The mission of Off The Streets is to house the homeless one person at a time. Off The Streets provides security deposits and basic furniture and living needs for those homeless people who have no other means of providing these, but do have a means of paying a monthly rent. OTS’s mode of operations involves:

• OTS works with local social service agencies dealing with homelessness and those in danger of becoming homeless. The social workers screen the candidates to make sure they have sufficient income to pay rent on an ongoing basis. Some of them have pensions or disability income or employment or combination thereof. Once the families are housed, the social workers provide ongoing case management to ensure the transition is going well.

• OTS does not rely on national, state or local government funds.

• OTS relies totally on a volunteer staff.

• OTS can act very quickly; the transition from homelessness to a furnished room or apartment can take place within a week. We provide the following kinds of help:

  • Paying security deposits for modest apartments;

  • Delivering used furniture and household items;

The model used by OTS is called Housing First and is now accepted as the most effective method of placing homeless people into housing. Housing First approach is based on the concept that a homeless individual or household’s first and primary need is to obtain stable housing, and that other issues that may affect the household can and should be addressed once housing is obtained.