HealthSpark hosts funder luncheon on release of Your Way Home equity study

On Thursday, March 14, we hosted a luncheon for funders to discuss the findings from a just-released report from the Center for Social Innovation entitled "Racial Equity and Homelessness in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania:  Initial Findings".

With funding from our foundation, Your Way Home hired the Center's SPARC (Supporting Partnerships for Anti-Racist Communities) initiative to understand the racial demographics of those experiencing homelessness in Montgomery County, assess how current policy and practice are serving marginalized populations and learn recommendations to improve services.

SPARC uncovered some startling statistics, including that African Americans comprise 51% of Your Way Home clients, but only make up 10% of the total population.

The report provides 27 different recommendations to improve Your Way Home's policies and procedures and program design, among others.

At the luncheon, funders learned about the statistics and recommendations, and discussed how the funding community could help Your Way Home continue this work.

The full report can be accessed and downloaded on our website.