Keep the Light On

Porchlight’s Housing First

Housing First is an innovative pilot program that provides homeless women with housing before addressing their needs for other services. Porchlight, the sponsoring organization, believes that meeting the immediate need for housing will help to stabilize individuals and improve their chances of responding to treatment.

Currently, AFFW is funding housing and services for two women, ages forty-six and fifty, who both suffer from mental illness. When they entered the Housing First program, one of the women had no income and was living in her vehicle; the other was facing discharge from short term transitional housing back into the streets. Both women are making progress in the program; "Mary’s" story is particularly dramatic.

After living in her vehicle and leaving medical problems unaddressed, Mary had no prospects of finding housing, and therefore was in danger of becoming chronically homeless. Instead, she entered the Housing First program. At first, she was reluctant to even take an offered apartment. After living in a secure environment for two months Mary began to leave her room and interact with staff and other residents. Staff has since been able to help her address her medical needs, and recently, she was accepted into CDA housing, which will provide her a permanent subsidy. We hope Mary will never be homeless again.