People for Fairness Coalition (PFFC) is a Washington, D.C.-based membership organization that advocates public policy to aid homeless populations. PFFC is fiscally sponsored by The Coalition, previously known as the Coalition for Non Profit Housing and Economic Development.  ^{1  2  3}

PFFC was co-founded in 2008 by Robert Warren, who was homeless at the time and a vendor and artist for Street Sense Media, a media outlet that employs homeless individuals. ^{1  4}

Background and Activities

People for Fairness Coalition (PFFC) is a Washington, D.C-based advocacy organization co-founded in 2008 that provides services and advocates for policy to assist homeless communities within the District of Columbia. PFFC is fiscally sponsored by the Coalition, also known as the Coalition for Non-Profit Housing and Economic Development, a community advocacy group. PFFC focuses provides outreach, advocacy, and peer mentoring for homeless individuals.  ^{1  2}

PFFC holds meetings for members at Miriam’s Kitchen, a social service coalition in Washington, D.C. As of September 2024, PFFC has hosted its meetings virtually and claimed to have 20 members. Anyone is eligible for membership after attending three consecutive meetings.  ^{5  6}

PFFC’s outreach strategy advocates providing affordable housing and other assistance for the homeless as well as increasing awareness.  ¹ PFFC’s peer mentoring strategy connects previously homeless members of PFFC with other homeless individuals to help them find housing and employment. ¹ PFFC’s advocacy strategy focuses on lobbying local government agencies to increase the supply of “affordable, sustainable housing,” to defend homeless people from discrimination, and improving the condition of Washington, D.C. area shelters. ¹

In 2014, PFFC launched the Downtown DC Public Restroom Initiative to advocate for more public restrooms in the District. ⁷

In 2015, PFFC joined a coalition group organized by the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) to lobby adding homelessness as a protected class under the D.C. Human Rights Act. ⁸ Between 2013 and 2016, PFFC coordinated with NCH to host vigils for the homeless during the winter solstice to raise awareness about homelessness. ⁹

People

Robert Warren is the founder and director of People for Fairness Coalition. Warren was previously homeless as well as a vendor and artist for Street Sense Media, a media outlet in Washington, D.C. that employs homeless individuals. ^{1  4}

Rachelle Ellison is the assistant director and executive secretary for PFFC. Ellison is also a speaker and community advocate for the National Coalition for the Homeless, where she has worked since 2016. Previously, she was a quality improvement specialist at the DC Department of Behavioral Health, a research case manager at United Planning Organization Comprehensive Treatment Center, a secretary for DC RAC, and a family peer coach for Community Connections. ^{6  10}

Financials

People for Fairness Coalition is a financial project of the Coalition, also known as the Coalition for Non-Profit Housing and Economic Development, and receives funding through it.  ^{2  3}

In 2020, the PFFC received $15,000 in funding through the Coalition from the Diverse City Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based community grantmaking organization, and another $3,000 from community organizing group Serve Your City to provide services and assistances for homeless populations within D.C. during the COVID-19 Pandemic. ¹¹

PFFC has previously received funding through the Coalition from the By the Way Home Campaign, the Fair Budget Coalition, the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, Street Sense Media, the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, So Others Might Eat, the Foundry Presbyterian Church, and Western Presbyterian Church. ¹²

1. “Outreach Programs.” PFFC. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://pffcdc.org/outreach-programs/.
2. “Donate.” PFFC. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://pffcdc.org/donate/.
3. “The Coalition.” The Coalition. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://thecoalitiondc.org/.
4. Azeem, Athiyah. “Mutual aid groups help encampment residents gear up for hypothermia season .” Street Sense Media. December 2, 2020. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://streetsensemedia.org/article/aid-encampment-covid-19-hypothermia-season/.
5. “People for Fairness Coalition.” Street Sense Media. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://streetsensemedia.org/staff_members/the-people-for-fairness-coalition/.
6. “Team.” PFFC. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://pffcdc.org/team/.
7. “Public Restrooms.” PFFC. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://pffcdc.org/public-restrooms/.
8. “Anti-Discrimination.” PFFC. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://pffcdc.org/anti-discrimination-2/.
9. “Vigil.” PFFC. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://pffcdc.org/public-restrooms/.
10. “Rachelle Ellison (She/Her).” LinkedIn. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelle-ellison-1269aa123/details/experience/.
11. “COVID-19 Outreach.” PFFC. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://pffcdc.org/covid-19-outreach/.
12. “Our Partners and Sponsors.” PFFC. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://pffcdc.org/who-we-are/our-partners-and-sponsors/.