What is HomeWalk?

HomeWalk is part of United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ year-round campaign to end homelessness called Pathway Home. Our goal in 2008 is to recruit an estimated 7,000 people and over 250 volunteers to help raise approximately $750,000 through a 5K sponsored walk to prevent and end homelessness in Los Angeles County. In addition to a walk, HomeWalk is also an educational journey, helping participants learn more about the crisis of homelessness and what we can do to solve it.

When is HomeWalk?

Saturday, November 15, 2008
Exposition Park
700 Exposition Park Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90037

Registration

Coming soon – please visit www.homewalkla.org June 27th

How Will the Funds Be Used?

All money raised from HomeWalk is distributed back into the community to help quickly rehouse homeless families and provide permanent housing with supportive services (e.g. job training, substance abuse treatment) to the chronically homeless. Last year, HomeWalk raised $500,000, helping over 2,300 homeless individuals off the streets and into permanent housing over the next twelve months.

For more information please go to www.unitedwayla.org.

Facts about Homelessness

• Los Angeles County is “the homeless capital of America,” with over 73,000 people homeless every night; almost 40% are women and children.
• There are 13,521 homeless students in the Los Angeles Unified School District, a 35% increase in just the last year.
• Veterans are twice as likely to become homeless as the general population.
• 32% of homeless people use hospital emergency rooms as their primary source of health care; more than half have been to the emergency room in the last 12 months.
• About a quarter of homeless people in L.A. County have at least some college education.
• The most commonly cited reasons for becoming homeless are losing a job, followed by eviction.

Pathway Home

Pathway Home is United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ year-round initiative to prevent and end homelessness in Los Angeles County by:

• Engaging the community
• Getting businesses involved
• Investing in proven homeless solutions

Engaging the community

Every year, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, thousands of people participate in our 5K walk called HomeWalk, helping to raise awareness of homelessness and the funds to do something about it. We also link people to ongoing volunteer and advocacy opportunities in their local communities through the Get Involved section of our website at www.unitedwayla.org.

Getting businesses involved

Businesses play a crucial role in ending homelessness. By connecting business leaders with homeless experts in their area, we can create collective leadership, build public will against NIMBYism (Not In My BackYard) and work to increase access to permanent housing for homeless individuals and families.

Investing in proven homeless solutions

Homelessness is a huge challenge, but it can be solved. Through training opportunities and targeted financial support, we can help nonprofit organizations reduce the number of homeless people by investing in solutions that work— quickly rehousing homeless families and providing permanent housing with supportive services (e.g. job training, substance abuse treatment) to the chronically homeless.