When those experiencing homelessness tap into the services provided by Jericho Project, they get much more than a warm meal and a bed for the night. At Jericho, people are encouraged to envision a healthier future for themselves and are empowered to take the steps needed to achieve it. The organization has been changing lives in New York for over 40 years with a holistic service model that helps those on the streets get back on their feet.
“Jericho Project ends homelessness by addressing its root causes, not just providing shelter,” shares Tori Lyon, CEO of Jericho Project. “Through permanent supportive housing paired with person-centered services in employment, mental health, and family stability, Jericho helps individuals move off the streets and on with life. Once housed and supported, roughly 95% of the program participants we help do not return to homelessness.”
Lyon, who brings nearly three decades of frontline leadership to the national conversation on homelessness, plays the lead role in carrying out Jericho’s commitment to accountability, measurable outcomes, and long-term solutions. Having grown with Jericho since 1996, she offers rare real-world insight into what works in supportive housing, prevention, and policy.
“Breaking the cycle of homelessness requires touching the four cornerstones of a person’s life: housing, employment, wellness, and family stability,” Lyon says. “Jericho has been successful at helping people experience real change because we focus on those areas. We create a culture of ‘moving on’ through a foundation of housing and supportive services provided by expert program specialists and case managers.”
Jericho Project delivers results-based programs that are humane and cost-effective
The holistic approach Jericho takes to helping people experiencing homelessness enables individuals to access extensive, results-based programs at their level of need. Whether they are coming from a shelter or from a situation where they are one paycheck away from homelessness, Jericho’s program participants get support that makes a difference. It is a people-centered program that ensures everyone is treated with understanding and dignity.
Jericho’s approach also allows it to pursue its mission at a significantly lower cost than the alternatives. Whereas providing a cot in a New York City shelter costs $50,000 per year, Jericho provides housing and life-changing services for approximately $18,000 per adult program participant and $25,000 per family annually.
“Jericho’s model is both humane and cost-effective,” Lyon says. “Our cost-effective solutions to ending homelessness are far less than the cost of shelters, incarceration, or emergency hospital care. Our approach benefits not only individuals and families, but taxpayers and the broader community.”
Jericho Project supports thousands of adults and children each year
Jericho’s housing initiatives utilize over 700 units of supportive housing, including eight residences across the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Harlem, as well as scattered-site apartments throughout New York City. The organization’s most recent statistics show it serves nearly 3,000 adults and children annually, making over 500 housing placements through its Housing Access programs.
Jericho has also been a key partner in New York City’s initiative to end veterans’ homelessness. The nearly 3,000 people it served during 2024 included over 700 veterans, who received person-centered services tailored to meet their unique needs.
Jericho Project addresses homelessness with employment and education services
Jericho’s employment and education services are among the keys to the success it has had in breaking the cycle of homelessness for its program participants. The organization’s Workforce Opportunities (WfO) Program helps hundreds of individuals each year build the skills they need to secure and sustain meaningful employment.
“Jericho’s WfO Program provides individualized support to our program participants, most of whom have been disconnected from the workforce for extended periods of time and are marginalized from traditional workforce development programs,” Lyon explains. “The WfO Program’s foundation is universal support provided by career counselors who help program participants set and achieve their employment goals with consistent engagement. It also provides workshops, trainings, referrals to job training and educational resources, resumé and job search assistance, and work retention and advancement support.”
Over 25 percent of Jericho’s adult program participants participate in its WfO initiatives. In 2025, 252 program participants gained employment through those initiatives, earning an average wage of $20.08 per hour.
Homelessness is a complex problem that is caused by a wide variety of factors. Consequently, addressing it requires comprehensive, people-centered solutions implemented by people with deep understanding and compassion. Jericho Project has succeeded in helping people experiencing homelessness for decades by offering such solutions.
“We know that housing is not the final step, but the first step to the rest of your life,” Lyon says. “Our programs start with getting people off the streets so they can get back their dignity, safety, and confidence. But the programs continue with initiatives that significantly improve people’s incomes and lives so they can leave homelessness behind for good.”
