Founded on the principle that every person deserves a decent place to live, HomeStart provides the crucial next step to ending the cycle of homelessness by working to assist individuals and families move from shelters to permanent housing. HomeStart advocates provide support and compassion as they help walk clients through the difficult process of moving from shelters to permanent housing. After securing housing, HomeStart continues to help each participant re-integrate into their community by providing support services such as money management programs and life skills training. HomeStart also provides housing-search guidance to those who do not qualify to become a client during walk-in hours at both the Central Boston and Cambridge offices. Since HomeStart was founded in 1994, over 6,000 clients have been moved to permanent housing. Our advocates also prevent around 500 low-income families and individuals on the verge of eviction from being homeless each year, by using innovative approaches such as – emergency mini grants, court intervention, and landlord mediation. For HomeStart to prevent an eviction it costs on average $726. It costs taxpayers approximately $30,000 a year to shelter that same family. Having a home restores a person’s dignity and offers the stability that is necessary for making other life changes, such as securing a job, advancing an education, regaining mental health stability, or maintaining sobriety. That’s why at HomeStart, we believe a home is where the start is.