For 25 years, Fannie Mae’s Help the Homeless (HTH) Program has made a meaningful difference in addressing the issue of homelessness across the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region. This year, 77 of the area’s leading nonprofit organizations committed to serving the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless will benefit from funds raised through the program. In addition, Fannie Mae is introducing HTH to five additional cities with the goal of building the capacity of the following beneficiaries:
Atlanta: Nicholas House
Chicago: Hesed House
Dallas: The Bridge
Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service & Education Center
Los Angeles: United Way of Greater Los Angeles
“Building on twenty five years of commitment to ending homelessness in our hometown of Washington, we’re very pleased to introduce our Help the Homeless model to five more cities,” says Rosie Allen-Herring, Senior Director, Office of Community Investment and Engagement for Fannie Mae. “We’re proud to partner with leading organizations and Fannie Mae employees to serve their communities and assist the homeless. We are looking forward to continuing the program’s success in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.”
In 2011, HTH raised more than $6.2 million and engaged more than 115,000 community members through 771 community walks across the D.C. region. Community walks are designed to bring members of the community together to raise awareness of the issues surrounding homelessness and raise funds to help homeless families and individuals. Several HTH events have already occurred in Washington this May and program organizers anticipate hundreds more will occur by the program’s end in November 2012.
HTH beneficiary organizations provide a range of services to children, families, and veterans facing homelessness including permanent affordable and supportive housing, emergency shelter, and homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing that allows clients to avoid homelessness. Many beneficiary organizations offer support services such as food programs, case management, health care, child care, drug and alcohol treatment, job training and placement, housing counseling, financial skills training, and more.
Since 1988, HTH – the nation’s largest fundraising effort focused on homelessness – has raised more than $90 million for nonprofit organizations. To learn more about Fannie Mae’s Help the Homeless Program, visit www.hthwalks.org.
