Funds to Benefit 175 Homeless Service Providers in the Washington Metropolitan Area WASHINGTON, March 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Fannie Mae Foundation today announced the results of the 2007 Fannie Mae Foundation Help the Homeless Program. The Foundation raised a total of $7.1 million to benefit 175 Washington metropolitan area homeless service providers, which are working to prevent and end homelessness. The funds were raised last year through the Help the Homeless Walkathon, mini-walks, and other related activities. In addition to the Help the Homeless events in Washington, D.C., the Foundation joined with cities across the country, including Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Seattle, to raise the nation's awareness around preventing and ending homelessness. Each city coordinated its own unique event, and in some cases week-long events, in partnership with their Mayors and other community coalitions to call attention to local problems, as well as highlighting programs and solutions that can make a difference. In total, more than 125,000 people participated in activities nationwide. "Over the last 20 years, the Fannie Mae Foundation's Help the Homeless Program has continued to grow and raise money for local organizations who serve homeless individuals and families. The Foundation is proud of its commitment to support homeless service providers in and around our hometown of Washington, D.C.," said Peter Beard, Executive Director of the Fannie Mae Foundation. "Every year for the last twenty years, Hope and a Home has participated in the Fannie Mae Foundation's Help the Homeless walkathon," said Mike Young, Executive Director for Hope and a Home. "The Foundation's support has allowed us to continue to provide critical services that have a lasting effect on the lives of parents and children throughout Washington, D.C." The Fannie Mae Foundation annual Help the Homeless Walkathon, which in 2007 was held on Saturday, November 17, is the largest event of its kind in the nation designed to help prevent and end homelessness. Over 30,000 walkers participated in the 2007 walkathon on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. In addition, 90,000 residents took part in over 700 mini-walks, which were hosted by schools, community-based organizations, and faith-based groups across the region. In just one day, 87 public schools held mini-walks throughout Washington, D.C. To help raise additional funds and to recruit walkers for the Walkathon and the mini-walks, the Fannie Mae Foundation also enlisted more than 288 sponsoring partners that contributed $2.1 million. On any given day, more than 12,000 people in the Washington metropolitan area are homeless. That total includes people who are living on the streets, staying in shelters, or living in transitional housing; more than 40 percent are in families; about a third are children. "Street homelessness" is the image commonly presented to portray homelessness, yet only a minority of the 12,000 homeless people in our region regularly live on the streets. Nearly one-third of the region's homeless adults are employed; in some areas, the share of employed homeless people is even higher. National Help the Homeless Program Mission and History Statement The mission of the Help the Homeless Program is to raise awareness of the issue of homelessness and to increase resources for organizations working to prevent and end homelessness. The Help the Homeless Program fosters volunteerism in service to homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless. To date, the Help the Homeless program has raised $69.6 million to support local nonprofit organizations that help homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless. Please visit our website at http://www.helpthehomelessdc.org/. The Fannie Mae Foundation is a private nonprofit organization, supported solely by Fannie Mae, that creates affordable homeownership and housing opportunities across the United States. The mission of the Fannie Mae Foundation Help the Homeless program is to raise awareness of the issue of homelessness and to increase resources for organizations working to prevent and end homelessness across the United States. The Help the Homeless program also fosters volunteerism in service to homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless. STYLE USAGE: The Fannie Mae Foundation is a separate legal entity from Fannie Mae (a NYSE-listed company). In order to facilitate clarity and avoid confusion, news organizations are asked to refer to the Foundation exclusively as "the Fannie Mae Foundation" or "the Foundation," but not as "Fannie Mae." DATASOURCE: Fannie Mae Foundation CONTACT: Chrissie McHenry of Fannie Mae Foundation, +1-202-752-1297 Web site: http://www.fanniemae.com/ http://www.helpthehomelessdc.org/

Copyright