DALLAS — Jeff Bezos and his partner Lauren Sánchez donated $2.5 million to the Dallas nonprofit Family Gateway, which serves families with children who are experiencing homelessness.
The nonprofit plans to use the funds to support its diversion program, which helps families identify safer alternatives to shelters, according to a press release from Family Gateway. More than 80% of the families who are diverted with the help of the organization do not need additional services from the area's homeless response system, the release states.
The money will also be used to support the agency's hotel overflow program, to assist families when diversion has failed and family shelters are closed, the release states.
Family Gateway previously received a $2.75 million from the fund in 2019, the release states.
"Thanks to support from the Day 1 Families Fund, we now serve 1,800 families annually as compared to 400 per year with our prior model," Ellen Magnis, president & CEO of Family Gateway said in a release. "With housing costs rising and eviction rates increasing, we’re seeing more and more families in need of assistance. We are grateful for this additional investment from the Day 1 Families Fund during this critical time for families in our community.”
The grant comes from Bezos' and Sánchez's Day 1 Families Fund, which awards grants to organizations working to end family homelessness. The fund has previously awarded $750 million to organizations serving families across the U.S., the release states.
This year the fund awarded $110.5 million in grants to 40 organizations, the release states.
