Beyond Shelter's mission is: to develop systemic approaches to combat poverty and homelessness among families with children and to enhance family economic security and well-being. Beyond Shelter accomplishes its goals through the following strategies: 1) responsive service delivery; 2) people-centered community development; and 3) the creation of knowledge for social change.
Beyond Shelter's programs in Los Angeles, California, serve as a "laboratory for social change." Primary among the agency's initiatives is the Housing First Program for Homeless Families, which is based firmly on a belief in the human right to housing. Beyond Shelter's "Housing First" Program introduced a dramatic innovation in the field: the "housing first" approach, which is currently being adapted by organizations throughout the United States. In 1999, the Pew Partnership for Civic Change selected the Housing First Program as one of 19 "Solutions for America."