In Fall 2025, Fort Street’s Open Door Ministry partnered with Community & Home Supports, Inc. (CHS) to help remove one of the most common barriers to permanent housing: security deposits.
Using Open Door funds exclusively for this purpose, CHS helped 20 households move into stable housing between July and fall of 2025. These households included 12 single adults and 8 families, many of whom were using housing vouchers that would have expired without timely assistance. By covering deposits not included in voucher programs, Fort Street’s support enabled rapid lease-ups and shortened time spent in shelters.
The total $10,000 provided by Open Door was used strategically to maximize impact. Most deposits were $500 or less, allowing more people to be served while ensuring landlords’ requirements were met. These funds directly supported placements through Section 8, public housing, and project-based vouchers, including several individuals who had experienced long-term or chronic homelessness.
Beyond the numbers, the report highlights the power of person-centered care. One featured story shares the journey of a chronically homeless senior who, with steady support, moved from isolation and instability into a furnished apartment, ongoing health care, and renewed family connection. This outcome reflects CHS’s approach of building trust, honoring individual pace, and surrounding each person with coordinated support.
Together, Fort Street Open Door and CHS demonstrated how targeted, flexible funding can make a lasting difference. By addressing a critical gap in the housing process, this partnership helped neighbors move directly from instability into safe, affordable homes and begin the next chapter of their lives with dignity and hope.
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