WellSky Foundation Expands Impact Through Dual Grants Supporting Nonprofit Initiatives Addressing Homelessness
The WellSky Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of life for vulnerable populations, announced it has gifted a $50,000 grant to Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) and a $100,000 renewal grant to Mobile Loaves & Fishes. With this grant, the WellSky Foundation has donated $250,000 to Mobile Loaves & Fishes since 2019.
The WellSky Foundation's funding enables ECHO to continue working with its network of organizations to connect approximately 2,000 people a year to permanent housing paired with individual supportive services. Since 2017, ECHO has helped more than 10,000 people obtain housing by providing training and technical assistance to housing and social service providers, and managing a centralized system connecting individuals with the housing and services they need to obtain quality affordable housing..
"ECHO is so grateful to the WellSky Foundation for their generous funding, which will assist us in carrying out our core functions and help us execute our vision to ensure everyone in Austin, Texas, and Travis County has access to the housing of their choice that provides a foundation for optimal health, success, and stability," said Matthew Mollica, Executive Director of ECHO.
Additionally, Mobile Loaves & Fishes, a social outreach ministry that empowers communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless, received a $100,000 renewal grant from the WellSky Foundation. The donation supports Mobile Loaves & Fishes' expansion of the Community First! Village, a 51-acre master-planned community comprised of over 500 tiny homes. The village provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive environment for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness. Currently, over 360 residents live in the Community First! Village, with volunteers dedicating over 45,000 hours in 2022 to serve the community.
The WellSky Foundation's support of both organizations comes at a time when the non-profits are entering into new agreements that allow residents to use federally funded housing programs to assist them in securing a home in the Community First! Village. Austin, Texas, and Travis County continue to be one of the most competitive rental markets in the country, and the Community First! Village plays a vital role in providing a beautiful and supportive community for people exiting unsheltered homelessness. Allowing federally assisted housing programs to use their funding at Community First! Village has been highly anticipated and marks the first known project of its kind in the country to be approved for such a collaboration.
"These organizations are not only doing great work individually in Austin, but have recently united to make an even greater impact," Brett Fuller, executive director of the WellSky Foundation, said.? "This partnership reinforces our board's dedication to improving the quality of life for vulnerable populations by ensuring people have access to safe, affordable, and supportive housing to help recover and reclaim their health. These grants will contribute positively to individuals and their communities."
The WellSky Foundation has donated $1.7 million to over 36 organizations in the last four years. The WellSky Foundation is an engine for change, working tirelessly to address the social determinants of health, food insecurity, housing, transportation, and social connections to build healthy, thriving communities. To learn more, visit wellskyfoundation.org.
About WellSky® Foundation
The WellSky Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to improving quality of life for vulnerable populations by removing social barriers to health, recovery, and lasting wellness. The WellSky Foundation is an engine for change, financially supporting organizations that enable care and healing for people, regardless of their socioeconomic status. With a deep understanding of the social determinants of health, The WellSky Foundation partners with community organizations that are boldly addressing the top four socioeconomic factors affecting long-term wellness ? housing, food insecurity, transportation, and isolation. The WellSky Foundation is committed to funding and supporting organizations that protect the people and communities they serve and create better outcomes for people in need. Together with our community partners, The WellSky Foundation is breaking down social barriers to health and wellness to build thriving communities. To learn more about the WellSky Foundation, visit WellSkyFoundation.org.
About ECHO
The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) is the backbone of our community's Homelessness Response System. As the lead agency for the Austin/Travis County Continuum of Care, we lead and align a coalition responsible for planning and implementing community-wide strategies to end homelessness. We work alongside people with firsthand experience of homelessness and nonprofit, government, and philanthropic partners to build a future in which everyone in our community has housing of their choice that provides a foundation for optimal health, success, and stability. Learn more: austinecho.org.
About Mobile Loaves & Fishes
Founded in 1998, Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF) is a social outreach ministry that empowers communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless. MLF's innovative Community First! Village is the country's largest master-planned development designed specifically for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness and has become a national model replicated by other organizations in different cities. With the support of tens of thousands of volunteers and more than 6 million meals served through its Truck Ministry, MLF has also grown to become the largest prepared feeding program to the homeless in Central Texas and has spawned similar food truck programs across the country. For more information, please visit www.mlf.org.
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