Cisco to Provide Destination: Home with Funding to Help End Homelessness in Santa Clara County
Destination: Home has announced that they will be partnering with Cisco – leader in internet technology and networking, to help end homelessness in Santa Clara County, California. Cisco will fund $50 million to leverage existing public resources over a five-year span. The county plans to build more housing for its most vulnerable residents, improve technology capacity throughout the homelessness services sector, and invest in sound, evidence-based practices to help individuals and families in need of support and stability. There are approximately 7,400 people experiencing homelessness across Santa Clara. Destination: Home says that this partnership with Cisco represents a unique opportunity for the community.
“We can put an end to homelessness in Santa Clara County and there is no better partner in this work than Destination: Home”, said Cisco’s Chairman and CEO, Chuck Robbins.
Read the press release here.
Financial Homelessness Prevention
Financial strain often plays a significant role in one’s pathway to homelessness. On the Homeless Hub blog, Abe Oudshoor explores financial support as a primary mode of preventing homelessness. According to an analysis of data from the Homelessness Prevention Call Center, rather than offering an in-house support program, linking callers to funds from different programs and organizations led to a statistically significant reduction in one’s risk of entering emergency shelter at every month across a one-year span. In addition, the cost of homelessness prevention for one person was nearly half of the estimated cost to support someone experiencing homelessness. Overall, the study demonstrates the effectiveness of financial support for primary prevention of homelessness.
Read the blog here.
Homelessness in Austria: A seismograph for inequality
In a recent interview, Managing Directors of Neunerhaus, Elisabeth Hammer and Daniela Unterholzner, discuss the state of homelessness across Austria. Over past years, homelessness has increased, especially among individuals 29 years old or younger. There is also a growing risk of homelessness among Austria’s middle class. Hammer and Unterholzner also discuss efforts in place to combat homelessness throughout the country, including Vienna.
Read the interview here. (The original text is in German)