Working to End Homelessness in Okaloosa and Walton Counties
News from HHA
Together We Can Do This
At Homelessness & Housing Alliance (HHA) we believe that our community can end homelessness by working together to invest in affordable housing and implement best practices to help families and individuals in crisis.
As the lead agency for the Okaloosa Walton Continuum of Care (COC), we bring together homeless services providers, local government, law enforcement, behavioral health providers, hospitals, and affordable housing developers to ensure our community’s programs work in tandem to meet the immediate needs of our unhoused neighbors and to address long term drivers of homelessness.
HHA empowers the community through:
Assessment
We work to identify and bridge gaps in homeless services so that investments can be made in the areas of greatest need.
Resources
We secure resources for homeless service providers so they can meet the needs of families and individuals experiencing homelessness.
Best Practices
We foster leadership, collaboration, and best practices through monthly meeting and training materials.
Housing is absolutely essential to human flourishing. Without stable shelter, it all falls apart.
– Mathew Desmond
Our Philosophy: Housing First
Housing First is an approach to ending homelessness that prioritizes housing as the FIRST step in solving homelessness. Research has repeatedly shown that individuals and families are more successful addressing the challenges that led to their homelessness from the safety and security of their own home. The housing first model prioritizes preventing homelessness and rapidly rehousing those without a home as step one. The second step is stabilizing those families until they are no longer at risk. Our COC members offer services to help families and individuals:
- Meet Crisis Needs: Emergency Shelter and Outreach Programs ensure unhoused families and individuals have their basic needs met while they look for housing.
- Find/Retain Housing: All of our partners have housing counseling programs to help families find or retain housing. These programs support clients through the housing search process and provide financial support to prevent eviction or make relocation financially feasible.
- Stabilize: The rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing programs combine short term rental assistance with intensive counseling services to address the underlying issues that led to homelessness.
Through these programs, we are working together to ensure that homelessness in Okaloosa and Walton County is rare, brief, and nonrecurring.
In 2023 our members served:
Become a Part of the Solution
Invest in Solutions
By contributing to HHA you are are filling gaps, fostering collaboration, and bringing best practices to the organizations who are delivering services to families and individuals experiencing homelessness.
Become a Member
Does your organization serve unhoused individuals and families? Join the Continuum of Care for access to training, grant opportunities, and a network of professionals dedicated to ending homelessness.
Stay Informed
Sign up for our Constant Contact Mailing List so that you can stay up to date on new programs, opportunities to give, and the latest news on our community’s journey to make homelessness brief, rare, and nonrecurring.