How 100,000 Homeless People Found A Place To Live

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/06/11/3447114/100k-homes-homeless/


A volunteer surveys a homeless woman as part of the larger 100K Homes effort.

The 100,000 Homes Campaign was founded with a deliberately lofty goal: get 100,000 homeless people off the streets within four years.

What’s more, the organization wasn’t focused on homeless people who were most likely to get themselves off the street. Rather, 100,000 Homes worked with communities to target the people in the most dire need of help: those who were chronically homeless or who had severe medical conditions.

On Wednesday, just under four years after 100,000 Homes launched, the group surpassed its goal, helping communities secure housing for 101,628 homeless people as of press time. This figure includes 31,171 homeless veterans.

The announcement came at a press conference featuring former Army Private First Class Alvin Hill. Despite serving his country in the military, Hill fell on tough times and has endured homelessness for the past 20 years. In April, Hill became the 100,000th homeless person housed as A-SPAN, a local organization in Arlington, Virginia, helped secure him a permanent apartment.