Home For Good Task Force Reports Dramatic 2nd Year Progress

LOS ANGELES, April 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of chronically homeless people and homeless veterans who moved from street to home rose 149% above projected goals in the second year of Home For Good, the Los Angeles Business Leaders Task Force on Homelessness campaign to end chronic and veteran homelessness in greater Los Angeles in 5 years.

The Task Force's analysis finds that 4,470 chronically homeless individuals and homeless veterans were housed during the reporting period; that figure is 149% of the second year projections contained in the Home For Good blueprint; over the 2 years since the campaign began, the total is 137% of projections.

The Task Force's Year Two Report, released today, details significant progress across the entire system which addresses homelessness in greater L.A.  It cites a great increase in participation in the region's Homeless Management Information System by agencies, which interact with the homeless population; participation rose from 47% to 68%.  That increase complements the recently conducted regional homeless count, which was significantly more comprehensive than ever before, drawing more than 5,000 volunteers who helped count homeless individuals in 68 of the County's 88 cities.  The Home For Good blueprint cites effective homeless data collection as a vital factor in the region's ability to target resources to those most in need.

The Year Two Report also highlights the initial success of the Home For Good Funders Collaborative, an innovative mechanism which consolidates and targets private and public resources.  The Collaborative leveraged $5 million in philanthropic, corporate and individual donations with local government resources to dedicate $105 million, providing permanent supportive housing for 1,000 chronically homeless individuals. The Collaborative's second funding cycle has just begun and the Task Force projects resources at least as large as those of the previous year.  

"Home For Good is succeeding because of incredible partnerships across all sectors – business, government, nonprofit, philanthropy, and the people of Los Angeles County," says Jerry Neuman, an L.A. Chamber of Commerce Board member and co-chair of the Task Force. "Everyone is rowing in the same direction."

The Home For Good Year Two Report notes significant progress on coordinating and expanding resources dedicated to homelessness.  Following a Task Force delegation visit to Washington, D.C. and advocacy efforts by leaders across Greater L.A., the Veterans Administration increased the L.A. allotment of VASH (Veteran Administration Supportive Housing) vouchers by more than two-fold, making housing vouchers available to 875 local veterans, an increase from 350 in the previous year.  In addition, more local agencies have shifted resources to focus on the region's chronic and veteran homeless population; for example, the Housing Authorities of the City of Los Angeles created an innovative new program which dedicates 500 Section 8 vouchers to chronically homeless individuals. 

"Because Home For Good's comprehensive and rigorous blueprint is having an impact on every aspect of our homelessness policies and practices, we are on track to end chronic and veteran homelessness in L.A. County by 2016 and spend less money doing it," says Elise Buik, President & CEO of United Way of Greater Los Angeles. "It's imperative that we continue to collaborate, innovate, and invest in solutions that work."

The Los Angeles Business Leaders Task Force on Homelessness in 2010 launched Home For Good, whose goal is to end chronic and veteran homelessness by 2016 through major systems changes, tracked by detailed goals and benchmarks.  The Task Force is a partnership of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles and the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce.  During its first two years, the Home For Good plan has forged partnerships across 126 organizations, service providers, and government agencies that helped move 5,451 chronically homeless individuals and 2,156 homeless veterans into permanent supportive housing.

The complete Home For Good Year Two Report is available at bit.ly/HFGreport.  More information can be found at HomeForGoodLA.org. The campaign is also on Facebook – /HomeForGoodLA – and on Twitter @HomeForGoodLA

SOURCE Home For Good