Homeless Assistance Fund
A public-private initiative to provide services and mental health resources to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
Overview
Launched by the Partnership in October 2022 and concluding in December 2024, the Homeless Assistance Fund was a unique public-private initiative with the city and housing nonprofit Breaking Ground’s Connect to Care program.
Connect to Care supplements existing outreach programs with more intensive outreach and trust-building among New York City’s most vulnerable and entrenched homeless population and accelerates getting these individuals into treatment programs and housing. The program reaches those who have been unsheltered the longest, have the most disabling conditions, and are least likely to access housing resources.
The Homeless Assistance Fund initiative enabled Breaking Ground to expand its Connect to Care outreach program with a focus on individuals experiencing street homelessness in Midtown and Lower Manhattan, and Downtown Brooklyn. Data from this initiative demonstrates Connect to Care’s more intensive outreach can help someone experiencing homelessness access a transitional housing placement up to three times faster than standard city contracts.
See the Initiative-Wide ReportImpact
302
placements in shelter or housing
33%
faster placement in housing compared to city-funded outreach
15,596
referrals to supportive services