Vision House

Families with children are among the fastest growing segment of today’s homeless population.

Approximately 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2007).

Some of the major reasons for 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 Washington State

In 2008, it is estimated that 87,000 people were homeless in Washington State. Over the course of 2009, it is estimated that more than 102,000 people experienced homelessness in our state (Washington State Coalition for the Homeless).

According to King County’s Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness, it is estimated that more than 8,400 people are homeless in King County each night (Committee to End Homelessness in King County, 2008).

In January 2009, more than 2,800 people were counted as homeless during King County’s One Night Count. There are approximately an additional 6,000 individuals residing at county shelters and transitional housing complexes (The Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, January 30, 2009).

During the 2007-2008 school year, 18,670 K-12 Washington State public school children were homeless with their families (Washington State Coalition for the Homeless, 2009).

Homeless families need housing, supportive 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.

Within South King County, there are only a few agencies that provide housing with support services to homeless families. The housing and services Vision House provides within a holistic program are critically needed in our geographic 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.