Thanks to the generous donors to the Campaign to End Chronic Homelessness, 1,400 units of supportive housing with on-site services like mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and job training have been created to help people leave behind homelessness forever.

Studies show that chronically homeless people—those who have lived on the streets for a year or more—are more responsive to social services once they experience the safety of permanent housing.

The campaign is a unique and special effort to assist those who are among the most vulnerable and challenging people in the homeless community. It is extremely difficult work, but with your help, we are seeing progress.

Our community is truly on the path to ending homelessness, and we are doing it in a huge way. In 2010, five new supportive housing sites opened, and three more broke ground.

Thanks to our generous donors, United Way of King County will fund case management services for The Sophia Way, which offers permanent supportive housing for homeless women on the Eastside. The organization is the first of its kind. The case manager will connect women with social workers, mental health professionals, substance abuse programs and legal aid. New residents will also receive life skills coaching. Supportive services—coupled with a permanent home—are key factors in helping these women successfully transition from homelessness to more stable lives.

A recent study commissioned by the City of Seattle identified 238 children who have been forced into prostitution, with the actual number as high as 500. United Way supporters made a specialized recovery program for prostituted youth possible. The program, which launched in spring 2010, provides safe housing, support and drug treatment to teen girls involved in prostitution.

Rapid re-housing is a nationally recognized best practice for addressing family homelessness. Households receive up to 12 months of rental assistance, housing and employment case management services, and the opportunity to participate in workforce/educational training programs to increase income earning potential through a partnership with the King County Work Training Program. Thanks to your support of United Way, families are in the homeless system as briefly as possible and are able to regain stability and independence.