The mission of NLCHP is to prevent and end homelessness by serving as the legal arm of the nationwide movement to end homelessness. To achieve its mission, the organization pursues three main strategies: * impact litigation * policy advocacy * public education NLCHP strives to place homelessness in the larger context of poverty. By taking this approach, the organization aims to address homelessness as a very visible manifestation of deeper causes, including: * the shortage of affordable housing * insufficient income * inadequate social services NLCHP addresses the causes of homelessness, not just its symptoms, working in a human rights framework. The organization was established in 1989 by Maria Foscarinis, a lawyer who has been working to end homelessness at the national level since 1985.