Hometown Hope: How Amazon is Paying Attention to Homelessness in Seattle and Beyond
“It’s permanent until homelessness is solved.” So remarked John Schoettler, Amazon’s real estate and facilities VP, to the New York Times after an announcement this spring that the company’s Seattle headquarters will incorporate a shelter for homeless families. It's an unconventional move for a tech giant, but Schoettler’s statement hit the right notes.
As we’ve seen, permanence and solvability are front-of-mind for some of today’s leading anti-homelessness funders. As big cities play host to thousands (or tens of thousands) of people roughing it in the streets, funders are looking to new methods—like permanent supportive housing, impact investing and advocacy—to stem the tide. More than that, in fact. With funders like the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the Melville Charitable Trust in the lead, the goal is now to solve homelessness, not just apply Band-Aids to an unfortunate inevitability. . .