Houston Salvation Army Receives $5M Grant From Amazon Founder

From The Salvation Army:

HOUSTON, TX– The Salvation Army of Greater Houston announced on Tuesday that it has been selected to receive a $5 million grant from the Day 1 Families Fund to support the organization’s housing, emergency shelter, rehabilitation and social services programs for families over the next four years.

Salvation Army Houston recently overhauled their emergency housing programs for families by implementing a 30-day solutions model for ending homelessness. This new model incorporates regular meetings between clients and case managers, as well as job training, life skills, recovery, and health and wellness services, among others.

“Salvation Army Houston works tirelessly to help those in need,” said Major Kent Davis, Houston area commander. “The funding from the Day 1 Families Fund will not only allow us to better serve families experiencing homelessness in the Greater Houston area, but will enable us to truly change the lives of those in our community.”

As a result of this model, Salvation Army Houston has reduced the average length of resident stay, and has observed a reduced recurrence of homelessness in its system. For example, at The Salvation Army Family Residence, the average length of stay per family has decreased from 180 to 365 days to only 70 days, and almost no clients have experienced a return to homelessness.

In each of the emergency housing facilities, Salvation Army Houston meets needs without discrimination. In 2017, Salvation Army Houston served nearly 6,600 people in its emergency shelters, including veterans, young adults, survivors of human trafficking and people who identify as LGBTQ+.

The Salvation Army of Greater Houston is one of 24 nonprofits to receive the first Day 1 Families Fund grants, totaling $97.5 million.

Recipients from around the country include:

• Abode Services
• Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami
• Catholic Community Services of Western Washington
• Community of Hope
• Community Rebuilders
• Crossroads Rhode Island
• District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH)
• Emerald Development & Economic Network (EDEN) Inc.
• FrontLine Service
• Hamilton Families
• Heartland Family Service
• Housing Families First
• JOIN
• LA Family Housing (LAFH)
• Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS)
• Primo Center for Women and Children
• Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA)
• SEARCH Homeless Services
• Simpson Housing Services
• The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte
• The Salvation Army of Greater Houston
• UMOM New Day Centers and Urban Resource Institute (URI).

Founded by Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos, the Bezos Day One Fund consists of two programs: the Day 1 Families Fund that provides grants to nonprofit organizations fighting homelessness, and the Day 1 Academies Fund that will fund and build a network of pre-schools in low-income communities across the country.

The Day 1 Families Fund’s vision comes from the inspiring Mary’s Place in Seattle: no child should sleep outside. A small group of expert advisors provided input to the Bezos Day One Fund team to select these organizations.

The Day 1 Families Fund will be awarding grants annually. Click here to learn more.

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