November 27, 2024 -KRLD News Radio 1080- by
Family Gateway is doubling down on its mission to combat family homelessness in North Texas, bolstered by a new $2.5 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund. The nonprofit has been a lifeline for families in Dallas and Collin counties for nearly 40 years, and the need for their services has never been greater.
“We are announcing that we’ve received $2,500,000 from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, and it’s actually our second gift from this wonderful group. So we’re absolutely over the moon excited,” Family Gateway President and CEO Ellen Magnis said.
The organization is seeing a sharp increase in families experiencing homelessness, a crisis made worse by the pandemic and economic pressures.
“We have seen a tremendous increase in the number of families falling into homelessness,” Magnis said. “If we look at 2019 versus 2023, we have far more families sleeping in their cars, far more families sleeping in hotels, many, many more families than we’ve ever seen before being evicted.”
To address this, Family Gateway emphasizes not just shelter but solutions that prevent homelessness through a practice called diversion.
Diversion provides families with alternatives to entering shelters, helping them stabilize and rebuild.
“We have invested heavily in a practice called diversion, and that is where most of this money will go,” Magnis said. “At that point of crisis, what are the alternatives to shelter that we could offer that family so that they don’t have to come into shelter?”
Magnis shared a compelling example of how diversion works.
“Let’s take a family sleeping in their car, and then they call us. We get them in. We sit them down with the assessment and diversion specialist, and we ask them questions,” she said. “If we agreed to work with her to find a job, if we got you some food support to help with the food that your grandkids are consuming in your house, would you take them back in while we work with them? And that is almost always a yes.”
Economic factors, particularly rising rent costs, are fueling the surge in family homelessness.
“The cost of rent in our community has gone up something like 30% over the last few years, and wages have not kept pace with the higher prices,” Magnis said. “We’re losing our housing stock in our community. We have all of this wonderful, booming economy with businesses moving in, and that means there are people who are coming in and buying up real estate and leaving fewer options for those who are making lower income.”
The recent grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund is critical as Family Gateway works to meet the growing demand. But the nonprofit is also calling on the community for support.
“We need everybody in the community to pitch in and help us pull these families up and give them a chance to make their way forward,” Magnis urged.
Contributions can be made on Family Gateway’s website, offering a meaningful way to make an impact during the holiday season.
Even as the challenges mount, Family Gateway remains committed to stabilizing families and providing them with a path forward.
“This money from the Bezos Day 1 fund is unbelievably precious to us,” Magnis said. “It has come at a time when we have been starting to get anxious about how to keep pace with the demand.”
With innovative solutions and community support, Family Gateway is ensuring that families in North Texas have the resources they need to overcome homelessness and build better futures.
Read full story here.