Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami recently received a $5 million grant from the Day 1 Families Fund to expand housing and homelessness services in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe counties.
This grant will allow Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami to provide additional assistance for families in need of permanent housing through the Housing First Model, a best practice, and will ensure Catholic Charities can address more of its clients’ most basic needs. Additionally, it will expand the organization’s ability to follow through with supportive services to help families fighting homelessness become self-sufficient.
“We are grateful to Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos for their generous and timely Day 1 Families Fund grant that allows Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami to be at the forefront of providing social services to children and families experiencing homelessness in the tri-county area of South Florida,” said Peter Routsis-Arroyo, CEO of Catholic Charities.
“This award demonstrates Catholic Charities’ continued commitment and history of service to those in need. As His Excellency Thomas Wenski, Archbishop of Miami, likes to say, ‘we help people, not because they are Catholic, but because we are.’ With this wonderful grant, Catholic Charities will continue its work to move children and families out of poverty,” Routsis-Arroyo added.
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami is one of 24 nonprofits to receive the first Day 1 Families Fund grants, totaling $97.5 million.
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.
How awesome! The Church is a constant leading force in serving our community in Miami.