Homelessness is increasing in America. According to the most recent census conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (in 2024), homelessness rose to an all-time high in our country, with an estimated 771,480 people experiencing homelessness on any given night. That represented an 18% increase over the previous census conducted in 2023.

We are not powerless to stop this crisis. While many of the root causes of homelessness - such as a lack of affordable housing, low wages, personal crises such as job loss or medical issues, mental health, and addiction disorders - happen to people everywhere, the best methods of ending homelessness within each community are to be found within that individual community. At Winter Walk, we walk in communities to raise funds for those communities to fund the work they do to fight homelessness in their communities. And we need your help.

At Winter Walk, we believe that ending homelessness is within our reach…if we come together. As we work to organize our 2025 New York City Walk Event and 2026 Walk Events in Boston, Chicago, Tallahassee, and Philadelphia, we believe that coming together is more important now than ever before. What we have heard consistently from walkers over the last decade is that the Walk Events nourish their souls in a way they had never experienced. If you’re feeling the need to connect with your local community, Winter Walk can help.

Winter Walk is more than just a fundraising walk—it's a visible commitment to compassion and a call to action. Each Walk Event is about building a real community that is motivated to take action to make change. Housed and unhoused people - families, children, advocates, outreach workers, change-makers - gather for a powerful morning of solidarity, community, and action, walking shoulder to shoulder as a community focused on ending homelessness. When you walk with us, you are joining a movement that has raised millions of dollars to end homelessness.

Our Walk Events unite thousands of people each year to fund local nonprofits, raise awareness, end stigmas, and change lives.

More than 55,000 have walked, and our community grows each year. Recent polling by the National Alliance to End Homelessness shows that as many as 75% of Americans believe that homelessness is a solvable problem.

That is a compelling statistic on its own, but when you stop to think about it, that means that a huge majority of the people polled care enough about the crisis to have thought about it, sought out information to better understand it, and formed opinions about how it could be solved. To us at Winter Walk, that means a huge majority of the people that live in the cities we walk in are exactly the type of people we hope to have walk with us. They are your families, your friends, and your neighbors, and we need your help in helping them understand that there is something they can do to help - they can walk! Here are some things for you and for them to know about why walking with us matters.

Our Walk Events are free for the nonprofit organizations that receive funds at our walks - we call them our organizational partners. In 2026, we’ll walk to raise funds for more than 40 organizations across the country that address the crisis of homelessness from different angles, including many emergency shelter providers, but also providers of supportive housing, mental health services, and supportive services ranging from healthcare, food, clothing, and toiletries to access to the arts. Together, we’re addressing both immediate needs and the root causes of homelessness.
100% of the funds raised at our walk events are distributed to our organizational partners. Winter Walk, a nonprofit organization, takes none of the funds raised during our walks. We are incredibly proud to say that, as we enter our 10th year, our Walk Program has raised and distributed more than $5.5 million to our organizational partners - and we’re just getting started. None of this is possible without the generous support of sponsors. You can find a list of our sponsors here!
We invite people experiencing homelessness, or those who have and are now housed, to attend our Walk Events at no cost. Our mission is to uplift the voices of those who have experienced homelessness, breaking down negative images and stereotypes through storytelling and education. Winter Walk believes that ending homelessness starts with ending stigma. At our Walk Events, those who have not experienced homelessness have an opportunity to get to know their unhoused neighbors and the teams on the front lines fighting to end the homelessness crisis. By lifting these voices, we strive to foster understanding and create meaningful impact.

Homelessness can happen to anybody, to people you know, or even to you. Each person has a unique story. All of them are our neighbors in need, and we can help. At Winter Walk, we will share stories and celebrate, and learn how we can then do more.

We hope you will join us on this journey. We launch registration for many of our walks on October 10th, World Homeless Day, every year. This international day serves as a platform to celebrate good works, benchmark progress, advocate for improved policies and funding that can help prevent and end homelessness.

World Homeless Day also aims to raise awareness about the needs of people who currently experience homelessness and promote work in local communities to alleviate suffering and prevent death. Take action this World Homeless Day, or any day that you’re reading this post, by walking with us. Find a Walk near you.

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Winter Walk is a non-profit on a mission to end homelessness in America. Winter Walk hosts walk events in major cities across the United States designed to raise funds for local service organizations while building community between housed and unhoused people. Every year, Winter Walk unites thousands of donors to fund local non-profits, raise awareness, end stigmas and change lives.

Don’t Walk By - Register for a 2026 Winter Walk Event

Delphia’s Story