Mitch Snyder, 46, Advocate of Homeless - New York Times

Mitch Snyder, 46, Advocate of Homeless - New York Times: "Mr. Snyder rose to national prominence in the Presidential campaign of 1984, when he began his long fast demanding that President Ronald Reagan intervene to give an abandoned Federal building in Washington to his group for a shelter.

Two days before the election, on the 51st day of the fast, the Government acceded to Mr. Snyder's demands. But Mr. Snyder fasted twice more, when $6 million in promised money for renovations failed to materialize on time.

His life and work became the subject of a CBS television movie in 1986 starring Martin Sheen, called ''Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story.'' A year later, Mr. Sheen, Dennis Quaid, Cicely Tyson and other celebrities joined Mr. Snyder sleeping on the street to protest Federal policies toward the homeless."