LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: CORE VALUES

Every element of the Nashville Homeless Power Project integrates developing leaders within the low-income and homeless communities.?? We as homeless and formerly homeless people train each other in how to effectively organize each other, develop a winning strategy on specific issues, how to speak in public, facilitate meetings, organize a public forum, rally or direct action.?? We also hold each other accountable and support each other to get our basic needs met: housing, employment, services, food stamps, etc.

We believe this is critical to real change in this world because:

1. IT???S ABOUT EQUITY IN POWER AND RESOURCES

If it???s about equity then the problem isn???t solved until we have our fair share of the resources.?? We know that a small group of individuals and companies own and control the majority of the resources in the world and?? that the REDISTRIBUTION of these resources is critical to justice.?? There for it is critical for us as poor people to train ourselves to 1) recognize our inherent power when we are united, and 2) to know how to fight to shift the system so that we have access to the resources that every human being rightfully deserves.

2. WE WON???T STOP UNTIL THE PAIN STOPS

We are those directly affected by policy failures (injustice), we and our loved ones are sick, in the streets, and in debt as a result.?? We have more at stake than anyone else so we will fight until this is no longer the case.?? In other words, we will fight until the root of the problem has been uprooted and solved and we will know this because our people won???t continue to die at exponential rates compared to the rest of the community or healthier communities in other parts of the world.