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.
Promote housing-based solutions, with access to appropriate services, that are integrated in to our communities as the primary investment for ending homelessness.
Examples of Housing Solutions:
Logan Place - Portland, Maine - serving chronically homeless individuals 1811 Eastlake - Seattle, Washington - serving chronically homeless alcoholics
Solid Ground Supportive Housing Program - Chicago, Illinois - serving homeless youth
Legion Woods - New Haven, Connecticut - serving homeless veterans and chronically homeless individuals
Examples of Housing Developers Who Are Part of the SolutionAvesta Housing - Portland, Maine
East Liberty Development - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation - Boston, Massachusetts
Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation - San Francisco, California
Questions for Discussion:
Do you have other examples of housing solutions that are working in your community?
What are your thoughts on what works to integrate affordable housing into a community?
Initiate and engage in collaboration and strategic partnerships among funders, local policy makers, business leaders, and government, as well as advocacy, housing, and service providers.
Do you have an example of an effective collaboration that you've been part of that has resulted in a reduction of homelessness in your community?
In what ways have you engaged in collaboration with the communities that you fund?
Support effective prevention programs and strategies, such as effective discharge planning, employment training, substance abuse counseling, and family reunification efforts.
Examples of programs with effective prevention strategies
Victory Programs - Boston, Massachusetts
Central City Concern - Portland, Oregon
Downtown Emergency Service Center - Seattle, Washington
Housing Works - New York City, New York
Raise awareness of homelessness and existing local ten year plans to end homelessness, while building public will for long-term strategies locally and nationally.
Examples of Effective 10 Year Plans:
Asheville and Buncomb County, NC
Bridgeport, CT
Cambridge, MA
Clark County, WA
Denver, CO
Hartford, CT
Discussion Questions:
Does your community have a 10 year plan that is working?
What are some of the components of a 10 year plan that are the most important?
How have you raised awareness in your community about homelessness?
Encourage and support research, demonstration projects, and data collection to identify and confirm effective approaches for serving key segments of the homeless population.
Examples of demonstration projects:
Logan Place - Portland, ME
Moving to Opportunity - Expanding Housing Choices for HUD Assisted Families
Mercer Housing First Initiative - Seattle, WA
Organizations that are researching ways to end homelessness
The National Alliance to End Homelessness
The Technical Assistance Collaborative
Corporation for Supportive Housing
Discussion Questions:
What types of research do you think is needed to help end homelessness?
Have you funded a demonstration project that was effective at reducing homelessness in your community?
Promote needed systems change, including increased coordination across government departments and agencies and efforts to transition providers from shelter-based to housing first models.
Examples of Systems Change
System Change Efforts and Their Results: Los Angeles 2005 - 2006
Systems Change Resources from the Corporation for Supportive Housing
Blueprint for Change: Ending Chronic Homelessness for persons with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders
Discussion Questions:
Are there examples of systems change occurring in your community?
Do you know of shelter providers who have adopted a more housing first approach? Is it working to reduce homelessness?
Work actively to leverage national policy and financial support for these efforts.
