(Courtesy)
GRAND ISLAND – Hope Harbor, a Central Nebraska nonprofit dedicated to housing stability and family-centered support for those experiencing homelessness in Central Nebraska, announced Dec. 1 that Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are recognizing the organization with a $1.25 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund.
This investment is the largest gift in the nonprofit’s history. Hope Harbor is part of the eighth annual cohort of organizations across the country receiving funding from the Day 1 Families Fund to deepen their work to help every family have a safe, stable place to call home.
“Every family who comes to us carries a story of resilience, and this gift ensures we can meet them with the safety, care and stability they deserve,” said Liz Mayfield, executive director of Hope Harbor. “We’re deeply grateful to the Day 1 Families Fund for believing in this work and for helping us expand hope for families across Central Nebraska.”
Hope Harbor will use its Day 1 Families Fund grant to serve even more families experiencing homelessness in Grand Island and the surrounding communities, with the goal of ensuring no child in the community sleeps outside.
Specifically, Hope Harbor plans to use this one-time grant over the next five years to reinforce essential capital improvements within the organization’s emergency and transitional shelter, protecting the safety and dignity of families who seek refuge there. It will also help advance Lighthouse Apartments, Central Nebraska’s first permanent supportive housing project, moving it closer to opening its doors.
Hope Harbor was identified to receive this grant by a group of national advisors who are leading advocates and bring expertise on homelessness, housing policy and effective approaches and solutions to family homelessness.
“We’re incredibly honored to receive this support, not just for what it means to Hope Harbor, but for what it means to families who are fighting to regain stability. This gift affirms the importance of our work and strengthens our ability to create long-term solutions through both our shelter programs and Lighthouse Apartments,” said Mayfield.
Since its inception in 2018, the Day 1 Families Fund has awarded 280 grants totaling more than $850 million to organizations serving families in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.
The Day 1 Families Fund grant recipients have tremendous flexibility to use the funds in the ways that are most impactful in their communities, making the grant a game-changer for organizations on the frontlines of the family homelessness crisis. Recipients will use their funds to support families experiencing homelessness to access critical services, regain stable housing and achieve well-being.
This year, the Fund issued a total of $102.5 million in grants to 32 organizations. The full list of awardees is available at https://bezosdayonefund.org/day1familiesfund. Case studies of the impact selected grantees have made with their funds are available at https://www.bezosdayonefund.org/case-studies.
Hope Harbor provides emergency shelter, transitional housing and comprehensive support services to families and individuals experiencing homelessness in Central Nebraska. Since 1994, the organization has been a stabilizing force for the region, helping families move from crisis toward long-term housing stability. Hope Harbor also plays a key role in regional collaboration efforts to strengthen the community’s response to homelessness.
Through the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos issue annual leadership awards to organizations doing compassionate, needle-moving work to help families experiencing homelessness. For more information, visit www.BezosDayOneFund.org/Day1FamiliesFund.
