COVINGTON, Ky. —
A northern Kentucky nonprofit has received a $1.25 million grant from Jeff Bezos’s Day 1 Families Fund.
“This grant is a game-changing investment that empowers us to push boundaries in how homelessness is addressed, particularly in Kentucky’s underserved areas,” said Danielle Amrine, CEO of Welcome House Inc., in a press release announcing the grant. “With this support, we’ll have the resources to develop strategic, sustainable solutions that turn the possibility of ending homelessness for Kentucky families into a reality.”
Based in Covington, Welcome House Inc. is a mission-driven nonprofit committed to ending homelessness in Kentucky through innovative housing solutions and transformative support.
The shelter is the only one in northern Kentucky to provide housing for families, women and children.
James Staggs, father to three-year-old Mitchie-says Welcome House saved their lives.
“After 10 and a half months we were able to get a car, and um now we’re about to get housed anytime soon so it was kind of like went from nothing to everything, you know having everything we need to be happy. And plus, got my kid,” Staggs said.
Staggs is coming up on two years sober. He walks his son to school everyday and is saving every dollar he earns.
“I got Mitchie and I’m pretty happy with it,” Staggs said. “We found out about this place; we filled out an application for intake and we got a call. And they saved us.”
Welcome House was one of two Kentucky-based organizations to receive a grant, along with The Coalition for the Homeless in Louisville.
The organization also received a $1.25 million grant in 2019 from the Day 1 Families Fund. Welcome House used that initial grant to expand its capacity to serve families by building a 20,000 square foot facility for women, children and families.
The facility opened in 2023 and doubled Welcome House’s capacity to serve families.
In a press release, Welcome House says they plan on using their new grant funds to extend its support for families in rural areas across the Bluegrass State, allowing them to expand their outreach, enhance housing assistance and address barriers that prevent rural families from securing stable homes.
“Families experiencing homelessness – especially those in rural areas – are an often-overlooked aspect of the homelessness issue,” said Jason Spauling, chairman of the Welcome House Board of Directors, in a press release. “We appreciate the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund’s recognition that Welcome House’s approach moves the needle on family homelessness. Their support will help us do more for families in need across Kentucky.”
Since 2018, the Day 1 Families Fund has awarded 248 grants, totaling nearly $750 million to organizations serving families in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. This year, the Fund issued a total of $110.5 million in grants to 40 organizations, including first-time grants to nonprofits in Kansas and New Jersey.
For more on Welcome House and the Day 1 Families Fund, click here.
Read full article here: https://www.wlwt.com/article/kentucky-welcome-house-jeff-bezos-day-1-families-fund/62964028
