Dayton Car Donation Puts Homeless Into Houses

One study finds it's cheaper to help those on the streets

You’re walking among your city’s streets—maybe it’s in Columbus’ Franklinton or Cincinnati’s Over-The-Rhine—and you come upon a congregation, huddled in conversation. Maybe you think nothing of it, maybe you speed up your step. A few days later, you’re on the same path when you pass by the same group, wearing the same clothes.

“Have they gone home? Have they showered?” quickly changes in your mind to, “Do they even have homes?”

For more than 12,000 Ohioans, the answer is no. And Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio is working to change that. A study published in March by University of North Carolina Charlotte (UNCC) further cements our efforts. And your Dayton car donation can help.

Housing the homeless not only saves lives, but money

When you give homeless men and women a permanent place to live, the public pays less than it would to leave them on the streets. A report proved that basic ideal after studying a Charlotte, North Carolina, permanent supportive housing program. Here’s a quick rundown of how:

• In tenants’ first year in the housing program, area hospital bills, emergency room visits and lengths of hospitalizations decreased. There was a 78 percent reduction in emergency room visits and a 79 percent reduction of inpatient hospitalizations, resulting in a 70 percent reduction ($1.8 million) in hospital bills in one year.
• After one year of residence, the arrests and jail stays of Moore Place tenants fell, with a 78 percent reduction in arrests and 84 percent reduction in jail stays.

Not only is it fiscally cheaper, the housing program means more people are keptalive and a tighter knit support network is established.

Moore Place is the first homeless facility in Charlotte using a “housing first” model, rather than a version requiring sobriety before admission. The idea of “housing first” is based in a belief that individuals can better address behaviors, including addiction, once they find stability in housing.

The UNCC study is one of several that has found that providing housing first reduces the overall cost of homelessness.

The research is clear to us

Whether it’s shelter for a night, transitional housing or permanent supportive housing, we believe everyone deserves a place to call home. And, really, that means more than four walls and a roof.

Housing to us is the many programs and services we’re proud to provide to address the different needs of each individual and family we serve, all with the goal of ending homelessness.

Eager to be a part of the solution? Make a Dayton car donation

With your generous support, Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio can make housing happen.

Please donate your extra or unused vehicle. We’ll take almost anything with a motor, be it a car, truck, boat or RV, even if it’s not running. Same-day towing is available, and you might make more money off of your vehicle as a tax deductible donation than you would by selling it privately.

Learn how to make your Dayton car donation today.