Moving from Good Intentions to Real Impact: 5 Ways Our Community Can Address Homelessness

Kelly King Horne • May 28, 2026

Iain De Jong of Org Code Consulting shared a video today “Want to help with homelessness? Do this. Not that.” This is one of the best summaries of how all of us can be a part of addressing the homelessness crisis in our community. The video is only 7 minutes, and Iain is always worth listening to but here is my summary of what touched me.

The key takeaway for interested community members is that “Good intentions are common. Impact is not.”

Here are Iain’s suggestions:


1) Use your voice. Homelessness programs are not funded at the level needed to have the biggest impact.

· Learn about federal funding for housing and homelessness. Share your thoughts with your elected representatives.

· Connect with the Virginia Housing Alliance to learn about opportunities in Virginia.


2) Fund what works.

· Our community annual report has details of the impact of proven programs working in our community.

· Connect with and support one of the agencies working collaboratively to support our neighbors experiencing homelessness.


3) Stop making the system harder to run. Coordinating resources reduces duplication of efforts and confusion among people seeking assistance.

· Get plugged into regional efforts to see where you can make the biggest impact.

· Donate an item from our community wish list. Homeward distributes these items to our regional partners.


4) Treat people like people. “Dignity is a behavior and not a program.”

· Find a volunteer opportunity to connect with people in our community.


5) Get informed. People experiencing homelessness need life-saving interventions and housing-focused programs connected to supportive services.

· Learn about resources in our community through a monthly training.

· Sign up for the Homeward newsletter find ways to partner with us.


Let us know what you think and how you’d like to help!

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Most of us have seen the weather reports for this weekend’s winter storm. Any accumulation, let alone what’s forecasted, is disruptive for everyone, especially our neighbors facing homelessness.