Washington, DC-- In carrying out the mayor’s commitment to help homeless families gain affordable housing, child care and employment, the DC Department of Human Services (DHS) and several partners today held the first of several planned “Homeless No More” Services Fairs for homeless families in the District at DC Village and for other homeless families from elsewhere in the District who were transported to DC Village to attend the event.

“DHS and other agencies did an outstanding job serving the needs of Hurricane Katrina evacuees from New Orleans by bringing important resources under one roof for them. We will do the same for the District’s homeless families to help them become stable and leave shelters sooner,” said DHS Director Yvonne Gilchrist.

Ms. Gilchrist presented this concept to the Mayor’s Policy Academy Team (MPACT) and they enthusiastically endorsed it to be implemented in conjunction with the mayor’s “Homeless No More 10-Year Plan.”

The “Homeless No More” Services Fair offered homeless families information and services from District government agencies, community-based organizations and faith-based entities to assist them in moving out of shelters and into their own housing units.  The event focused on identifying housing, daycare and job opportunities for homeless families.

“It would be ideal to get 10 or 15 families placed by Christmas,” said Steve Cleghorn of the Community Partnership to Prevent Homelessness (CPPH). CPPH will provide funds to landlords through their Flexible Housing Placement Grants for up to one year to house homeless families.

DHS and its partners, the DHS Faith-based Advisory Board, other local government agencies, the Coalition for the Homeless (CFH), and CPPH, expect to work with and assist approximately 170 homeless families. Family shelter providers identified families who are prepared to move out of shelters and sustain themselves once they find housing.

“Some of the families will only need help with their first month’s rent and security deposit. Other homeless families will require rent subsidies for a longer period of time, but are ready to move,” said CFH Executive Director Michael Ferrell.

Faith-based organizations, which provided an array of services and personal interaction with Hurricane Katrina evacuees, will provide compassion, spiritual enrichment and guidance to the District’s homeless families. They will interview, become familiar with, and work with homeless families through the “Adopt-A-Family Program” newly developed by DHS. The program calls upon the faith-based community to perform family management services for homeless families who agree to participate.

While faith-based leaders throughout the District are being contacted to help homeless families, 10-15 members of the DHS Faith-based Partnership and Advisory Board, comprised of 50 faith leaders from all wards in the District, talked with as many homeless families as possible to find out how they could help them with housing or other kinds of assistance.