Vision House

Families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. Today, over 1.35 million children, from 600,000 families, are homeless in America (The Institute for Children and Poverty, 2009).

According to The National Center on Family Homelessness (2008), 84% of homeless families are headed by a single mother. The typical homeless family is comprised of a mother in her late twenties with two children.

The United States Census states that 14 million children were living in poverty before the recent recession and now it is closer to 16 million children (60 Minutes, CBS, March 2011).

Statistics show that stable, affordable housing and support services are essential to the health, education, and employment of homeless families (Fanton, 2009).

Some of the most common causes of homelessness include:

Lack of affordable housing and limited housing assistance programs have contributed greatly to the current housing crisis and the increase in homelessness (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009).

Homeless families need homes.

Homelessness in King and Snohomish Counties, Washington

According to the One Night Count of the Homeless that took place January 28, 2011, there were approximately 11,000 homeless individuals in King and Snohomish Counties. And surprisingly, 40% were families with children. This represents the minimum number of people affected on that one night. National studies suggest that over the course of a year, three times as many people experience homelessness as are counted on any one night.

During the 2009-2010 school year, 5,348 K-12 public school children were homeless with their families in King and Snohomish Counties (Washington State Coalition for the Homeless, 2009).

Homeless families need housing, support services and time to rebuild their lives in order to transition successfully to independence and self-sufficiency. All three of these critical components are found in the Vision House model.

The housing and services Vision House provides within a holistic program are critically needed in the Puget Sound/Seattle region. Vision House allows families to stay up to two years and provides the extensive support services for both adults and children that are needed to build long term success and self-sufficiency.

Vision House gives homeless families a home, support services and time to rebuild their lives