Housing/Homelessness News
After SCOTUS decision, WA homeless camping bans may gain traction
Seattle’s housing-first approach to homelessness hindered by opioid crisis
Seattle-based nonprofit aimed at helping those experiencing homelessness closing after 10 years
Seattle Rallies as Supreme Court Weighs Criminalizing Homelessness
Featured Charities for Housing/Homelessness
The mission of the Alpha Project is to empower individuals, families, and communities by providing work, recovery and support services to people who are motivated to change their lives and achieve self-sufficiency. The agency’s many programs are available to all persons in need regardless of race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
Lance Olinski, Founder of Streetside Showers, was in a public restroom in McKinney, TX when he saw a homeless man washing out of the sink. Lance says that moment changed his life. From then on, he made it his mission to bring a hot shower and hygiene care to those struggling with homelessness. He launched Streetside Showers in the summer of 2017. Since then, we have added more cities and additional resources. Lance has always had compassion for those that the world has seemingly forgotten.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to end homelessness in the United States. We use research and data to find solutions to homelessness; we work with federal and local partners to create a solid base of policy and resources that support those solutions; and then we help communities implement them.
The Coalition for the Homeless is the nation’s oldest advocacy and direct service organization helping homeless individuals and families. We believe that affordable housing, sufficient food and the chance to work for a living wage are fundamental rights in a civilized society. Since our inception in 1981, the Coalition has worked through litigation, public education and direct services to ensure that these goals are realized.
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Fact Sheet
Resources, Publications, & Articles
Each night, hundreds of thousands of people are homeless in the United States. Some of these people are chronically homeless, while others have temporarily lost their shelter. The reasons why they are homelessness are complex. They can include a combination of factors such as:
Get Involved
Ways to Take Action
Donate Clothing, Especially Socks
Shelters are always in need of new and gently used clothes, especially personal hygiene items and socks. Share on social media that you’re making the donation and volunteer to bring over any items that others chip in.
Volunteer
Most homeless shelters or service organizations will welcome your on-hand assistance, and in many cases they have staff members who cultivate volunteer relationships. Be honest about what you’re capable of, whether it’s one event or a regular shift at the shelter.
Fundraise
With social media and crowd-funding options like GoFundMe, it’s never been easier to solicit support for an organization or a cause. Don’t underestimate the power of in-person communal events like bake sales and school campaigns, though.
Upcoming Events
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Recommended Media
Movies
Filmed in British Columbia, this documentary follows the lives of four chronically-homeless women. These women represent most people in our society. They had jobs, a family, a home – that is until life happened. It shows their struggles as they attempt to grapple with their individual traumas which eventually took them on a downward spiral. It presents their plight with a compassionate lens.
But what makes this documentary different is that the filmmaker does not just tell us of their struggles. She pulls us into their pain. Their struggles mirror some of ours – losing a loved one, growing up in abusive family, incarceration. It tells us that there is no “us and them” but rather just “us”.
Where to Watch: Vimeo
A documentary film about one summer in Indianapolis, a tent city under a bridge, a man named Maurice, and the criminalization of homelessness in the United States. The unofficial “mayor” of the Davidson St. camp, Maurice is an older, dreadlocked Black man who has dropped out of “normal” society to minister to the homeless. His camp under a railroad track becomes a real community, supported by church volunteers, until police and bulldozers close in to shut it down.
Where to Watch: The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime, YouTube