Homeless services and housing are a lot like Sinatra’s ‘Love & Marriage’

Salt and pepper. Thunder and lightning. Salt-N-Pepa. Homeless services and housing are a lot like Frank Sinatra’s “Love and Marriage”: You can’t have one without the other.

It’s an ongoing debate in the homelessness policy world, and one that has increasingly leaned toward housing first. But what about the essential services homeless individuals need to get back on their feet — services provided nonprofits such as People’s Emergency Center (PEC), organizations becoming increasingly reliant on private donations and foundation funding?

To advocate the idea that homeless services cannot be divorced from housing, Family Service Provider Network (FSPN) published a collection of stories called Services Work! highlighting families that have overcome homelessness through a mix of housing and services.

The stories include work done on behalf of FSPN members and associates such as ACHIEVEability, The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Residence, Women Against Abuse, Community Legal Services and Clarifi.

The stories are short, but serve as a reminder that hundreds of Philadelphians rely on a strong, cohesive network of nonprofits and city agencies for housing and social services.