The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte receives $3.75 Million Bezos Day 1 Families Fund Grant
The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte, a leader in providing solutions for families experiencing homelessness through its Center of Hope shelter and housing programs, today announced that it has received a $3.75 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund. This is the sixth round of annual Day 1 Families Fund grants, which recognize leading organizations doing compassionate, needle-moving work to help families experiencing homelessness secure housing and achieve stability. This grant will build on the $5 million Day 1 Families Fund grant The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte received in 2018; the groundbreaking work done with the first grant can be viewed at bezosdayonefund.org/case-studies.
“The overarching goal of our work is that family homelessness in Charlotte should be rare, brief and non-recurring,” said Major Jason Burns, Area Commander for The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte. “This investment from the Day 1 Families Fund will allow us to expedite our growth plans and impact even more families in need in our community, reaching them at or before the point of crisis and helping them to find stability.”
This one-time, uniquely flexible grant will support The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte in serving as a critical lifeline to children and adults in families experiencing homelessness, who represent more than a quarter of the homeless population nationally. The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte plans to use its Day 1 Families Fund grant to expand its diversion and outreach programs, grow its counseling and employment services and create a flexible fund for short-term assistance. In addition, funds will help to renovate The Salvation Army’s recently purchased hotel called Booth Commons, a non-congregate shelter program with individual efficiency units able to house different family makeups. This grant allows The Salvation Army to expand and serve more families in need in Charlotte; as a result, it does not take the place of the need for regular, ongoing funding for existing homelessness programs.
The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte 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 six years, the Day 1 Families Fund has provided 208 grants totaling more than $630 million to organizations around the country working on the frontlines to identify unsheltered families, help families regain housing and connect families experiencing homelessness to vital services. A selection of more than half of the Day 1 Families Fund grantees who received funding between 2018 through 2021 report that, to date, they have used their grants to divert more than 28,000 families from experiencing homelessness, connect more than 30,000 unsheltered families with safe shelter and help more than 75,000 families access the services they need.
This year, the Fund issued a total of $117.55 million in grants to 38 organizations. The Day 1 Families Fund has now granted this award to organizations in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. New states this year include Arkansas, Vermont and Wyoming. The other organization receiving grants in North Carolina are Family Promise of the Triangle and Hospitality House of Northwest North Carolina. The full list of awardees is available at bezosdayonefund.org/day1familiesfund.
Launched in 2018, the Bezos Day One Fund made a $2 billion commitment to focus on making meaningful and lasting impacts in two areas: funding existing nonprofits that help families experiencing homelessness, and creating a network of new, nonprofit tier-one preschools in low-income communities. The Bezos Day 1 Families Fund issues annual leadership awards to organizations and civic groups doing compassionate, needle-moving work to help families experiencing homelessness—including those who are unsheltered or staying in shelters—regain safe, stable housing and achieve well-being. The vision statement comes from the inspiring Mary’s Place in Seattle: no child sleeps outside. For more information, visit www.BezosDayOneFund.org/Day1FamiliesFund.