BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – (November 21, 2019): The West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, a non-profit working to end homelessness throughout West Virginia, today announced that it has been selected to receive a $1.5 million grant from the Day 1 Families Fund.
“We are extremely excited to receive this generous grant from the Day 1 Families Fund, which will allow us to offer vast new housing and support services for families experiencing homelessness,” said Zach Brown, CEO of the Coalition. “This award enhances the housing and supports we currently provide for families experiencing homelessness, while allowing us to provide a whole new level of therapeutic care and services to ensure that families stay housed and whole.”
This one-time grant, awarded to organizations moving the needle on family homelessness, will allow The West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness to provide homelessness diversion, housing, housing stabilization services, resource connection and therapeutic services to families at risk of or experiencing homelessness across 44 counties in West Virginia.
The West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness is one of 32 nonprofits across the U.S. to receive the second annual Day 1 Families Fund grants, as part of a broad investment by the Day 1 Families Fund to help solve family homelessness. The Day 1 Families Fund issued a total of $98.5 million in grants this year. The fund worked with an advisory board of homelessness advocates and experts who identified and invited organizations to submit grant proposals to support their efforts to address homelessness. This year, the grant recipients from around the country include: Bethany House Services, Catholic Charities Eastern Washington, Catholic Social Services Alaska, Coburn Place, Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, Covenant House, Family Gateway, FamilyAid Boston, ForKids, Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan, Great Lakes Community Action Partnership, Homeless Services Network of Central Florida, HOPE Services Hawaii, HopeWorks, Interim Community Development Association, Lafayette Transitional Housing Center, Mary’s Place Seattle, MIFA, Our Family Services, Pathways of Hope, St. Joseph Center, St. Joseph’s Villa, St. Stephen’s Human Services, St. Vincent de Paul, The Road Home, The Road Home Dane County, The Whole Child, UNITY Of Greater New Orleans, Upward Bound House, Welcome House of Northern Kentucky, West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, and YWCA Columbus.
The Bezos Day One Fund was launched in 2018 with a commitment of $2 billion and a focus on two areas: funding existing non-profits that help homeless families, 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 The West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness:
The mission of the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness (WVCEH) is to strategically assist all continuum of care and service providers across West Virginia to ensure homeless individuals and families secure stable homes. This is achieved through strategic planning, access to professional development resources, data and information support, funding advice, collaborating with allied efforts nationally and internationally, and enhancements to direct service as needed in the state.
