Press Room

Skeptics envisioned a skid row when developers first proposed 200 downtown apartments for low-income and formerly homeless residents. But so far, the project, CityWalk@Akard, has not lived up to those fears.

A recent study by the Department of Homeless Services showed that the median length of stay for families entering shelters last summer is even shorter — just over five months. But others say the city is merely trying to make its failed larger efforts look prettier, moving families out quickly but too soon for many of them to complete education or training courses that would help them live on their own. Some of the families find their way back to shelters soon enough.

New York City’s Department of Homeless Services (DHS) announced the results of its annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) street homeless survey. Based on information gathered from the survey, DHS estimates that 3,111 homeless individuals were living on the streets of New York City in January 2010. The 3,111 figure represents 783 more individuals over the 2009 number but 1,284 fewer than the street homeless population estimated in 2005, the first year that the HOPE survey was conducted—a 29 percent decrease. The ratio of street homeless individuals to the City’s population as a whole—1 in 2,688—remains one of the lowest of any major city in the country.

The Silicon Valley Community Foundation has announced grants totaling $525,000 to seven housing and legal services organizations to help area homeowners and renters facing foreclosure.

For the first time in nearly 40 years, the number of state prisoners in the United States has declined, according to Prison Count 2010," a new survey by the Pew Center on the States. As of January 2010, there were 1,403,091 persons under the jurisdiction of state prison authorities, 5,739 fewer than on December 31, 2008.

Today, Fannie Mae announced the results of its 22nd annual Help the Homeless Program, the nation's largest fund-raising effort focused on homelessness. In 2009, the D.C. metropolitan area came together to raise $5.8 million for 134 regional non-profit organizations serving people who are either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. More than 117,000 people raised funds through the Help the Homeless Walkathon on the National Mall, 657 community Mini-Walks, corporate sponsorships, and related activities.

The number of Veterans homeless on a typical night dropped 18 percent as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) entered the second year of its campaign to eliminate homelessness among Veterans within five years.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation announced today an additional $25 million allocation for social investments – a set of strategies that would use endowment dollars to generate financial returns as well as social returns that advance the Foundation’s mission to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced today competitive research grants totaling nearly $6 million to 13 institutions to explore how housing matters to children, families, and communities. The grants will be used to produce a base of empirical evidence to show how housing affects children’s cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development and how housing choices shape the economic, physical, and emotional well-being of adults.

A radio interview with REDF's Carla Javits.