Our mission is to empower individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness to rebuild their lives, with the involvement of the community. We do this through our three programs: Direct Housing, Veterans First and AimHire Direct Housing provides temporary rental assistance – first month’s rent and security deposit – to help people over the hurdle of the upfront costs of renting. But the program is much more than financial help alone. Our case managers research affordable housing options, build relationships with landlords, work with them to expedite leases for people whose credit or rental histories would otherwise disqualify them, and facilitate the lease-signing and move-in. Our two-year-old Veterans First program partners with the Department of Veterans Affairs to end homelessness among Veterans in the DC region. The program has two components: (1) preventing homelessness for households that are behind on their rent payments, and (2) helping Veterans (both individuals and families) who have been thrown into homelessness to get back into housing quickly. AimHire is breaking new ground in the field of employment and homelessness. We know of no other employment program in DC for people experiencing homelessness that takes our approach. This model is extraordinarily effective. In FY 2013, AimHire placed 116 people into jobs. Of those placed in jobs, 113 were stably housed, as well, either through rehousing or eviction prevention Of those placed who crossed the 6- month mark during the year, 87% were still employed and housed.
