Su Casa – Ending Domestic Violence Receives $1.25 Million Grant from Bezos Fund

Day 1 Families Fund grants $105.9 million to 42 nonprofits helping families gain housing support and stability

 LONG BEACH, Calif. – (December 9, 2020):  Su Casa – Ending Domestic Violence, a local agency providing shelter and supportive services to survivors of domestic violence, today announced that it has been selected to receive a $1.25 million grant from the Day 1 Families Fund. Launched in 2018 by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, 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.

 “Currently, there are less than 1,000 beds available in domestic violence shelters throughout Los Angeles County,” stated Su Casa Executive Director Anna Conti, “and with the generous support of Day 1 Families Fund, we will be able to address this critical need by focusing on capital expansion. Our goal is to increase our capacity by 50% and purchase a new property to add a new shelter.”

 This one-time grant, awarded to organizations doing meaningful work to connect families with shelter and support, will provide the opportunity for Su Casa to make significant expansion in capacity and increase services to more families. According to Conti, “Su Casa’s board and staff have targeted this growth in our strategic plan and this generous grant will give us the ability to expand our services well before our projected timeline.”

 Su Casa is one of 42 nonprofits across the U.S. to receive the third annual Day 1 Families Fund grants, as part of a continuing commitment by the Day 1 Families Fund to help end homelessness for families. The Day 1 Families Fund issued a total of $105.9 million in grants this year. To select these organizations, the fund worked with an advisory board of homelessness advocates and leaders whose expertise spans housing justice, racial equity, direct services, homelessness policy, equity for Native American communities and anti-poverty work.

This year, the grant recipients from around the country include: 

1. Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness, Anchorage, AK • $450,000
2. The Cathedral Center, Inc., Milwaukee, WI • $1.25 million
3. Catholic Charities of Acadiana, Lafayette, LA • $5 million
4. Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention, Indianapolis, IN • $1.25 million
5. Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, Orlando, FL • $2.5 million
6. Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, Columbus, OH • $2.5 million
7. Community Action Council for Lexington-Fayette, Bourbon, Harrison and Nicholas Counties, Inc., Lexington, KY • $5 million
8. Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Philadelphia, PA • $5 million
9. Denver Indian Family Resource Center, Denver, CO • $450,000
10. East Los Angeles Women’s Center, Los Angeles, CA • $2.5 million
11. East Oakland Community Project, Oakland, CA • $2.5 million
12. Facing Forward to End Homelessness, Chicago, IL • $1.25 million
13. Families Together, Raleigh, NC • $1.25 million
14. Family Life Center, Kahului, HI • $1.25 million
15. Friendship Place, Washington, DC • $2.5 million
16. HELP of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, NV • $5 million
17. The Homeless Families Foundation, Columbus, OH • $1.25 million
18. Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System, Los Angeles, CA • $5 million
19. HOPE Atlanta, Atlanta, GA • $2.5 million
20. House of Ruth, Washington, DC • $2.5 million
21. Housing Matters, Santa Cruz, CA • $2.5 million
22. Housing Up, Washington, DC • $2.5 million
23. Kahumana, Waianae, HI • $2.5 million
24. MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership, Inc., Detroit Lakes, MN • $2.5 million
25. Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, Denver, CO • $1.25 million
26. MUST Ministries, Marietta, GA • $5 million
27. The National Center for Children and Families, Bethesda, MD • $2.5 million
28. Native American Youth and Family Center, Portland, OR • $5 million
29. North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness, Raleigh, NC • $1.25 million
30. One80 Place, Charleston, SC • $5 million
31. Poverello House, Fresno, CA • $2.5 million
32. Rainbow Services, San Pedro, CA • $1.25 million
33. Refugee Women’s Alliance, Seattle, WA • $2.5 million
34. Safe Haven Family Shelter, Nashville, TN • $1.25 million
35. The Salvation Army Austin Area Command, Austin, TX • $2.5 million
36. Samaritan House, Virginia Beach, VA • $1.25 million
37. Solid Ground, White Bear Lake, MN • $1.25 million
38. Vincent de Paul CARES, St. Petersburg, FL • $5 million
39. Su Casa – Ending Domestic Violence, Long Beach, CA • $1.25 million
40. Time for Change Foundation, San Bernardino, CA • $1.25 million
41. United American Indian Involvement, Inc., Los Angeles, CA • $2.5 million
42. WestCare California, Fresno, CA • $2.5 million

 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, non-profit 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 the inspiring Mary’s Place in Seattle: no child sleeps outside. For more information, visit www.BezosDayOneFund.org/Day1FamiliesFund.

 About Su Casa – Ending Domestic Violence

Su Casa has been providing shelter and supportive services to the Greater Long Beach community for over 40 years. Core services include a 24/7 crisis hot line, an Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing and the newest program, Domestic Violence Housing First. Supportive services include domestic violence counseling, parental counseling, access to legal support, life skills education and support for youth in the survivor’s family.

April Hunter Joins Su Casa – Ending Domestic Violence Staff(Opens in a new browser tab)