When people think of homelessness, they often picture the most visible cases—someone sleeping on a park bench, standing at a freeway exit with a sign. What they don’t see are the families and individuals who experience homelessness due to circumstances beyond their control: a medical crisis, job loss, domestic violence, or a landlord selling their rental out from under them. At LTHC Homeless Services, we hear these stories every day. And for me, this work isn’t just a job—it’s a personal mission rooted in experience, resilience, and a deep belief in the power of people helping people.

My path to this work hasn’t been linear. I spent years in the theatre world—designing, performing, making people laugh and think. Then the pandemic hit, and I, like so many others, nearly lost everything. What I found in that hardship was clarity: my skills could be used in service of something greater. These days, instead of designing costumes, I’m crafting grant proposals and fundraising campaigns that help real families find their way home. Because there’s nothing funny about homelessness—and nothing more powerful than creating space for someone to rebuild.

You don’t have to be part of a faith-based organization to align with Christian values. And political affiliation has nothing to do with compassion. This work isn’t about politics, it’s about people. It’s not about who prays to or votes for whom, or even if they pray or vote at all. I serve because it’s the right thing to do. It’s not about bleeding hearts or grandstanding—it’s about meeting suffering with action and doing what is good for those who need it most. It’s about showing up. Every day, our staff arrives with empathy to do what we can, where we are, with what we have. Because that’s what being part of the solution looks like. And like every crisis, like every big challenge, solutions require funding, planning and implementation.

We don’t just seek donors or supporters—we seek alliances committed to real, long-lasting, self-sustaining change.

Take Blythe, for example, who regained stability due to the power of strong alliances working together:

“LTHC Homeless Services helped me at the lowest point in my life. Escaping an abusive relationship while being pregnant and having a one-year-old baby was the hardest thing I have had to deal with. The services LTHC provided me were critical for me to reestablish my life for myself and my kids. I had the goal to have a home to bring my daughter to when she was born. There is a process, as with anything, but staff is available to help you and support you along the way. I made it to my goal and was in a home when my daughter was born.”

Lisa Reid, one of our Rapid Re-Housing Coordinators, who works directly with families to secure underfunded emergency housing and stable housing solutions, shared Blythe’s story. She’s collected dozens of stories like this since joining the organization a little over a year ago. Blythe’s story isn’t unique—but it should be. No one should have to fight for stable housing; emergency shelter solutions shouldn’t be scarce especially while caring for young children. That’s why Housing First matters.

The Housing First model is based on a simple truth: when people have stable housing, everything else improves. This approach eliminates unnecessary barriers to getting housed, focusing instead on quickly moving people into homes and providing the support they need to stay there. It’s a strategy proven to reduce homelessness long-term by helping people stabilize their lives instead of cycling through shelters, temporary programs, or worse—returning to the streets.

And our numbers back it up.

A recent study found that if Housing First programs were fully funded nationwide, they could permanently house every household in a shelter for an additional $9.6 billion per year. That may sound like a big number, but consider this: we already spend billions on emergency shelters, hospitals, jails and criminal justice costs linked to homelessness.

Investing in housing is not just more humane—it’s more cost-effective, empowers self-sufficiency and ultimately provides rather than withholds.

LTHC truly makes an impact in this community, and we have the receipts to prove it.
We’re audited every year so donors know exactly where their money goes.
We collect data daily to track how our work changes lives.
We don’t waste or abuse funding—we put it to work.

This isn’t just about getting people off the streets—it’s about keeping families housed and supporting them with:
Workforce preparedness
Healthcare connections
Stability planning and case management

We’re approaching the final week of our Helping Families Come Home Campaign, and we need your alliance to ensure more success stories like Blythe’s.

Take the pledge to support Housing First solutions.
Donate—every dollar helps keep families in homes.
Share this message on social media to spread awareness.

Blythe said it best:

“Take advantage of the resources that are offered to you and have a positive outlook. If I can do it, anyone can!”

With your help, we can make sure more people get the opportunity to rebuild their lives—starting with a place to call home.