It's hard to believe that city service workers like police, fireman and school teachers are showing up homeless at CHAF partner agencies HomeStart and the Cambridge Multi Service Center for the Homeless.
Who will put out fires and teach our children? It shows how homelessness can happen to almost anyone. A parent gets ill and can't work, the family falls behind in mortgage or rent payments, you're a paycheck away from life on the street and then yes, you lose your home and end up in the state emergency shelter system, which is all to often a motel room with microwave meals.
There's a great video here about a woman with 5 children living in a motel room in California.
Since 1999 CHAF has raised $1.6 million to help 1,500 homeless or near homeless families and individuals to move from a shelter to a home or, to retain the housing they already have. CHAF’s goal this year is raise another $150,000 to assist 125 more families with rental startup costs.
CHAF partner agencies focus on ‘prevention.’ When a family loses their home, it costs the state $40,000/year of our tax dollars to house that family in the state emergency shelter system. For an average $800, CHAF can help that same family to stay in the housing they have, avoiding the devastation and cost of homelessness. With follow up services from CHAF partner HomeStart, 95% of families remain in their home one year later.
For more info about CHAF: http://www.chafund.org/.
We welcome any donation you would like to make.
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