AUSTIN, Texas — On Wednesday, The Salvation Army Austin announced that it has been selected to receive a $2.5 million grant from the Day 1 Families Fund.
The fund was launched in 2018 by Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos. It grants annual leadership awards to organizations and civic groups working to provide shelter and hunger support to young families.
“We are honored to be one of the recipients of this year’s Day 1 Families Fund grants,” said Major Lewis Reckline, Austin Area Commander. “This grant will help us to support the growing needs of vulnerable families with children in Travis and Williamson Counties.”
The grant will help The Salvation Army Austin to expand and boost its existing services, including the addition of shelter staff, an increase in financial and housing assistance to clients moving into safe housing, and an improvement in local shelter capacity.
Currently, the group runs three low-barrier, housing-focused shelters in Austin. It offers services like case management, rental and utility assistance, therapy and childcare, which has resulted in 80% of case-managed households transitioning from homelessness to housing last year.
The Salvation Army is just one of 42 nonprofit groups, and the only one in Texas, to receive the third annual Day 1 Families Fund grants. A total of $105.9 million was issued this year.
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