The exact money the government gives to homeless shelters in the United States will most often depend on factors such as the shelter’s location, capacity, services offered, as well as the specific programs they run.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that funding for homeless shelters in the United States varies and tends to come from varying sources, such as federal, state, and local governments, in addition to private donations and grants.
In the United States, Federal funding to aid homeless shelters tends to come through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Each year, they award Homeless Assistance Grants to communities that provide housing and services at the local level.
More precisely, the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program and the Continuum of Care (CoC) program provide support to each community’s homeless system.
Sources of Funding for Homeless Shelters
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Grants
One of the most common sources of funding for homeless shelters in the United States is via grants from both government and private agencies. These grants are most often provided for a specific purpose.
Obtaining these grants is not that easy especially since there are other non-profits striving for the same fund. As such, it is recommended you take great care to understand your options, their requirements, and how to go about applying.
In addition, also try to seek out region-specific opportunities because even though they can be less lucrative, they are easier to obtain.
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Donors
Donors are another source of funding that keeps homeless shelters running in the United States, and that is why these establishments always strive to find donors.
Although there are numerous ways these establishments try to retain the interests of donors, note that one of the most viable ways is to move away from campaign-based attribution models and towards a system based on donor lifetime value. This ensures that you can relate and work with each donor as a person.
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Fundraising
There are homeless shelters in the United States that run their activities or get funding from the contributions of their board members, and they do this either through a donation or through fundraising efforts. Some also use social media fundraising platforms as they have been proven to be quite effective.
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Sponsorships
Also, note that individuals and business establishments alike in the United States sometimes make one-time or ongoing financial support to help homeless shelters cater to the needs of their residents.
Some have in times past obtained corporate sponsorships in exchange for displaying the sponsor’s name or logo on events, merchandise, or even in the naming of certain structures on the property.
Homeless shelters in this age are also beginning to create resident sponsorship programs to ensure that individual sponsors can get things like special updates, photos, videos, and visits from the supported resident.
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In-kind Donations and Services
Not everyone will have the cash to support a homeless shelter’s mission. You will find that a good number of persons tend to make in-kind donations, which would include supplies, food for residents, tools, or other resources.
Keep in mind that these gifts can prove to be highly beneficial to a homeless shelter especially since it ensures that they can have spare or additional cash that would better be channeled towards other things.
Websites of most homeless shelters now also feature a donation appeal and an accompanying donate button that is quite easy to access from anywhere in the world.
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Crowdfunding Websites
There are shelters in this age that leverage crowdfunding websites such as GoFundMe for some of their vital projects. However, they need to be clear and specific about why they need the funding, and how they intend to make use of it, while also providing transparent updates during and after the fundraising.
Aside from that, homeless shelters that use crowdfunding sites are also advised not to overburden their community with crowdfunding requests.
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Special Events
It is also possible for Shelters in the United States to find funding by putting together or hosting special events that will be organized within the homeless shelter or maybe in another location away from the shelter.
However, the primary intention is to share the visions and missions of the Shelters with attendees, while also making money from things like entrance fees or selling of merchandise.
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Memberships
People are beginning to understand the importance of giving back to their society and homeless shelters now have a platform where individuals can choose to give a predefined amount of donations in a certain span of time, or maybe even donate a certain amount of time volunteering for the organization.
In return, they provide members with some perks, such as special updates, discounted homeless shelter events, preferential access to activities, or even private visits.
Howbeit, while this will require a good amount of coordination, it can be an excellent tool for Shelters to boost the organization’s appeal.
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Partnerships
Creating and sustaining corporate partnerships can be very important to ensure that a homeless shelter can get interesting discounts on the supplies they require on a regular basis.
Owing to the fact that the organization is a 501c3 or similar type of non-profit, corporate partners might very well want to see value in the tax write-offs their in-kind donations create.