For decades, the business of addressing homelessness was based on simple, old-fashioned approaches to charity that tugged on our heart strings, softened our compassion or pierced our jadedness through guilt-ridden photos of hungry children.

As a young adult, I learned years ago how charity raised funds the old-fashioned way. The tattered, elderly homeless man sitting in front of a hot, delicious meal displayed in a newspaper ad raised millions. The letter typed with a simple font about a story of a homeless family, and sent directly to mail boxes of people with a history of giving, proved lucrative for thousands of homeless missions......Read more