Catholic Charities receives $5M grant from Day 1 Families Fund for homeless ministry

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans today was selected to receive a $5 million grant from the Day 1 Families Fund that will be used to pursue solutions to end family homelessness in New Orleans, with a strong focus on providing housing as well as social services, skills training and job support to assist families in transitioning to and remaining in permanent housing.

With the funding, Catholic Charities will be able to provide families fighting homelessness with financial assistance and long-term wraparound services, including immediate case management, emergency housing, rapid re-housing, supportive services and long-term case management.

“We are extremely grateful to be selected as a recipient of the first annual Day 1 Families Fund grant, which will help us meet the needs of so many families experiencing homelessness in our community,” said Marianite Sister Marjorie Hebert, president and CEO of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans. “The need is great. There are hundreds of people in New Orleans who do not have a place to live, and Catholic Charities is committed to serving those in need. This grant will be critical in helping us continue to provide a comprehensive network of social services that connects our clients to resources and acts as a springboard to self-sufficiency.”

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans is one of 24 nonprofits to receive the first Day 1 Families Fund grants, totaling $97.5 million. Other recipients from around the country are Abode Services, 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. For more information, visit www.BezosDayOneFund.org/Day1FamiliesFund.

The mission of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans is to provide hope, help and loving care for the most vulnerable and needy in the eight civil parishes of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. For more information, visit www.ccano.org.