Helping people in need is the largest of the three areas in which the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust makes grants. Because this was a primary focus of Mrs. Pulliam's community support during her lifetime, the trustees have been steadfast in continuing her legacy. The Trust provides support to organizations and programs serving those who are without sufficient food, clothing, shelter and other necessities of life.

The Issue
The Trust's geographic giving areas of metropolitan Phoenix and Indianapolis share the problems of a growing homeless population and increasing numbers of residents at risk of becoming homeless. In Indianapolis, the Coalition of Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) estimates that 3,500 people a night lack permanent places to sleep, while in the greater Phoenix area, in keeping with its larger population, an average of 10,000 people nightly go without shelter.

The Trust funds a variety of programs that address the immediate needs of the homeless. In Phoenix, the Trust supports organizations such as Shoebox Ministry, Phoenix Rescue Mission and Interfaith Cooperative Ministries that provide emergency food, shelter and clothing. In Indianapolis, similar support goes to Lighthouse Mission, Wheeler Mission, the Dayspring Center and Horizon House day center. The Trust also has supported the Salvation Army in both cities. In addition, we have made sizeable grants to organizations whose approaches to the problems of homelessness go beyond the immediate concerns to provide long-term solutions to this growing problem.

Coordinated Services
One vital approach that the Trust endorses is community-wide collaboration to reduce and prevent homelessness. Too often, the homeless migrate from program to program, receiving basic services in an uncoordinated fashion. Coordinated efforts help provide comprehensive services, supporting those most in need with opportunities and tools for success.

In Indianapolis, various government and nonprofit agencies share goals described in the city's Blueprint to End Homelessness, a comprehensive analysis of the services needed to combat this problem. CHIP, the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention, leads the community in pursuit of these goals, including the effort to develop more supportive housing projects where the homeless and near-homeless receive services designed to help them improve their lives, become more self-sufficient and break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. Support from the Trust last year allowed CHIP to hire a supportive housing specialist in cooperation with the Corporation for Supportive Housing, the recognized expert in helping communities develop successful support housing programs and services. The Trust's grant was one of the first significant investments in advancing the Blueprint agenda.

In Phoenix, this coordination of programs and services is taking on a physical dimension. A comprehensive planning process dedicated to providing integrated supportive services resulted in the Human Services Campus. Now under construction, the Campus will contain independent service providers of shelter, health care, food and outreach, and it also will include a common facility housing a wide array of employment and training programs for homeless individuals and residents of the surrounding community.

Personalized Case Management
Another important approach to the complex problem of homelessness is intensive case management. Although there are certain factors that commonly contribute to homelessness, each situation is different. Programs that provide individualized guidance and services to meet unique needs are often the key to long-term self-sufficiency.

One such program supported by the Trust is the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's Opportunity Program. A participant in the Human Services Campus project, the Society received a two-year grant to provide case management services to clients referred from meal programs at five St. Vincent de Paul dining rooms. In the first year, the program assisted 75 individuals, of whom 26 found jobs. In the second year, more than 250 families participated in the program. The project is a great success and the Society now supports the program through its annual fundraising and an impressive list of project partners.

Individualized case management is also the key to success for Outreach, Inc., a faith-based agency serving abandoned, runaway and homeless youth in Indianapolis. Its programs strive to build trusting relationships with these troubled youth. Working with nearly 30 partners, Outreach connects each individual with social service programs that best meet his or her needs. As a result, these young people are able to make the necessary choices to leave the street and take steps toward self-sufficiency. In 2003, the agency served more than 350 youth. Providing a wide range of services and matching each client with the services he or she needs allows Outreach to help homeless youth set goals and take the necessary steps to avoid a future spent on the streets.

Support for Seniors
Many agencies serve specific population groups who are homeless or at a high risk of homelessness. One such program in Maricopa County is the Domestic Older Victims Empowerment and Safety (DOVES) program of the Area Agency on Aging. This innovative program provides support services such as counseling, legal advocacy, job development and training to elderly victims of domestic violence. The Trust committed $225,000 over three years to provide transitional housing for both men and women over the age of 50, who can stay for six months to two years while gaining confidence in their ability to take care of themselves. Traditionally, domestic violence shelters have served women with young children; before this program, resources for older abuse victims did not exist.

Seniors are also part of the population served by the John H. Boner Community Center, which provides a variety of services to a low-income neighborhood on Indianapolis' east side. When a development group serving the same neighborhood closed, the Boner Center acquired 166 housing units in the area, occupied by low-income families, seniors and some disabled tenants. A grant from the Trust helped the Boner Center staff and board acquire the skills they needed to oversee the properties and to provide support services to the residents living in these homes, preventing them from joining the ranks of the homeless.

The Future
The complex homelessness problem pervades our society, particularly in urban areas. The lack of affordable housing, deinstitutionalization of the seriously mentally ill and substance abuse all contribute to the growing homeless population. Solutions to this serious problem will only come through long-range regional planning and the coordination of services. The Trust is committed to continuing Nina Mason Pulliam's legacy of meeting basic human needs. Moreover, the Trust will continue to encourage nonprofit organizations to approach this problem in a spirit of collaboration and creativity, building a healthier community for all.

Co-authors Michael Twyman and Dr. Edmund Portnoy are the directors of grants programs in Indiana and Arizona, respectively. Since joining the Trust five years ago, they have worked together to define and manage the Trust's grantmaking in this important area.