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St. Joseph’s Villa in northern Henrico is one of 32 nonprofits nationwide to receive a grant from the Day 1 Families Fund to expand the fight against homelessness.
St. Joseph’s Villa will receive a one-time, $1.25 million grant from the group.
We are exceedingly honored and grateful to be entrusted with this transformational grant, which will impact thousands of our neighbors in need of safe and stable housing,” said Kathleen Burke Barrett, CEO of St. Joseph’s Villa. “The Villa is committed to ending chronic homelessness in our region through a collaborative approach with our partners. This investment from the Day 1 Families Fund puts us in a great position to succeed.”
The grant will allow St. Joseph’s Villa to reach an additional 150 families, according to Villa officials. The nonprofit will use the funds to invest in diversion and prevention programming so it can better serve families who face imminent risk of becoming homeless. St. Joseph’s Villa will also broaden access to mental health services and expand its homeless hotline services in Petersburg and the Tri-Cities regions, officials said.
The Day 1 Families Fund worked with an advisory board of homelessness advocates and experts who identified and invited organizations to submit grant proposals to support their efforts to address homelessness.
The Bezos Day One Fund was launched in 2018 with a commitment of $2 billion and a focus on two areas: funding existing nonprofits that help homeless families, and creating a network of new, nonprofit tier-one preschools in low-income communities.
The Day 1 Families Fund 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.” The vision statement comes from Mary’s Place in Seattle: no child sleeps outside.
