END HOMELESSNESS
There are over 500,000 homeless people in the US. African Americans make up more than 40% of the 500,000 homeless. We can do something about it.
HeadPointe gives 2% of our annual earnings to the Lived Experience Coalition, a great organization in Seattle Washington that helps the homeless find housing and advocates for improved access to homeless and social services. When you purchase our products, you not only get high-quality gear & peace of mind, you also get the satisfaction of knowing you made a difference in the life of a homeless person. Join the fight with us and the Lived Experience Coalition to end homelessness.
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Washington State
Lived Experience Coalition
OUR MISSION
The Lived Experience Coalition is a multiracial coalition centering Black and Indigenous leadership development of people who have experienced or currently experiencing homelessness/housing insecurity. We come together to lift each other up, advocate for ourselves and others, and advance race and social justice. We believe that housing is a human right. We work beyond oppressive structures by unifying our voices and efforts to dismantle multisystem barriers impacting people who are experiencing homelessness, involvement in the justice system, struggling with trauma, and/or fleeing violence or emotional/psychological victimization. We know that those closest to the problem are closest to the solutions, but furthest from power and resources. We aim to disrupt the status quo by creating healing-centered, brave, and restorative spaces for our members to gain a sense of their power while joining with others to transform ourselves, our community, and our world into a place that is welcoming to all, equal for all, and safe for all.
LEC History and VISION
Anti-racism
Anti-oppression
The Lived Experience Coalition was founded upon anti-racist and anti-oppression community organizing principles, and the LEC is part of a much larger network of anti-racist and anti-oppression community organizers throughout the Puget Sound area and nation. Most of the LEC leadership team has taken Anti-racism training, and the LEC spends a significant amount of time reflecting on systemic racism/oppression and developing strategies and tools to identify and dismantle both systemic racism and internalized oppression.
The LEC grounds its analysis in the ways that racism interplays with sexism, cis-genderism, classism, ageism, ableism, and heteronormativity to further exacerbate and compound marginalization. The LEC values and affirms differences and sees them as assets in our collective organizing to dismantle all forms of oppression. We move beyond talk to action by ensuring virtual meetings are accessible to folks with disabilities by providing captioning, and regularly checking in with members to ensure we create spaces where everyone feels safe and valued.
The LEC was key in developing a Theory of Change for the King County Regional Governing Authority that centers communities most impacted and provided significant contributions to the National Innovation strategy and recommendations that established the blueprint for the Regional Governing Authority. This work resulted in unprecedented sharing of power with the LEC procuring 3 seats on the Governance Board, 3 seats on the Implementation Board, and 50% of seats on the King County Continuum of Care Advisory Board. Most of these seats are filled by Black and Indigenous LEC members who are historically absent from decision-making tables.
