Communities across the United States are home to nonprofit organizations that help the homeless. Whether you are struggling with homelessness or looking to support those who are homeless, here is a list of organizations to check out.
YWCA
Although most people associate “YWCA” with fitness centers, the World Young Women’s Christian Association (World YWCA) is an organization that strives to “eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.” One of YWCA’s goals is to address the needs of impoverished people and help them to become self-sufficient. The organization is also a tremendous resource, especially for victims of domestic violence.
Feeding America
Just as it sounds, Feeding America is an organization that works across the U.S. to provide struggling Americans with food. They utilize a network of food banks to accomplish this goal. In addition, they strive to help people address the root causes that led to food insecurity, and in turn, help them to have a brighter future.
Mercy Housing
Mercy Housing is an affordable housing organization that serves the United States. They help the homeless by creating homes that are more affordable. Sometimes they renovate existing homes to create low-cost housing, and other times they create rental opportunities. Mercy Housing serves low-income families, seniors, and those with special needs. Once housing is secured, the organization then helps in other ways to avoid future homelessness. They do this by providing job training, financial education, and health and wellness support.
Goodwill
Goodwill is a nonprofit that helps people who could benefit from job training, youth mentoring, and financial education. They are based in 158 different communities in the United States and Canada. Individual locations create their own programs to benefit local communities by helping people find work. Finding a secure job is one of the biggest struggles of the homeless. So Goodwill can provide invaluable resources.
United Way
United Way is another large network of community-based organizations. They believe that education, income, and health are the “building blocks” that lead to a good quality of life. To help achieve its mission, United Way has many avenues of outreach, including affordable housing programs, clean water initiatives, and domestic violence prevention services. United Way is a global organization. So it assists the homeless in the U.S. as well as in countries around the world.