What is Lift Up Your Voice?

"Lift Up Your Voice" (LUYV) is a grassroots project of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura aimed at building a diverse coalition of people to end homelessness in Ventura. 

The idea for Lift Up Your Voice came out of our work with the homeless community and our shared frustration regarding community perceptions and stereotypes of homeless individuals as adversaries instead of partners. Lift Up Your Voice expands across many faith and community-based organizations with a growing number of informed and empowered advocates ‘lifting up their voices' which will ultimately be the voice behind Ventura's increased capacity and motivation for social change.

 

An average of 600 residents are homeless daily in the City of Ventura ; an additional 21,000 are at risk of becoming homeless.  

• We believe people who are homeless are part of the solution.

• We believe homeless people and their circumstances are not criminal.  A homeless person should not be cited for loitering, sleeping in their car or sleeping in a park when the community provides no alternative.

• We believe Ventura has long needed a year ‘round shelter and transitional housing. There are no permanent shelter beds for the combined 300,000 population of Oxnard and Ventura. 

• We believe homelessness can be prevented in the City of Ventura.

• We believe homelessness will end in the City of Ventura due to strong community leadership and the willingness of the city to dedicate a small fraction of the community's resources, capability and knowledge to solve this challenge.

How is Lift Up Your Voice funded?

Multiple source funding includes the McCune Foundation, the Fund for Unitarian Universalist Social Responsibility (UUSR), the UU congregation and gracious private donors.

Lift Up Your Voice offers a variety of Actions Opportunities for you to get involved with ending homelessness in Ventura.