Disability Rights California’s Director of Public Policy Eric Harris Appointed to California Interagency Council on Homelessness Advisory Committee

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Disability Rights California’s Director of Public Policy Eric Harris Appointed to California Interagency Council on Homelessness Advisory Committee

Disability Rights California (DRC) is proud to announce that our Director of Public Policy, Eric Harris, has been named as one of 31 community members appointed to the California Interagency Council on Homelessness’ (Cal ICH) Advisory Committee. The announcement was made on October 14, 2022.

Portrait of Eric Harris Photo: Eric Harris

Disability Rights California (DRC) is proud to announce that our Director of Public Policy, Eric Harris, has been named as one of 31 community members appointed to the California Interagency Council on Homelessness’ (Cal ICH) Advisory Committee.  The announcement was made on October 14, 2022.

The Advisory Committee was appointed by co-chairs of Cal ICH: Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramírez, MA; and California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly.  The creation of this Advisory Committee is part of Assembly Bill 1220, from 2021, which requires that the Committee include representatives who hold expertise in working with unhoused community members, as well as individuals who have themselves experienced houselessness.

Cal ICH oversees the implementation of “Housing First” policies in California to address the needs of unhoused community members and work to decrease the number of Californians who are experiencing houselessness.

Eric shared, “I am really thankful to both Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Mark Ghaly and Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramirez for their leadership and naming me to the California Interagency Council on Homelessness. I look forward to representing Disability Rights California and lifting up the voices of disabled people who are unhoused. I am especially thinking about those who are Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other people of color as well as those who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, who experience houselessness at higher rates than others.”

Eric has significant policy experience having worked for Congresswoman Barbara Lee, the Democratic National Committee, and the NAACP of California. He is a member of the State Independent Living Council as a Governor Newsom appointee and a board member of the Resources for Independent Living in Sacramento.  He grew up in Sacramento, California, and was an elite wheelchair basketball player.

A full list of the Advisory Committee members, and their bios, can be found here

You can read more about Cal ICH here.