Dear Steve,

Being homeless is expensive. There is a human cost, the toll on people who have no home and utilize emergency services, such as shelter.

And there are the operational costs that community based organizations incur providing life saving, basic needs services to help those without homes. These costs may range from $20,000 to more than $50,000 per year depending on the depth of services an individual or family needs.

There is an effective alternative that costs about $25 a month. That’s an average of what it can take over the course of one year to prevent or end the experience of homelessness for that same individual who is a good match for Diversion.

Sound impossible? It’s not. Through the Keys to Change Diversion Program, we provide our neighbors experiencing homelessness the resources and support to reunite with family or friends – wherever they may be.

For the cost of a bus ticket, a rideshare to the bus terminal, and snacks and luggage for the road, Diversion participants once more experience the relief, safety, and warmth of a roof overhead. A chance to start a brand new chapter, a chance to end the daily despair that homelessness brings – or to avoid the experience altogether.

Of course, diversion isn’t the right fit for everyone that walks through the doors of the Brian Garcia Welcome Center on Key Campus. It is a fit for an average of 10% of the 14,000 individuals we serve each year.

It is through one-on-one conversations with Welcome Center staff that Diversion matches are identified, and families are vetted. Each experience of homelessness is different, so each individual journey home is unique.

As part of a robust array of wraparound service options, the success rate of Diversion is among the highest. 85% of participants remain housed after one year.

Beyond the numbers, this success is direct evidence of the efficacy of practical, individualized community care. It reduces the length of time people face the toxic stress of being without a home. Keys to Change serves households of all shapes and sizes. For example: