Charity December: Housing the Homeless

Each day during December, I'll be featuring a charitable organization that I support. These are my personal choices and reflect nothing other than that.

Today I'm spotlighting two organizations I've just learned about recently myself, both of which help provide housing to the homeless. (Information about other homeless assistance programs is available through the National Coalition for the Homeless.)

First is a local Atlanta charity, Nicholas House, which has provided housing for homeless families for over 26 years. The organization accepts families in their entirety, in contrast to most shelters, which are generally gender-specific. Nicholas House has provided transitional housing for more than 1,500 families.

Second is the Ali Forney Center in New York, which provides housing and other assistance to homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, many of whom have been thrown out of their homes by their families because of their sexuality. In addition to emergency and transitional housing, the center provides health care, food, showers, employment assistance, and street outreach. Links to similar programs in other locations are also provided on the center's website.