LifeStraw operates the Safe Water Fund, a 501(c)3 project, to support the provision of safe water where it is needed most.  

The Safe Water Fund operates as a 501(c)(3) project, supporting the implementation of long-term, sustainable safe water programs worldwide. We partner with grassroots organizations and local leaders to identify and reach communities and families most in need.

In addition to our retail-funded Give-Back program, the Safe Water Fund provides safe water during humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters. We also lead special initiatives in the cities where our employees live, including at our headquarters in Baltimore City, and participate in Giving Tuesday efforts each year.

**100% of donated funds go directly toward products and the distribution of safe water supplies. Vestergaard Frandsen, Inc. (d/b/a “LifeStraw”) does not profit from your donation.**

*The Safe Water Fund operates through a fiscal sponsorship with Players Philanthropy Fund, a Texas nonprofit recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (Federal Tax ID: 27-6601178, ppf.org/pp). Contributions to the Safe Water Fund qualify as tax-deductible.*

Your contribution helps us bring safe drinking water to more families. 

Thank you for your support!

LifeStraw Safe Water Fund

Mutual aid organization supporting neighbors in Washington DC, Ward 2.

[Click here to join our newsletter to get updates and get involved](https://subscribepage.io/sHh86L)

What is Mutual Aid?

**Mutual aid is “cooperation for the sake of the common good.” It’s getting people to come together to meet each other’s needs, recognizing that as humans, our survival is dependent on one another.**

Mutual Aid is a practice and politics that emphasizes solidarity rather than charity. It means we recognize that our well-being, health and dignity are all bound up in each other. It means that we understand our survival depends on cooperation, not competition. In this particular moment, we see that our health is also dependent on other people’s health, and we can literally save each other’s lives. Rather than disengage and feel powerless, mutual aid allows us to plug in where we can make the most impact — locally.

Mutual aid IS...

- Getting people together in your community to provide material support to each other
- Building relationships with your neighbors based on trust and common interest
- Making decisions by consensus rather than relying on authority and hierarchy
- Sharing things rather than hoarding things
- Treating no one as disposable
- Providing all kinds of support, ranging from food prep to childcare to translation to emotional support, and recognizing the value of all of them
- A political education opportunity, where we build the relationships and analysis to understand why we are in the conditions that we're in
- Preparation for the next disaster (natural or economic). Next time around we'll already have relationships with each other and know who is vulnerable and needs support
- A great jumping off point for other kinds of organizing and movement work

Mutual aid IS NOT...

- Quid pro quo transactions
- Only for disasters or crises
- Charity or a way to "save" people
- A reason for a social safety net not to exist

DC Mutual Aid Network

The DC Mutual Aid Network (DCMA) is a grassroots community-led effort looking to take care of each other and keep our city as safe as possible.

- DCMA is a decentralized, community-led effort, so there is no single group that runs the network.
- There are autonomous groups for Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Wards 7 & 8 are served together by one group.
- The DCMA Network is governed by the ward groups on topics of social media, website, fundraising, etc. The groups also share resources, best practices and offer referrals to other groups.

Ward 2 Efforts

Ward 2 Mutual Aid is part of the larger DCMA Network. Our concrete activities are:

- **Hotline** - Volunteers staff our warmline, where Ward 2 residents can call and request assistance.
- **Groceries** - We provide a grocery bag delivery to ~150 families that request it through our hotline or building captains. The bags include fresh produce, protein, dry goods, and requested household items.
- **Encampment Outreach** - We organize a supply drop to ~120 unhoused neighbors.
- **Building captains** - We organize with local residents to utilize their leadership and relational networks. Building captains check on neighbors, relay needs, and assist with food donations and distribution.
- **Back to school** - We organize with local parents to host a book and clothing swap.
- **Support for high risk/immuno-compromised individuals** - We have been partnering with local public housing buildings to drop off cleaning supplies, masks, and groceries.

[Click here to join our newsletter to get updates and get involved](https://opencollective.com/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsubscribepage.io%2FsHh86L).

Ward 2 Mutual Aid

City Relief exists to create connections for the hurting and homeless to resources and hope.

City Relief uses mobile resource centers to assist people dealing with poverty and homelessness. These outreaches happen eight times a week in different areas of New York City and New Jersey. We serve hot meals, provide hygiene kits and socks, help our guests to feel safe and comfortable, invite our guests into community with staff, volunteers and other guests, treat them with dignity and compassion, and provide an opportunity to speak to our trained staff who will connect them to life-changing resources and a community of care.

