The key to ending homelessness
Homeward Bound proudly uses the best practice Housing First model to end homelessness. Housing First is a homeless assistance approach that prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness. This approach is guided by the belief that people need basic necessities like food and a place to live before attending to anything less critical, such as getting a job, budgeting properly, or attending to substance use issues.
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moved out of homelessness
%
of folks moved into their own homes have not returned to homelessness
About Homeward Bound
Housing First
Homeward Bound’s Housing First means that everyone has a human right to live inside. It means moving people out of homelessness and into homes as quickly as possible. Then we wrap around the services they need to stay there.
Homeless Services
More than 500 people are homeless on any given night in Buncombe County. People who’ve become chronically homeless are the most vulnerable members of our community. They have the greatest need for permanent housing but the least opportunity to access it.
Housing Services
Homeward Bound runs two programs to offer housing to individuals and families currently living in shelters, their cars, or on the streets. Once folks move into their own home, we provide the furnishings to make it feel personal and the social services to thrive.
Veterans Program
Since its inception our Veterans Housing Services Program has housed more than 440 veterans and family members and prevented more than 139 from becoming homeless.
Our mission is working with others to end the cycle of homelessness.
Homeward Bound is the community leader in best practices to end homelessness, and have been using the Housing First model since 2006. The Housing First model has been proven to be the most effective, cost-efficient, sustainable, and humane intervention to homelessness. Essentially this means people experiencing homelessness are housed as quickly as possible and offered case management services to provide support and resources to help maintain housing stability.
Since 2006, Homeward Bound has moved more than 2,100 men, women, and children out of cars, camps, and shelters into permanent housing. We have an 89% retention rate in housing.
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3,641 people
came through the doors of AHOPE Day Center last year
Michael, a volunteer at Homeward Bound’s AHOPE Day Center, told us,“I don’t know if I ever expressed this, but I was always impressed with the level of work you do at Homeward Bound and [the Day Center]. There is so much respect and human dignity in it. Also, you waste absolutely nothing. You can take a small amount of resources and make it perform so many different services. Thanks for letting me volunteer with you!”
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“The ache for home lives in all of us,
the safe place where we can go as we are, and not
be questioned”
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