A new fundraising campaign for bags for homeless people is raising more than $2 million for an effort to help with the growing number of homeless in the nation’s cities.
The National Council of La Raza has teamed up with the National Coalition for Homelessness, an organization working to end homelessness and create jobs for those on the street, to launch the National Bag Packing Campaign, said Michelle Nogales, executive director of the council.
The group says bags for the homeless should be “a first-rate piece of gear for everyone who needs it.”
Nogales said the campaign has attracted $1.5 million from a variety of sources.
The campaign will support a number of charities, including the National Resource Center, which is helping the homeless with basic necessities such as toiletries and soap.
The group also provides meals to homeless families.
The initiative comes as the nation grapples with homelessness.
Nearly 1.5 billion Americans live on the streets or in shelters, according to the National Alliance on Homelessness.
More than 1.8 million homeless people were in shelters in the United States in the first nine months of this year, according a report released last month by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
More than 2 million are homeless in Washington, D.C., and 2.1 million in New York City, according the report.