We exist thanks to private donations and for as little as $1.05, you can provide a meal for someone that would have to choose between eating and another necessity. You’ll also be creating a system of wrap-around, holistic care for people that desperately need someone to catch them once they’ve fallen. Thank you for your donation!


City Relief

A non-profit organization focused on improving the quality of life of pets affected by houselessness and poverty in Southern OR.


Rogue Valley Street Dogs (formerly known as Street Dog Project) was founded in 2013. We first operated as a program of Friends of the Animal Shelter in Jackson County, Oregon. In 2021, Street Dog Project was established as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We are a community service public charity that focuses on improving the quality of life of pets affected by homelessness and poverty.

Our primary mission is to provide free spay/neuter services for animals of the unhoused and no/very low income in order to improve the lives of animals and prevent overpopulation.

To establish trust and improve the quality of life for dogs and cats, we provide limited high-quality food, collars, leashes, harnesses, coats, and other items to help pets in need. We also provide vouchers for low-cost vaccine clinics and help with flea/tick/worm medications and veterinary care when able.

As we continue to make spay and neuter our priority, we believe that a holistic approach with an educational platform to provide long-term, meaningful help will improve the lives of dogs and cats and prevent more animals from entering shelters, being euthanized, or leading a life of suffering.

We strongly believe in collaboration and work closely with partners who serve the unhoused communities and animals in Southern Oregon. We provide food and gear and host outreach events where we distribute donations and work with people to spay and neuter their pets.

**Our Mission** is to fund and facilitate spay-neuter and essential support services to improve the lives of pets living in poverty.

**Our Vision** is to alleviate the suffering and tragic consequences of pet overpopulation in the Rogue Valley through education and compassionate action. We envision a community where dogs and cats of our most vulnerable are safe, healthy, and kept out of overcrowded animal shelters. 

**Our Values:**

- **Trust and Respect –** *We believe every person and animal deserves respect, kindness, and support without judgment.  Building a foundation of trust enables us to take meaningful, compassionate action.*
- **Education –** *Our focus is to teach about pet care and the importance of spay and neuter.  We also educate our clients about other resources for assistance. We strive to inform all in our community about the crisis of pet overpopulation and barriers to care for those most in need. Education is our most powerful avenue to change.*
- **Community –** *To be effective and sustainable, we cannot work alone; collaboration is key.  We welcome and build partnerships with human social service agencies, animal welfare groups, the veterinary community, local businesses, individual supporters, volunteers, and anyone who wants to improve lives on both ends of the leash.*
- **Safety –** *We are ever mindful of creating a safe space for all: animals, guardians, volunteers, veterinary partners, and members of the public.*   

Rogue Valley Street Dogs

To alleviate hunger in Lincoln County by distributing healthy, nutritious food to our agency network & education empowerment.

Food Share of Lincoln County is one of 21 regional food banks in the Oregon Food Bank network.  Food Share of Lincoln County distributes food to its network of  local emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, produce drops, senior food box home delivery and other assistance agencies in addition to facilitating cooking classes and farmers' market tours..

Food Share of Lincoln County

New Hope Community Ministries is a faith-based NPO serving low-income residents in Haledon & Prospect Park, NJ. All are welcome.

**New Hope Community Ministries** is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to empowering low-income families in Haledon and Prospect Park, NJ. We believe in holistic transformation—providing **food security, financial assistance, education, and supportive community programs** that equip individuals to thrive.

Through our **Food Pantry and The Harvest buying club**, we address food insecurity by offering nutritious options at no cost or reduced prices. Our **financial assistance programs** help families navigate crises, while **education and mentoring initiatives** provide essential skills for long-term success. We also foster **community connections** through support groups, case management, and resource navigation.

With your support, we can continue **feeding families, stabilizing households, and empowering individuals** to build a brighter future. Every donation fuels real change—providing food, resources, and hope to those who need it most. **Join us in making a lasting impact!**

New Hope Community Ministries

CFH Inc is a nonprofit organization (501c3) focused on affordable housing options for first time homebuyers and renters.

CFH Inc is a nonprofit organization (501c3) empowering individuals and families to successfully create a sustainable home in which they can achieve their goals and allow their children to build their dreams and reach their potential.

CFH provides First Time Homebuyer Opportunities, Down Payment Assistance, Security Deposit Assistance, Senior Assistance, Affordable Rental Homes, including managing a Mobile Home Park, and distribute food to support our residents.

You can find more information on our website at https://cfhva.org/




CFH Inc. (Creating Foundations for Hope Since 1979)

Human Concern USA focuses on refugees and internally displaced people around the world.

