Apr 21, 2013 2 min read

Throughout the 2000s, several pledges were made to end homelessness, including one by the National Alliance to End Homelessness called, “A Plan, Not A Dream: How to End Homelessness in Ten Years.”

More recently, in 2010, President Barack Obama unveiled a strategic plan to end homelessness by 2015.

Despite efforts, homelessness remains a complicated, persistent problem. Bill Leach, director of homeless and housing services for Connect Inc., doesn’t think it’s realistic to expect to eliminate homelessness, but believes there are effective strategies for drastically reducing the number of people living on the streets.

Connect Inc., an affiliate corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services Inc., was established in 1995 to provide housing, case management and supportive services to homeless and near-homeless people in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“How can you say you will never have another homeless person, and that you’re going to totally end the epidemic of homelessness? It’s ridiculously idealistic, but with good, evidence-based practices like rapid housing, we can reduce and virtually eliminate incidents of unhoused homeless,” said Leach.

Leach said one of the keys to ending homelessness is making affordable housing available and having support services in place.

Connect Inc. operates emergency shelters and transition and permanent supportive housing in Washington, Greene and Westmoreland counties.

It offers close to 50 apartments throughout Washington County and operates the Washington Family Center to support homeless families (the shelter can accommodate as many as four families) and Safe Haven, a 20-bed facility for mentally ill homeless men and women. Both are housed in the same building in the city of Washington.

Last year, nearly 700 homeless people received housing services through Connect.

The organization also provided more than 1,700 hours of mental health counseling to people on the streets with severe mental illness.

Family Shelter and Safe Haven provide other services, including medical care (twice a month, a doctor visits the shelters) and help with job searches and paperwork.

Some unsheltered homeless have complained about conditions at Safe Haven and said they worry about their safety, but Leach says the shelter has greatly reduced the street homeless.

“If people break the rules there or do dangerous things, they have to go,” said Leach.