About Us
Our Vision
A thriving community where every person has access to basic needs, safe housing and the stability to meet life’s challenges.
Our Core Values
Collaboration, Compassion, Diversity, Integrity, Respect, Service, Stewardship and Transparency.
Our Mission
Cultivating a compassionate community committed to meeting the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness.
Origin Story
CANUP (pronounced ‘canopy’)
Coalition Addressing the Needs of Unhoused People
of Greene County
In March of 2023, a group of individuals and organizations in Greene County began working together to address the growing issue of homelessness in our community. The group envisioned a thriving community where every person has access to basic needs, safe housing, and the stability to meet life’s challenges.
We were amazed by how many people volunteered time and energy. We started an outreach program, delivering food and necessities to unhoused people in our community every day. We quickly realized we needed to make long-range plans and connect with programs and supportive infrastructure to help guide people on a path to permanent housing and to address the root causes of homelessness. To help us structure a sustainable organization, we recruited a Board of Directors and incorporated as a 501(c)(3).
As a nonprofit organization, CANUP is open to everyone. We do not discriminate against any person for any reason. Our actions are guided by our core values of Collaboration, Compassion, Diversity, Integrity, Respect, Service, Stewardship and Transparency.
As part of our mission to cultivate a more compassionate community, we host monthly meetings to highlight the work of our volunteers and to provide a space for members and collaborators to inform us of their work. By working together, we discover how everyone can contribute in their own way.
Please join us in helping our neighbors who are experiencing the trauma of homelessness. Attend our meetings, sign up for our newsletter, and connect with us through social media. You can also contact us directly through e-mail at info@canup.org.
Our 3 Levels of Assistance
Food Insecurity
Every day a CANUP team drives a route and distributes meal packs or occasionally a hot meal and other basic necessities* to homeless people we have previously identified and to others we encounter.
*Other basic necessities: this includes assistance applying for and obtaining ID, Social Security, and other benefits.
Short-term Shelter
Facilities are needed to immediately get people out of the rain and cold weather. This requires identification of a place, or places, funding for the place, including staffing and partnering with others to raise awareness of and addressing the broad needs of unhoused people.
Please contact us if you have any leads for a location of this type.
Affordable Housing
Research shows the primary cause of homelessness is not drugs nor mental health issues but a lack of affordable, low-cost housing. Experience shows that the availability of this housing is the solution to homelessness. The development of this housing is our long-term goal and requires several partners.
Reach out to partner with us.
In support of this work, CANUP has recently been named Team Lead within Greene County by the Appalachian Regional Coalition on Homelessness (ARCH) to provide a “Continuum of Care” to those in need.
Support Our Work
Physically or financially, we appreciate your support!