Fund grants $123.45 million to 40 nonprofits across the U.S. to move the needle on re-housing and supporting families experiencing homelessness
Sojourner Truth House, a ministry of hope and help for homeless and at-risk women and their children, today announced that it has received a $1.25 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund—the largest private gift in the organization’s history. Launched in 2018 by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the Day 1 Families Fund issues annual leadership awards to leading organizations on the frontlines that are employing compassionate, needle-moving work to help families move from unsheltered homelessness and shelters to permanent housing with the services they require to achieve stability.
“At Sojourner Truth House, keeping people housed is our number one priority,” said Executive Director Angela Paul. “With this grant however, we can do so much more to not just keep people housed, but to make them whole again.”
This one-time grant will help Sojourner Truth House in its tireless work to support families as they reel from skyrocketing rent costs, limited services, and insufficient incomes. Sojourner Truth House plans to use the grant funds to maintain secure stable housing for families when they need it by assisting with deposits on apartments and houses and providing rental, mortgage and utilities assistance. At least 80 additional families each year will receive diversion assistance.
Sojourner Truth House was selected as a Day 1 Families Fund grant recipient by a group of national advisors who are leading advocates and experts on homelessness and service provision. National advisors brought expertise on housing justice, advancing racial equity and helping programs employ resources effectively to assist families out of homelessness.
Over the past five years, the Day 1 Families Fund has provided 170 grants totaling more than $520 million to organizations around the country working to combat homelessness and help families gain housing support and stability. This year, the Fund issued a total of $123.45 million in grants to the following organizations: Carpenter's Shelter; CATCH, Inc.; Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona; The Center for Women and Families; Changing Homelessness; Chapman Partnership; Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County; Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County, Inc.; Community Services & Employment Training (CSET); Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO); Family Promise of Hawai'i; Family Promise of Northern New Castle County; Family Services of Tulare County; Flagstaff Shelter Services; Gateway180; Heartland Alliance; H.O.M.E. Inc.; Homeless Alliance; Hope House of Milwaukee; Housing First, Inc.; Housing Forward; HRDC; Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers, Inc.; LA Family Housing; Mother Nation; Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter, Inc.; New Reach; Oglala Sioux Tribe; Partners for HOME; PATH; The Salvation Army, Denver Metro Area; Samish Indian Nation; San Diego Regional Task Force on Homelessness; Sojourner Truth House; Solo Por Hoy, Inc.; Start Corporation; Strategies to End Homelessness; The Wellspring; YWCA Cass Clay; and YWCA Missoula’s Housing Programs.
“I have so much hope for the future,” said Sojourner Truth House client Isabel. “I love Sojourner, and so do my children. Sojourner Truth House is our family.”
The Bezos Day One Fund made a $2 billion commitment to focus on making meaningful and lasting impacts in two areas: funding existing non-profits that help families experiencing homelessness, and creating a network of new, non-profit tier-one preschools in low-income communities. The Day 1 Families Fund issues annual leadership awards to organizations and civic groups doing compassionate, needle-moving work to provide shelter and hunger support to address the immediate needs of young families. The vision statement comes from the inspiring Mary’s Place in Seattle: no child sleeps outside. For more information, visit www.BezosDayOneFund.org/Day1FamiliesFund.
About Sojourner Truth House
Sojourner Truth House (STH) is a ministry of hope and help for homeless and at-risk women and their children. Through hospitality, advocacy, integrative services and collaboration participants improve their quality of life and that of the community in a safe, trusting environment. STH provides food and clothing, and offers classes, case management, and other services to women and their families regardless of their circumstances or faith. They focus on strengthening and stabilizing women and families experiencing homelessness, and those at risk, who receive compassionate services through our Day Center program. This includes case management, supervised child enrichment, recovery assistance, healthcare screenings and meals. STH also provides classes that focus on life skills, parenting, finances, home management and job and career training that help families set and achieve life-changing goals to not only obtain stable housing, but be prepared to remain housed. Learn more at www.sojournertruthhouse.org.
