National Homeless Group Selects New Director

The Board of Directors of the National Coalition for the Homeless, of which I am a member, announced this week the appointment of Jerry Jones as its new Executive Director. Jones follows the successful work of Neil Donovan, who stepped down from this role in May.

Board President John Parvensky announced the new hire:

"Homelessness in America is a national tragedy that has been tolerated for far too long. We can no longer stand quietly while budgets are cut and our political leaders try to manage the problem rather than solve it. We intend to escalate pressure to demand a response that is proportionate to this crisis, and we have hired an Executive Director with a strong background in grassroots mobilization to lead this effort. We are especially committed to making sure that the voices of those experiencing homelessness themselves and others living in extreme poverty are heard in this debate."

Jones has a twenty-five year background in community organizing, issue advocacy and national-level campaigns. He is a former aide to the late Mitch Snyder, a prominent advocate for the homeless during the 1980s. More recently, Jones worked with the Center for Community Change, where he has served as the Director of Special Initiatives. His roles there included founding the Center’s electoral program in 2004, helping to launch the National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support, and coordinating a national progressive coalition in response to last year’s Fiscal Cliff.   Jones has experience with community organizing and assisting fragile populations with voting.

For more information about the National Coalition for the Homeless, please visit our website: www.nationalhomeless.org. Look for more information from the new director in mid July.