NAYA Receives $5 Million Grant to End Homelessness
Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), the Portland-based organization, today announced it has been selected to receive a $5 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.
“NAYA is beyond grateful for this support from the Day 1 Families Fund to help homeless families,” said Paul Lumley, NAYA Executive Director. “This year, COVID and economic uncertainty have deepened the housing crisis, particularly in communities of color. In Portland, data shows that rates of homelessness among Native American families are shockingly, disproportionately higher than all other groups. For so many reasons, this grant could not have come at a better moment. The need for these families is significant and urgent.”
This one-time grant, awarded to organizations doing meaningful work to connect families with shelter and support, will allow NAYA to strengthen its ability to divert families from entering shelter or becoming unsheltered, to provide culturally resonant wraparound case management and to re-house families experiencing homelessness.
NAYA 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; The Cathedral Center, Inc.; Catholic Charities of Acadiana; Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention; Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida; Community Action Council for Lexington-Fayette, Bourbon, Harrison and Nicholas Counties; Congreso de Latinos Unidos; Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio; Denver Indian Family Resource Center; East Los Angeles Women’s Center; East Oakland Community Project; Facing Forward to End Homelessness; Families Together; Family Life Center; Friendship Place; HELP of Southern Nevada; The Homeless Families Foundation; Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System; HOPE Atlanta; House of Ruth; Housing Matters; Housing Up; Kahumana; MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership, Inc.; Metro Denver Homeless Initiative; MUST Ministries; The National Center for Children and Families; Native American Youth and Family Center; North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness; One80 Place; Poverello House; Rainbow Services; Refugee Women’s Alliance; Safe Haven Family Shelter; Samaritan House; Solid Ground; St. Vincent de Paul CARES; Su Casa – Ending Domestic Violence; The Salvation Army Austin Area Command; Time for Change Foundation; United American Indian Involvement, Inc.; and WestCare California.
“We are honored that the Day 1 Families Fund recognizes NAYA as ‘needle-moving,’ as we tackle the incredibly complex work of reducing homelessness in the Native community,” Lumley stated. “For years, NAYA has endeavored to create innovative solutions to address homelessness, knowing previous approaches were not working for our families. This recognition from the Day 1 Families Fund will keep this work moving forward.”
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 the inspiring Mary’s Place in Seattle: no child sleeps outside. For more information, visit www.BezosDayOneFund.org/Day1FamiliesFund.
Media Contact:
Nicole Adams, Communications Manager
(503) 754-0466
AdamsN@nayapdx.org