Organizers and advocates won groundbreaking victories in investments through the American Rescue Plan. The bill notably moves away from trickle-down economics and instead gives direct support to households in need and makes tremendous progress prioritizing the needs of people who are struggling with unemployment, housing instability, and health care coverage.

Nobody can solve homelessness on their own. But if we work together—health care providers, government agencies, nonprofits that provide needed services, and insurance payors – we can become an outstretched hand to help people experiencing homelessness and prevent others who are struggling with housing instability.

As our philanthropic members increasingly center equity within their work, the staff of Funders Together to End Homelessness, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO), PEAK Grantmaking, and Southern California Grantmakers (SCG) recognized an opportunity to apply an equity lens to a tool that already exists in the toolbox of most funders: evaluation.  

Through meetings and conferences we attended over the past few years, we were drawn in by the Equitable Evaluation Initiative (EEI), which asked us to imagine, “What might be possible if evaluation was conceptualized, implemented, and utilized in a manner that promotes equity?”

The National Coalition for Housing Justice, of which Funders Together is a part of, sent the following letter to Congressional leaders lifting up priorities and resource needs for people experiencing homelessness in the next COVID-19 relief and recovery package.

The National Coalition for Housing Justice, of which Funders Together is a part of, sent the following to HUD Secretary Designee Fudge expressing our desire for partnership to achieve racial and housing justice and requesting a meeting to align on priorities. 

The Funders Together Staff reflects on what this year has taught us and where we have found hope in the work to prevent and end homelessness.

In late August, the Raikes Foundation announced our new Black Leadership & Power Fund. It was a major accomplishment for our team at a time when many of us were feeling overwhelmed and, frankly, a bit lost amidst the constant turmoil that has engulfed our country. But despite the pain we were feeling during a summer under quarantine and protest, shadowed by ongoing police violence, we knew that we had to do something different after George Floyd’s murder.

Funders Together to End Homelessness joins national organizations partner organizations in the efforts to end homelessness to release the following statement:

On September 22, Funders Together to End Homelessness submitted a public comment to the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) voicing our opposition to its proposed changes to the Equal Access Rule that would allow shelters to discriminate against LGBTQ+, transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming individuals.

A statement from Amanda Andere, CEO, Funders Together to End Homelessness and Jeanne Fekade-Sellassie, Project Director, Funders for Housing and Opportunity, on the September 1 CDC eviction moratorium notice.