How The Beacon Is Helping Houston's Homeless, By the Numbers

Image: Chris Kuhlman
10
Chefs—including Bobby Matos (State of Grace, La Lucha), Ryan Lachaine (Riel), and Claire Smith (Alice Blue)—signed on to cook for Come to the Table, the major fundraising dinner for The Beacon, the downtown homeless advocacy and empowerment center
30
Inches of rain dropped on Houston by Tropical Storm Imelda on September 19, the original date of the event
245
Pounds of beef short ribs 44 Farms donated for Matos and Lachaine’s dish for the event; instead, post-Imelda, the chefs donated them directly to Beacon clients for a Saturday lunch.
$600,000
Amount raised by the Beacon’s 2018 Come to the Table dinner, which helps the organization carry out its mission
2007
Year Christ Church Cathedral established the Beacon as a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing services for homeless people, making its home at the neighboring John S. Dunn Outreach Center
51
Percentage by which the rate of homelessness in the Houston area has been reduced since 2011, according to a 2018 study by collaborative homelessness-prevention effort The Way Home
4,084
Homeless Houston-area adults and children permanently housed by partners of The Way Home since 2011
4,143
Number of homeless Houstonians in 2018, per The Way Home
99
Percentage by which the rate of homelessness in Houston-area veterans has been reduced since 2011, per The Way Home
5
Days per week, Thursday to Monday, that The Beacon’s Day Center opens to people seeking food, a hot shower, clean laundry, and other basic services
300
Average number of clients who check in per day at the Day Center, each of whom is assessed for potential eligibility for securing permanent residence
26,966
Volunteer hours clocked at the Day Center in 2018
264
Hot meals, on average, prepared and served daily at the Day Center in 2018
Visit beaconhomeless.org