100kHomes Blog February 2012

Over the last few months, we’ve worked with our quality assurance  partners at the Center for Urban and Community Services to take a rigorous look at the data from the first 18 months of the Campaign. We found many reasons to celebrate, but we also identified a few red flags. One of the most important aspects of the Campaign is the way it encourages communities to learn from one another and get better at what they do.

Last week, in a major victory for ending homelessness, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved the development of a $1.2 million dollar pilot program to provide housing vouchers for chronically homeless individuals and families identified by groups like Housing 1000 – a remarkable Santa Clara County organization participating in the 100,000 Homes Campaign. The initiative establishes a bold new template for other counties looking to save money and end homelessness at the same time.

It’s one of the most heartbreaking things we see on the streets-- families, often with with young children, lacking any place to call home. From the outset, the vision for the 100,000 Homes Campaign has included homeless families, and in the coming months, we’ll be stepping up our efforts to help communities identify vulnerable families and move them into appropriate housing that meets their service needs and keeps them together.

Noah Laracy is a regular person. He isn’t a trained social worker, a landlord, or a paid housing advocate. He’s a volunteer who wanted to do something to help end homelessness in his community.