In 1983, a group of compassionate individuals founded one of the first Muslim relief organizations in North America, setting the stage for our impactful journey. Having disbursed hundreds of millions in aid, sponsored thousands of orphans, and saved countless lives during catastrophes, we take pride in our accomplishments. Yet, we recognize that our mission is far from complete. Guided by our core vision, mission, and values, we remain steadfast in our pursuit of a more just and equitable world.

Human Concern USA

A non-profit organization working across the globe to strengthen humanity’s fight against  hunger and poverty.

Through the provision of immediate relief and the establishment of self-sustaining development programs, we aim to invest in real, effective solutions. 

We work year-round to establish healthcare, education, and livelihood programs that pave the way for empowered, self-serving communities. We also provide food, medical aid, and disaster relief during emergencies, a critical intervention that saves lives. 

Our skilled local teams are able to access some of the most hard-to-reach places in the world, at their most vulnerable of times. 



Human Appeal Inc

The Homeless Resource Center offers rest and resources to those experiencing homelessness in Lawrence, Kansas.

The mission of the Homeless Resource Center, operating as a program of the Coalition for Homeless Concerns, Inc., is to offer a daily refuge with basic services to provide physical and emotional comfort for people who are experiencing homelessness.

Homeless Resource Center / Coalition For Homeless Concerns Inc.

OLM compile's clothing, food, spiritual and material assistance for mission trips to poor countries and those most marginalized.


Our Lady's Ministry is a non-profit organization 501(c)(3) that brings spiritual and material assistance to the poor, to countries that have suffered natural disasters, to inmates, seminaries and institutions that are most in need.  Private benefactors support us financially, materially or by offering their voluntary help.  This Ministry started in 1994 and received its nonprofit status in 1999.  The Ministry and its lay missionaries evangelize by means of the Word of God and carry out the teachings, doctrines and works of charity that are in conformity with the Catholic Church.

For additional information about Our Lady's Ministry and all the good works they do visit us. https://OurLadysMinistry.org

Our Lady's Ministry

Keelworks Foundation is a 501c3; we get people to work. We've helped people get to work since 2009 with resume and job experience.

Everywhere we look, we see the unemployed and the economically disadvantaged. Some we look at and say, they get what they deserve, they did work hard and I did. You can look at this problem with compassion, understanding that it isn't that simple or you can look at it from the selfish perspective: their lack of contribution affects us. 

KeelWorks helps students transition to employment, others with some education practice in area related to experience to gain qualifications for greater responsibility. In both of these, thousands have come and left with paying jobs.

We are building the KeelMaster program to respond to the more challenged unemployed and under employed. This program requires comprehensive assessment to uncover and mitigate barriers as well as identify strengths. It then assigns to small facilitated teams where they learn eight core competencies (self-identify, critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, assertiveness, team-building, goal determination, and goal management). Teams stay together with facilitation pursuing goals and supporting each other for as long as it takes for all to be stable in employment. 

The KeelMaster program has prompted the development of a learning management system, a participant environment, a participant record, and several other applications designed and developed by volunteers. Some of these we hope to offer as a vehicle for funding the foundation and an endowment fund. 

For every life we change, we affect families, generations, communities, and nations. We all need to contribute and feel we are a part of some solution. We all deserve satisfying work. 

Keelworks Foundation

Sea Church is a nonprofit faith community in the heart of Seattle, WA. It received its nonprofit status in 2017. 

**A FAITH COMMUNITY COMMITTED TO OPENLY DISPLAYING THE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE OF JESUS**

- We are a Jesus Church. We love Jesus, base our lives on His teaching, and live in an active relationship with Him.
- We are a People Church. We love people. We embrace difference and we desire to create a culture where anyone can belong and all are welcome.
- We are a Seattle Church. We love all things Seattle and we believe in the city we live in. We actively pursue being a part of our local community and contributing towards its future.

We believe the greatest message we can ever share is the message of our lives as we love our neighbors and care for their needs. We are active in caring for the unhoused, the marginalized, the orphaned and displaced. We partner with many local non-profits to learn and support as much as we can. As a local church, we don't have all the answers and we can't do all that we would like, but we know we must do something. Your gift helps make these efforts possible!

SEA Church

Empowering vulnerable children in India with 18 years of holistic support to break the cycle of poverty in a single generation.

MAD delivers a 18-year-long intervention to Children in Need of Care & Protection (CNCP) in India that has the proven capability to enable them to break the cycle of poverty in a single generation. MAD has pioneered a community-powered social protection system that mobilises the community to provide high-touch and highly scalable, age-appropriate progression mentoring.


