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Help Solve America's Homeless Crisis

Please join us in the effort against homelessness through Tides Shelter Fund. Your donation to Tides Shelter Fund will be combined with contributions from other donors to help key organizations working across the United States address the complex problem of homelessness. Click here to learn more about past Tides Shelter Fund grantees.

Saving Communities in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast

More than a year has passed since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the gulf coast region in 2005, leaving behind unprecedented damage and rendering thousands of people homeless. Despite the media uproar, governmental finger-pointing and commission reports, New Orleans is still a disaster zone:

• Half the city’s pre-storm population remains unable to return to their homes.
• One third of the schools and two thirds of the hospitals remain closed.
• 60 percent of the area has no electricity and one third of the hurricane trash remains.
• A 40 percent hike in rental rates has disproportionately affected low-income families and communities of color.

This year we will again devote the majority of Tides Shelter Fund to support relief and reconstruction in the Gulf Coast region. Tides Shelter Fund will be directing grants to organizations working for both immediate relief and for long term remedies in the region—remedies that allow all residents to have a voice in their future.

Last year, Tides worked with ACORN and other organizations to apply immediate donations for families to stabilize their homes. Thus far, ACORN has saved more than 1,800 houses in New Orleans, and last year’s Tides Shelter Fund contributions - totaling more than $100,000 - made a significant impact in helping rebuild homes for displaced families.

The Homeless Crisis

Homelessness remains a severe problem across the country - and one that is worsening in many communities. The United States has had the highest overall poverty rate among the world's sixteen most advanced economies for the last two decades. It is estimated that 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year (Urban Institute 2000).

A missed paycheck, a health crisis, an eviction - any of life's unexpected setbacks can push low-income families into homelessness. Many well-paying manufacturing jobs have disappeared, replaced instead by poorly paid jobs with few or no benefits. At the same time, wages themselves have steadily eroded, lagging far behind the rate of inflation. In fact, a survey conducted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that almost 20% of homeless people are employed full-time.

Finding Solutions

Homelessness is not inevitable. While there are no quick fixes to the complex homeless problem, there are a number of effective organizations actively engaged in fighting homelessness. Tides Shelter Fund grantees work to address the immediate needs of homeless people, educate policy makers and the public about the issues, and advocate for policies that address the roots of the problem. Collectively, the efforts of these organizations provide a clear vision for helping solve America's homeless crisis. Your generous donation will support their essential work. Act now to help the homeless this holiday season.

Contribute to Tides Shelter Fund

You can make an instant online donation to Tides Shelter Fund. Just click the Donate Now button below.

You can also send a check to: Tides Shelter Fund, P.O. Box 29903, San Francisco, CA 94129-0903.

For current Tides Foundation donors, you can immediately transfer funds to this effort by calling Tides at 415.561.6400 or logging onto your account at www.tidespartners.org.