Family Promise of Athens has been awarded a $400,000 flexible grant to fund its operations as the organization continues seeking the end of family homelessness in Athens.
Madison Sanders, executive director of Family Promise of Athens, says the funding will be used to support their diversion program, a service that helps at-risk families with one-time expenses like security deposits or car repairs, without which they may end up homeless.
“This gift is a catalyst that will serve so many hard-working families in Athens,” Sanders said in a press release. “Athens is experiencing an affordable housing crisis that has priced out many families from finding housing options that meet their needs. With this funding, we will be able to increase our services for families to support them on their path to stability.”
Family Promise will also use the funding to help them in their goal of doubling shelter capacity by the end of 2024. The grant is the largest in Family Promise of Athens’ history.
The award came from the Bezos Day One Families Fund as part of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ $2 billion philanthropic commitment that he made back in 2018. This week, the fund announced $117 million in new grants, representing less than 0.1% of the billionaire’s total wealth of $170 billion. Bezos will recoup the gift in less than a month, based on his salary and other compensation alone.
Amazingly, fluctuations in Bezos’ net wealth might even allow him to regain these lost millions in less than a day, according to the Independent.
Nevertheless, Bezos’ generosity is extremely valuable to Family Promise and to all of Athens as we embark on a new chapter in our fight against homelessness. The Athens Homeless Coalition is in the middle of a significant restructuring with the intention of making the best possible use of $1 million in American Rescue Plan funding which the local government has recently decided to provide.
This influx of funding may help revolutionize homeless services in Athens, allowing for the coalition to have paid staff for the first time ever. However, a long-term source of funding has yet to be identified.
After the American Rescue Plan runs out, the Athens Homeless Coalition hopes to rely on philanthropic organizations like the Bezos Day One Fund for a significant part of their budget going forward. Some have dismissed these types of hopes to secure new revenue as wishful thinking, but the current award to Family Promise shows that the plan may in fact be feasible without increased local government involvement over the long-term.
The money is certainly there. May our billionaire overlords be ever generous!
You can read the full Family Promise of Athens press release here.
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