It’s easy to feel hopeless about homelessness. Headlines often focus on what’s broken—on the visible tents, the overburdened shelters, the families struggling to stay together. But what’s less visible is what does work. And at LTHC Homeless Services, we get to witness that every single day.

This is Shanon’s story.

Just a few years ago, Shanon found herself in a place she never imagined—struggling with addiction and trapped in an abusive relationship. Living in Crawfordsville, she fought every day to provide for her children, but the weight of her circumstances seemed impossible to escape. She knew something had to change.

With unwavering determination, Shanon made the courageous decision to leave her abuser and seek help. She entered a program to help families who are homeless, dedicating herself to sobriety while staying in a shelter that provided safety and stability for her and her children. It was the first step toward rebuilding her life.

As she regained her footing, Shanon relocated to Lafayette, determined to create a better future. She worked hard to secure stable housing and leaned on the support of those who believed in her. She refused to let her past define her.

Her journey inspired her to turn her pain into purpose. Today, Shanon works full-time helping families experiencing homelessness—guiding them through the same struggles she once faced. Whether it’s securing housing, accessing addiction recovery resources, or offering emotional support, she is a beacon of hope for those trying to rebuild their lives.

She and her children now have a home of their own, a future filled with possibility, and a mother who has shown them what true resilience looks like.

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How Stories Like Shanon’s Happen

Behind every success story is a structure that works—and recent years have seen a decisive shift in how our country approaches homelessness.

Federal support has evolved with a focus on:

• Providing flexible housing solutions tailored to each community
• Prioritizing stability and family unity
• Reducing red tape so services can be delivered faster and more effectively
• Incentivizing data collection and community-wide collaboration
• Funding direct assistance for rent, emergency housing, and prevention

From enhanced emergency housing vouchers to expanded shelter resources, these tools have allowed communities like Lafayette to act quickly, keep families together, and help people rebuild—not just survive.

The impact? Programs are increasingly measured not just by effort, but by outcomes—how many people move from homelessness to housing, how long they stay, and what long-term supports help them thrive.

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A Path That Requires All of Us

LTHC Homeless Services continues to evolve alongside the changing national conversation around homelessness. We understand the urgency to find what actually works—not just what feels good or looks good on paper. That’s why we adapt—not to trends, but to what proves successful for real people in real time.

Our only aim is to continue what works, mitigate what doesn’t, and blend compassion with adaptability. This isn’t about slogans—it’s about results.

Making funding work doesn’t happen on a whim. It requires disciplined planning, clear-eyed strategy, and respect for the individualized nature of each person’s journey out of homelessness. No two situations are the same, and effective support must meet people where they are—not where a system expects them to be.

We also recognize that public skepticism and political frustration haven’t come out of nowhere. Years of funding misuse, policy misalignment, and inefficient programming throughout all public and private sectors have rightfully drawn criticism. But it’s also true that those failures have overshadowed the success of programs and organizations that are quietly, consistently helping people come home.

At LTHC, we believe the future of this work depends on acknowledging that accountability and compassion are not opposites—they’re partners. And when communities and governments work together to support what’s working, we create the conditions for more lives—like Shanon’s—to transform.

Let’s continue to say “YES” to this work, because when the right tools and the right people come together, the results speak for themselves.