The Bezos Day One Families Fund is giving a $2.5 million grant to the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition amid record-high numbers of homelessness.
The $2 billion philanthropic fund was launched by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in 2018. It contributes money to non-profit organizations and civic groups across the nation working to help people experiencing homelessness.
Its one-time grant to the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition will reportedly be put toward housing navigation and support services for homeless families. This comes as homelessness in Tarrant County has reportedly reached an all-time high. The coalition has seen 318 families become homeless this year alone.
“We’re really grappling with the fact that we have more families and individuals becoming homeless and our resources going down significantly,” said Lauren King, executive director of the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition, according to the Fort Worth Report.
“For us, the timing of this grant is really, really impactful.”
This donation marks the largest single private grant the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition has received. In addition, the organization has received $50 million in taxpayer funding from local municipalities to build housing for the homeless.
“Typically, we’re really focused on housing, and so being able to expand that and potentially bring in some other partners who can provide those support services is exciting and I think will just help families be more successful,” said King.
However, some have questioned the efficacy of “housing first” policies.
In a previous interview with The Dallas Express, homelessness policy expert and author Michele Steeb argued that “housing first” policies trap those who are homeless in a cycle of dependence.
One purportedly successful approach is that of Haven for Hope in San Antonio, which provides housing alongside supportive services like counseling and job training.
This “one-stop-shop” approach has been credited with a 77% reduction in homelessness in San Antonio and has polled favorably among Dallas residents.
Now, some local stakeholders are working to establish “Haven for the Homeless” in Dallas, taking inspiration from Haven for Hope. However, it remains to be seen whether the City of Dallas will partner with Haven for the Homeless in the same way the City of San Antonio partners with Haven for Hope.
Meanwhile, 76% of Dallas residents are frustrated with homelessness, vagrancy, and panhandling, according to polling conducted by The Dallas Express.
