Giving Compass' Take:

• National Philanthropy Capital explores the root causes of homelessness, such as low pay and a lack of social housing, and urges funders to act.

• As we know, homelessness is not an easy problem to solve, but we must not be overwhelmed by the task at hand. Finding solutions will require creativity, collaboration, and patience.

• Read more about homelessness prevention.

The causes of homelessness are complicated and happen at different levels. Some are social, some are personal, some are policy and market failures. Solutions have to match this scale and complexity. Funders should be conscious of which level of the system they are working in and how that relates to other levels. Funding an effective service could have limited impact if people find the service difficult to access or don’t have anything to move on to. Considering the root causes of homelessness in whatever you fund is a good starting point.

We’ve got big ambitions for funders who are interested in ending homelessness. One day we’d like to see a pooled fund where foundations and philanthropists collaboratively fund long-term initiatives that are shaped by data and evidence and recognize the wider system around homelessness. But we can’t do this on our own. We’re looking for others to collaborate and provide vital funding for this area.

Read the full article about treating homelessness as a systemic problem by Rachel Tait at New Philanthropy Capital.