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:

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