Lotus Campaign

Get to know the team at #LotusCampaign! Meet Holly Calvasina, our Director of Development and all-around Lotus cheerleader. Her dedication and spirit has led the way, allowing us to change so many lives together. People like Holly and our entire team are putting in the work so that one day, we can help provide housing to anybody who wants to be housed. To learn more about Holly and the incredible work she and our entire Lotus team is doing, visit www.lotuscampaign.org.

Homelessness isn’t the problem—it’s a symptom. Watch as our fearless leader Beth Silverman breaks down the larger economic forces and lack of support that has created this "perfect storm" of our current homelessness crisis. It’s time to focus on what we’re actually solving. More housing. Better support. Smarter policies. Let’s make a real impact together #LotusCampaign

Homelessness is a housing problem. Period. Thank you, Gregg Colburn, Margot Kushel MD, and UCSF Benioff Homelessness & Housing Initiative for shedding light on the complicating factors and acknowledging that without more stable housing, homelessness will never be solved. Period.

Reality check! ? Turns out that people who receive sustainable housing need fewer social services. Studies from the Urban Institute conducted in New York and Denver show that Housing First initiatives lead to savings in emergency services, jail, and shelter costs of up to $15,000 per person. At Lotus Campaign, we’ve seen this MYTH debunked firsthand: 96% of the residents we help house renew their leases—either with our support or on their own. Many previously housing-insecure individuals even transition to fully independent housing after just a couple of years. When people have a place to call home, they regain stability, find jobs, and rebuild their lives. With the right foundation under them, people are able to move away from public assistance and in many cases, continue on to help others like themselves. #LotusCampaign

Housing is not just about changing the present - it also means creating a future. Since 2023, Destiny has been successfully housed along with her daughter thanks to Lotus Campaign’s Landlord Participation Program and Families Together. Destiny now works full-time and pursues her passion for driving commercial semi-trucks, adding more proof that stable housing is the foundation for new beginnings. To learn more about residents like Destiny, visit www.LotusCampaign.org

?? Housing is NOT a partisan issue. ?? Federal funding cuts are hitting home in Charlotte, forcing critical housing programs to shut down—leaving our most vulnerable neighbors at risk. But at Lotus Campaign, we’re not waiting for policies to catch up. We’re taking action NOW. Our model works—96% of our residents maintain stable housing at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions. But we can’t do it alone. Read more about what’s happening and how you can help. Sign up for our newsletter now ?? www.LotusCampaign.org

Lotus Campaign has a starring role in the recently released 30-minute documentary: "Taking Care of Business: Homeless in America," by filmmaker K. Michael O'Neal. It's a deep dive into real, effective ways communities across the country are addressing homelessness. Lotus Campaign Executive Director Beth Silverman shares encouragingly that solutions exist; we just have to rethink what’s possible. Save the date. We're having a movie premiere on April 28 in Raleigh and April 30 in Charlotte. Be on the lookout for a special invitation, arriving in your email inbox soon. And if you're not currently on our mailing list, go to our website to sign up now. www.lotuscampaign.org

Homelessness isn’t just an issue of poverty—it’s a crisis impacting our youngest and most vulnerable. Families with children make up one-third of the homeless population, with infants being the most common age group to stay in shelters. Research from Margot Kushel MD of UCSF Benioff Homelessness & Housing Initiative has highlighted how homelessness and unstable housing have devastating effects on children’s health, development, and future. The thousands of unseen youth make up too many of our nation’s people experiencing homelessness. However, there are real solutions to fixing this heartbreaking reality, starting with providing stable housing to families with small children. Visit our website to see what #LotusCampaign has been able to achieve for families and to learn how much further we are prepared to go.

One of Lotus Campaign’s keys to success is placing people experiencing homelessness in housing located in Neighborhoods of Opportunity. We are eager to keep our ?? on Enrique Mutis's research out of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies on Industrious Neighborhoods as the next frontier for solving homelessness. #homelessness #housingsolutions #affordablehousing

“When housing is scarce, vulnerabilities and barriers to housing are magnified.” - Gregg Colburn, Professor of Real Estate at the University of Washington Homelessness isn’t just about personal struggles—it’s about math. Dr. Gregg Colburn compares the housing crisis to a game of musical chairs: when there aren’t enough chairs, someone will always be left standing. In cities with a severe housing shortage, no matter how hard people try, some will inevitably end up without a home. As Dr. Colburn points out, research shows that homelessness rates are highest where rent is high and affordable housing is scarce, not necessarily where poverty or addiction rates are the worst. The solution? More chairs—more housing. While we know that housing is not the only part of the solution, it is always part of the solution. Lotus Campaign is dedicated to unlocking stable housing so that everyone has a place to land when the music stops.