Ending Homelessness

 

Ending Homelessness

 

What We're Doing

We have joined the growing movement to end homelessness in Washington state. Our strategy is to leverage limited resources by investing in systemic change and supporting advocacy efforts to make homelessness a rare and temporary hardship.

Every activity we support is evaluated against the long-term goal of ending homelessness. We address the causes of homelessness instead of focusing on the immediate needs and hardships of the homeless. For example, we invest in building public support that increases resources directed to ending homelessness, and we look for innovative partnerships that help to coordinate efforts of a variety of government and nonprofit organizations.

Our direct support may include the following:

Advocacy. We fund programs connecting divergent groups across the state with “boundary spanners,” who engage leaders, service providers and the public in shaping new policies connecting the multiple systems that affect homelessness to create long-term solutions.

Supportive services. We fund a range of innovative services that demonstrate evidence-based approaches to ending homelessness. Supportive services are required if we are going to break the cycle of homelessness.

Capital. We evaluate capital projects on the basis of their ability to leverage their expanded facilities and to transform how and whom they serve in a cost-effective, humane approach.

Capacity building. We assess capacity-building investments based on an organization’s ability to leverage additional private and public support, increasing advocacy and innovation to connect systems that help prevent the cycle of homelessness.

Public will. We invest in public education efforts to increase community support for the movement to end homelessness. As the richest democracy in the world, we as a country have the capacity to end homelessness — if we choose to. We will succeed only if our citizens become passionate in their efforts to address the root causes of homelessness in their communities and insist that government invest wisely.