Long Island Nonprofit Receives $1.25M Grant From Jeff Bezos's Fund

HUNTINGTON, NY — Family Service League (FSL), a Huntington-based nonprofit that provides care for Long Islanders in need through its 60 programs across 20 locations, announced that it has been selected to receive a $1.25 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund. The grant would be the largest in FSL's history.

The Day 1 Families Fund, launched by Amazon founder and executive chair Jeff Bezos in 2018, 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.

"We are excited to have been selected as a Day 1 Families Fund grantee," said Karen Boorshtein, president and CEO of FSL, via news release. "For 95 years, Family Service League has been committed to providing effective, equitable and respectful care and services that are responsive to the diverse populations we serve. We utilize a housing-first approach when providing services to those struggling with housing issues. We recognize that people aren’t able to focus on mental health, addiction treatment or obtaining employment without having basic necessities like food or a place to live. This generous grant will help us expand the scope of tangible assistance we provide to households experiencing homelessness."

This one-time grant will allow FSL to help reduce the emergency housing stays of households by
streamlining access to housing relocation assistance, affordable housing, case management and support services.

Households able to participate will receive a services including housing relocation assistance, intake and assessment, ongoing goal planning, increased ability to access necessary resources and benefits, increased educational and vocational achievement and home-based case management and stabilization services once permanent housing is secured.

FSL was selected as a Day 1 Families Fund grant recipient by an independent advisory board composed of homelessness experts with experience in policy, advocacy, racial equity, child welfare and housing and service delivery, as well as firsthand experience in homelessness.

This year, $96.2 million in grants was doled out to 32 organizations across the country by the Day 1 Families Fund.