Travelers Aid International

Travelers Aid International, through its network of 45 member agencies and more than 500 cooperating representatives, serves individuals and families in crisis due to homelessness, mobility or other disruptive circumstances. In 1996, Travelers Aid International member agencies assisted more than 2 million people. In-depth services including housing, transportation assistance and case work were provided to more than 125,000 individuals.

The first Travelers Aid was founded in 1851 in St. Louis, which makes Travelers Aid the oldest, non-sectarian social welfare movement in America. While most Americans know of Travelers Aid through its information and referral booths in airports or bus stations, Travelers Aid agencies serve those in need in many ways. Vocational training for international refugees, transitional housing for homeless families, assistance in securing employment for newcomers to the community, outreach to homeless teens, aid in securing disability entitlements and health care for homeless people are all ways in which Travelers Aid International members work to help people make a transition to more stable, productive lives.

Crucial to the work of local Travelers Aid agencies is the historic network of service through which an agency assisting a client requesting help with travel can ensure that there is proper support for the client in the destination community. A significant part of the work of Travelers Aid International is expanding and maintaining this network of agencies. Toward this end, Travelers Aid International carries on a seventy-eight year old tradition of providing national leadership and service to local agencies.

In addition, Travelers Aid International works to strengthen its local agencies through providing training and technical assistance, developing program standards and disseminating information about funding availability and program development. Travelers Aid International also provides its local agencies a voice in the Nation's Capital for advocacy in the development of social policy. Changes in social policy in recent years makes the work of Travelers Aid even more important for clients who often fall through the cracks with other social service agencies.

For nearly 150 years, Travelers Aid agencies in America have provided assistance to individuals and families who find themselves in crisis with nowhere else to turn. As the national voice for the Travelers Aid movement, Travelers Aid International works to ensure that those in need can receive professional help in making the transition back to a stable life.