy steps:
- Snap
it
- Tag
it with #WithTheseHands
- Post
it to @GiveUSYourPoor
- Share
it with friends
Together we can end veteran
homelessness!
