Lifestylist® Blog

The opening of the newest facility in Fairfield, CA, marks the 200th shelter completion for HomeAid America, Inc., the nation's largest provider of temporary housing for the homeless.   This milestone was reached with a special dedication of a women's and children's building, family units and a day-care center at the Bridge to Life Center at Mission Solano.

“200 shelters in 20 years is a remarkable achievement,” stated Jeffrey A. Slavin, chief executive officer of HomeAid. “With 21 active chapters in 15 states, we are very proud to have assisted so many deserving individuals in such a short period of time. Our mission is far from over, however. As many as three and one-half million people are homeless in America each year, and one million of those are children.  The vast majority of the homeless are not the chronically homeless, but our neighbors, people whose lives have been suddenly changed by an unexpected event like loss of job, domestic violence, or illness.  HomeAid remains committed to addressing this unfortunate situation, and we currently have 36 more shelters in development.”
HomeAid shelters have served over 100,000 homeless people since the organization was founded in 1989 and now offers 1,800,000 bed nights annually for homeless Americans all across the country.  The Bridge to Life project was spearheaded by HomeAid Northern California, a HomeAid America affiliate, supported by the Home Builders Association of Northern California, with major contributions from Brookfield Homes, DeNova Homes, Centex Homes and the Lennar Charitable Housing Foundation.
Ron Marlette, executive director of Mission Solano, added, “We are grateful to the homebuilders who stepped forward during one of the industry's most challenging times. Without their dedication and a superb team of volunteers, the Bridge to Life Center may still have been a dream, not a reality.”
Mission Solano operates entirely on voluntary contributions. Their doors are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a week and they provide help without charge to any person regardless of race, color, creed or social standing.  The newest facility is creating 208 beds, as well as providing families and individuals with the holistic services that will help to guarantee their ability to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty.
Creating shelters takes teamwork from the local community, builders, contractors, journeymen and volunteers across the United States.  If you or your company would like to work in partnership with people in need, helping them to secure shelter and a start a new beginning please contact HomeAid at www.homeaid.org or 1-888-3HOMEAID.
HomeAid has been praised as the best public/private housing program of its kind in America by Art Agnos, former Mayor of San Francisco. Through the generosity of America’s builders, their trade partners, financial institutions and private and public donors, its projects to date total nearly 1.4 million square feet of space representing more than $160 million in project construction costs, of which $75.4 million has been donated by the building industry.
HomeAid affiliates are located in Atlanta; Charlotte, NC; Chicago; Colorado; Dallas; Houston; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles; Massachusetts; Michigan; Northern California; Northern Virginia; Northwest Arkansas; Orange County, CA; Portland, OR; Riverside-San Bernardino, CA; Sacramento; San Diego; Seattle; Tampa; and Washington, DC.