More Than a Meeting — It’s a Movement

The Basic Dignity Coalition (BDC) is where San Diego’s most impactful advocacy begins. Each month, people with lived experience of homelessness, service providers, and allies come together to identify urgent needs and shape real, equitable solutions.

From these conversations, Think Dignity’s boldest initiatives have been born:

Public Access to Device Charging: Advocating for city-wide public access to communication and medical device charging
Housing as a Human Right: Advancing equitable housing policies and combating systemic barriers like redlining and displacement
Project for Sanitation Justice: Ensuring public restroom access and breaking down stigma
Decriminalization of Homelessness: Shifting policies away from punishment and toward support

The Basic Dignity Advocacy Fund is the engine that makes this work possible from funding the BDC, our Public Policy Committee, and community-driven advocacy year-round.

From Listening to Action

Charging Access for All

During the 2025 relaunch of the Basic Dignity Coalition, the community identified a critical issue: equitable public access to charging for phones and medical devices.

For unhoused neighbors, a charged phone is a lifeline—connecting them to caseworkers, job applications, and emergency services. For people with disabilities, the ability to power essential mobility or medical devices can be a matter of safety and survival.

In response, Think Dignity’s Public Policy Committee has drafted a sign-on letter to Mayor Todd Gloria and the San Diego City Council calling for:

Education: a public inventory of existing charging locations on city property
Expansion: an increase of public charging stations at transit stops, libraries, parks, and other community spaces

Take Action: Sign the Letter

Help us push for this simple, cost-effective step toward digital access and dignity. By signing, you’ll join Think Dignity, partner organizations, and community members across the county calling for a more connected and equitable city.

Learn more then sign the letter here → thinkdignity.org/programs/advocacy-services/#public-charging-access

The Mobile Charging Program

When our community identified public device charging as a critical need, Think Dignity and the Basic Dignity Coalition took action.

Through the leadership of our Public Policy Committee—and thanks to the advocacy groundwork laid by the BDC—Think Dignity launched the Equitable Charging Program providing device charging at Homeless Court pop-ups, ID Bank and Street Boutique events.

These mobile charging stations provide unhoused neighbors and individuals with disabilities a safe, reliable place to power phones, mobility devices, and other essential electronics. Each connection, every charge helps people stay in touch with caseworkers, apply for jobs, access telehealth appointments, and contact emergency services—basic acts of dignity that many take for granted.

This program is a living example of how community-identified issues become real-world solutions through the Basic Dignity Advocacy Fund. Your support fuels this cycle of listening, advocacy, and tangible change.

What Your Donation Makes Possible

While the sign-on letter is one urgent example, your support powers every step of our advocacy pipeline:

Basic Dignity Coalition Meetings: Food, transportation, venue costs, and materials so everyone can participate
Policy Development: Research, drafting, and coalition-building to turn ideas into change
Community Campaigns: From housing rights to sanitation justice, device charging to decriminalization
Rapid Response: The infrastructure that lets us act quickly when opportunities arise

Impact Levels

$10: Provide water for a coalition meeting
$50: Provide food for a coalition meeting
$100: Supports MTS vouchers for coalition attendees
$250: Marquee sponsor a coalition meeting
$500: Supports outreach & coalition-building for an active advocacy campaign
$1,000: Supports a pilot program like the TD Mobile Charging Station initiative through seed funding

Why It Matters

Most grants don’t fund advocacy work. You can.

When you give to the Basic Dignity Advocacy Fund, you ensure that the voices of those most impacted shape the policies that affect them. You help turn lived experience into lasting change.

Give today. Fuel the movement. Fund the change.