Welcome to the Funders Together Blog
This blog was created for foundations, corporations, and philanthropists seeking innovative strategies for funding efforts to end homelessness. The blog includes commentary on current issues facing the homeless as well as funding suggestions.
ROLE OF 10 YEAR PLANS TO END HOMELESSNESS
The National Alliance to End Homelessness’s Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness calls on America to change its thinking and pursue steps that seek not just to manage but to permanently end the problem within ten years. Communities across America have created 10 Year Plans and many are several years into the process with numerous successes.
The 10 Year Plan process has been adopted by the Interagency Council on Homelessness as the effective method to end homelessness. There are currently over 350 10 Year Plans in place. These plans are an outstanding way to gain a better understanding of your local community’s needs.
This document lays out potential funding strategies for helping implement your community’s ten year plan, and to play a role in national efforts to end homelessness.
Photo Credit: Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
Individuals with DisabilitiesHomeless people suffer from higher rates of mental and physical health problems which are then exacerbated by living on the streets and in shelters. The lack of residential stability makes healthcare delivery more complicated. Health conditions that require ongoing treatment—such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, addiction, and mental illness—are difficult to treat when people are living in shelter or on the streets. Approximately half of homeless people suffer from mental health issues; and about 25 percent of the homelessness population have a serious mental illness, including chronic depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and severe personality disorders. Many people who could benefit from mental health services could also benefit from stable affordable housing. A service strategy that helps people get and keep housing is both clinically and cost effective.
Photo Credit: The Connection Fund
Veterans account for up to 40 percent of the homeless population. The U.S. Department of Veterans estimates that as many as 200,000 homeless people are veterans and that over the course of the year, approximately 337,000 veterans experience homelessness. Recent media accounts highlight the frightening trend of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan showing up in shelters.
Photo Credit: Max Breiteneicher
The number of people who experience rural homelessness is unknown, but the last national count of homeless people found that 9 percent of homeless people live in rural areas. Moreover, 19 percent of rural children live in poverty (compared with a national rate of 17 percent). Rural areas are defined as a parish or county having 20,000 people or fewer. Core Assumptions for Ending Rural Homelessness
1. In addition to substandard housing, insufficient income, high rates of poverty, and unemployment are the leading causes of rural homelessness.
2. Rural homelessness is most dramatic in areas that experience high economic growth, thus driving up housing costs.
3. The existing infrastructure of homeless service providers is limited in rural areas as opposed to urban areas.
4. Homeless people in rural areas tend to be homeless for shorter periods of time but are less likely to have health insurance and access to medical care than their urban cohorts.
5. There are numerous barriers to serving rural homeless people, including a negligible amount of available affordable housing, limited transportation methods, and the Federal Government’s priority on urban areas.
Youth HomelessnessThe prevalence of youth homelessness is difficult to measure; researchers estimate that about 5 to 7.7 percent of youth experience homelessness. With at least one million youth on the streets and in shelter—and thousands more leaving juvenile justice and foster care —the problem of youth homelessness continues to grow.
Core Assumptions for Ending Youth Homelessness
1. For many youth, independence at 18 is unrealistic.
2. Homeless youth need self-sufficiency and independent living skills training.
3. Homeless youth have special service needs, including mental and physical health issues.
4. Relationships and connections to trusted adults, family, and social networks are important.
5. Stable housing linked with services is critical to helping homeless youth transition to adulthood.
Photo Credit: Liz Lance - Salt Achieves
Chronic homelessness is defined as either long-term or repeated homelessness among individuals accompanied by a disability. Many chronically homeless people have a serious mental illness like schizophrenia and/or a substance use history. Research reveals that between 10 to 20 percent of homeless single adults are chronically homeless. This translates into between 150,000 to 200,000 people who are chronically homelessness. Permanent supportive housing—housing linked with supportive services—is an effective strategy for ending chronic homelessness and it is the most cost effective.
Core Assumptions for Ending Chronic Homelessness1. Supportive housing is the central solution to chronic homelessness: at least 150,000 units of permanent supportive housing are needed nationally for people who are experiencing chronic homelessness.
2. Chronically homeless individuals have needs that often result in the greatest costs because of frequent, and inefficient use of public systems (such as shelters, hospitals, treatment facilities, and jails).
3. We must end the practice of discharging people into homelessness from hospitals, mental health and chemical dependency treatment facilities, jails, and prisons.
4. We must secure investments in additional affordable and supportive housing alternatives from mainstream systems, so that supportive housing is available to those who are homeless, or would likely be homeless without it.
Photo Credit: Max Breiteneicher
Most Americans underestimate how the problem of homelessness affects families. About 600,000 families and 1.35 million children experience homelessness in the United States, making up almost half of the annual homeless population. Additionally, families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. Homelessness has major impacts on children’s learning for example homeless children are almost twice as likely as their stably housed cohorts to repeat a grade.
Core Assumptions for Ending Family Homelessness1. A sufficient supply of affordable housing is the central solution to family homelessness.
2. Many of the nation’s poorest families require access to supportive services and the means to improve their happiness and well being.
3. The desires of families must drive the interventions that are designed to help them.
4. The health and well being of children is closely linked to both the health and well being of their parents and to having a stable living environment.
5. The central strategy for ending family homelessness is to advocate for policies that incentive the development of affordable housing, and that increase affordable housing resources from local and federal government.
