Potentially Homeless Currently Homeless Chronically Homeless

Mercer Alliance Honors Bruce Davidson for his Accomplishments in Advocating for Homes For Everyone

A New Direction for
Ending Homelessness in Mercer County

October 2009

Ending homelessness is that rare, transformative idea whose time has come. What’s more, experience has shown homelessness can be ended cost-effectively.

The Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness has committed itself to get people who are homeless into their own homes, with the supportive services they need to keep them there. We have brought together experienced leaders from government, business, faith-based, educational and social service agencies to draw on everyone’s wisdom and resources to make this happen.

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CURRENT PRIORITY – NEED ACTION NOW
Local
State
Federal
Core Principles for Ending Homelessness
  1. Develop a uniform system response to homelessness.
  2. Prevent homelessness whenever possible.
  3. Rapidly re-house people when homelessness cannot be prevented.
  4. Provide wraparound services for as long as needed to support housing stability and self-sufficiency.
  5. Ensure that homes affordable to people of all income levels are built in all our communities
  6. Improve job opportunities, wages and supports for people with limited income.

These principles underlie the action steps that we’re taking every day. OUR GOALS / OUR INITIATIVES.

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For Developers
Mobilizing to End Homelessness

Today, in Mercer County, many people lack a home to call their own. The Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness is working for all Mercer County citizens to enable everyone to have a home. We all benefit when everyone lives in a home instead of on the street or in a shelter.

The Mercer Alliance is a powerful force to end homelessness. We mobilize a large network of partners from government, non-profit and the business sectors to work together to achieve this common goal.

We can. We must. We will.

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Formerly homeless people speak of their new lives
  • “It really has been a big step for me, a huge step, where I came from, what I’ve been through in my life, and lord knows I’ve been through a lot, and it changed me, it made me a better person, it made me a more respected person, It made me feel that now I can move to the next level, I ‘m comfortable with my surroundings, I am comfortable with my neighbor, I am comfortable that I can go in my backyard and sit down in a chair, just thankful it is good to have that feeling. I go in my yard and sit in a chair and catch a little fresh air and stuff like that and I can feel a little more relaxed and feel comfortable in my yard looking around. Its not like I am in someone else’s yard, I am on someone else’s property. I’m home and that’s a good feeling for me... home means everything.”
  • “People that had nothing thought that nobody would ever think of them again. I thought I was going to die on the streets being homeless. That is what I thought.”
  • “It’s being able to have your own… the freedom and the peace that you get. This world that we live in, you know, it’s not the greatest and you can go inside your apartment and get that inner peace. Every time I go in that door I just get this peace.”
  • “I go to school for 5 days a week and I go to outpatient 3 days a week. I have a job coach down there I am trying to get my resume together. Everything is working out really good.”
  • “I am going to school now for my GED. Probably within the year I’ll be ready to take the state exam. Those are my goals, to get my license and my GED. I don’t owe any money and I know how to drive. Getting my license could open doors for me, like jobs.”
  • “Things are going kind of fast. I try to set small goals for myself. Last year was try to stay clean and go to group. Doing things and not getting paid for them, not expecting anything. I do stuff out of the kindness of my heart in the soup kitchen. I do two things a year to try to get my life established. These two things (GED and license) are to get my life established. I will be 40 in September.”

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