The City of Philly is Teaming up with Big Businesses to end Homelessness

It is amazing to city the city of Philadelphia doing what it can to combat the homelessness in the area. There are thousands of homeless people in Philly and the numbers are growing by the day. However, the city is teaming up with local businesses to put an end to it once and for all. Traditionally cities would just put the homeless in shelters, but Philly wants to get them into permanent or semi-permanent housing.

The Office of Homeless Services have been working for months with outreach teams and the police to to get these people put into shelters, safe havens, and substance use and mental health treatments.

“We lead with services based on what people want, need, and will accept,” said OHS Director Liz Hersh. “It’s person-centered and about service delivery to reach a solution that helps people move forward –and improves quality of life in our neighborhoods.”

OHS have also been working with the Pennsylvania Convention center to create a new program that tackles the root of the problem. The problem is the lack of housing. It is their goal to solve that rather than just force people anywhere.

Under the direction of the CEO of the Convention Center, the organization will be making a $500,000 challenge grant for the cause. The goal from here on out is to get other businesses to donate to the cause as well.