Bank of America announced Thursday that it is distributing $2.2 million in grants to 83 nonprofits that are fighting homelessness in the greater Los Angeles region.
The grants focus on increasing access to shelters, services, job skills, education and other basic needs. Recipients include the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, the Midnight Mission, the Long Beach Rescue Mission, LA Family Housing and the Los Angeles Mission.
"While there are various factors contributing to the region's monumental homelessness problems, like access to education or mental health resources along with rising housing costs, many people are just one life event away from becoming homeless or needing the assistance of basic needs services,'' said Raul Anaya, Los Angeles market president for Bank of America.
"By partnering with local nonprofits that are already making headway providing critical services like hunger relief, shelter and job readiness, Bank of America is able to deploy capital to advance economic opportunity in the region."
The Midnight Mission will use its grant to support its Basic Needs Program, which serves one million meals every year to the homeless and low-income community, shelters around 500 people per night at its two county locations, and provides supportive services.
The grant will also support the nonprofit's Crisis & Bridge Housing Program that transitions nearly 200 homeless people into permanent housing per year; its HomeLight Family Living Program for homeless families who have been victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, addiction and extreme poverty; and its Healthy Living Program that provides sober residential living support services.
"The Midnight Mission is proud to partner with Bank of America to address the needs of homeless individuals and families by helping them find stability and housing," said G. Michael Arnold, the mission's president and CEO. "We share the vision that building self-sufficiency skills and promoting education and job assistance is the best solution to homelessness, and helps to ensure that as we move people from streets into housing they are able to stay there, becoming productive members of their local communities, Bank of America's support of our programs will have an impact that extends far beyond food and shelter -- its support will save and change lives."
