Westside Nonprofits Awarded Grant To Help Homeless Community

VENICE, CA — Venice's St. Joseph Center was among 32 nonprofit organizations nationwide to be awarded Day One Families Fund grants recently from the Bezos Day One Families Fund recently to assist its efforts on behalf of families experiencing homelessness.

Upward Bound House in Santa Monica, and the Whittier-based The Whole Child also recieved Day One Families Fund grants Thursday in an effort to help solve family homelessness. The grant will allow the nonprofits to provide employment, education and training services and help build needed specialized shelter beds for families experiencing homelessness in the region, The Whole Child CEO Constanza Pachon said.

"This grant comes at a critical point in the fight against homelessness in Los Angeles County," Pachon said. "It will enable us to serve many more families with children experiencing homelessness."

The Bezos Day One Fund announced $98.5 million in grants Thursday after being advised by a board of homelessness advocates and experts to identify and invite organizations to submit grant proposals to support efforts to address homelessness.

The Day One Fund was founded in 2018 with a commitment of $2 billion and a focus on funding nonprofit organizations that help homeless families and to create a network of nonprofit preschools in low-income communities.

The Whole Child is a 62-year-old nonprofit organization providing mental health, family housing, parent enrichment and nutrition education services to some of the most vulnerable families in Los Angeles County.

More information can be found at www.BezosDayOneFund.org/Day1FamiliesFund.

City News Service