**History:** Started in 2006 in 1 city with 70 volunteers & 120 beneficiaries, today, Make A Difference (MAD) is a network of over 2,000 volunteers mentoring 3200 children & youth across 18 cities, annually.

Over the last 18 years, we’ve mobilised over 20,000 volunteers who have played their part in helping India’s most vulnerable children succeed academically, socially, and professionally.

 **Vision:** Children born into intergenerational poverty are able to break the cycle in a single generation.

**Mission:** Empower communities to take radical responsibility for their most vulnerable children and ensure they get the care & support needed to break the cycle of poverty permanently in a single-generation



**Goal:**

Our goal is to eradicate poverty in our lifetime. We achieve this by building a nationwide network of empowered communities that act as safety nets and springboards for children in need of care and protection. 

Through our proven **Progression Mentoring Program**, communities can provide step-by-step guidance, empowering children to cross the life-changing **empowerment threshold of $360 (INR. 30,000) per month** and leave poverty behind, permanently.

 

**Activities:**

[Progression Mentoring](https://coda.io/d/_dyxrQBYH4VG/_sutVO) is MAD’s award-winning **18-year-long high-touch intervention** model for children born into intergenerational poverty. It is a **community-powered, volunteer-driven program** for age-appropriate growth & development that enables a group of young people in the community to self organise to provide the required care, skill building and resource to the most vulnerable children in the community.

**One-on-one mentoring** by young individuals, guiding children through critical life stages, has the highest success rate in healing from **ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences)** and bridging the gap left by struggling parents.

 It’s also the fastest way for India’s vulnerable children to break free from poverty permanently. While it typically takes **7 generations** for a family to escape poverty in India, with personalised mentoring, it can be achieved in just **one generation.**



**Program Delivery:**

MAD delivers Progression Mentoring through a **Community Organising model,** empowering young leaders to mobilize community members into active citizens. Community Organisers do this by forming chapters of 200 volunteers and children. Each chapter provides weekly mentoring to 200 vulnerable children from the **age of 10 to 28 at no cost to the child.**

 Our **service-based leadership development curriculum**, led by Community Organisers (CO), guides chapter leaders in sourcing, recruiting, onboarding, managing, and retaining mentors.



**Breaking the Cycle of Poverty at Scale**

**The Challenge**

- India has the world's highest number of children in extreme poverty

- 350,000 vulnerable children urgently need care and protection

- Current systems reach less than 1% of those in need

 

**Our Solution: Scaling for Nationwide Impact**

1. **World-Class Community Organizer Incubator**

MAD would be able to double the number of children we support every year if we can **enable young people to set up and run healthy MAD chapters in their communities**. MAD Incubator creates an enabling environment for this to happen.

2. **Revolutionary Tech Platform**

MADapp is an Experiential leadership Development tool that enables a young person to pick up high value skills by setting up and running a MAD chapter.



**Our Impact measured over the past 6 yrs**

- 90% of children reach college (vs. 15% national average)

- 95% secure formal jobs within 6 months

- Beneficiaries join top 10% income bracket by age 28

 

**The Opportunity**

Partner with us to scale our proven model nationwide. Together, we can end intergenerational poverty in our lifetime.

Make A Difference 

An organization focused on achieving Fiancial Freedom for all. It received its nonprofit status in 2020.

The Motley Fool Foundation

To assist and protect orphans, street children, and children victims of abuse in Egypt, their families and communities.

To support the most vulnerable children in Egypt, through one of the most innovative Child Protection organization in Egypt.

FACE provides services to safeguard children, by addressing their needs and working with their communities to create practical, innovative and sustainable solutions to ensure them a better future. Since 2003, FACE has been running projects in Egypt, with the aim to improve child protection and develop alternative care for children living in institutions, and to reduce the number of children and youths working or living on the streets and reintegrate them into their society.

FACE has been working with orphans and abandoned children since 2003, and the organization runs since 2024 the first National Kafala Center in Egypt in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, which aims at receiving all abandoned babies and orphans in Greater Cairo and Alexandria to ensure these babies have a chance to be placed in a Kafala family (local form of adoption/alternative care).                                                                FACE also runs 2 homes for children (males and females) who cannot be placed into Kafala families and who need to be raised and supported toward their social integration. A new aftercare program was created in 2021 to ensure all young people receive adequate support to ensure their social and professional integration after they leave the care of FACE.

Since 2008 FACE also runs a Street Children Program, composed of a large outreach team supporting children on the streets, in detention centers and in the poorest communities and slums through prevention activities. The Program runs a transitional home and case management team working to support children, and their families provide preventive support or to ensure children safe and sustainable reintegration. The program has become a model of good practice and provides support to more than 3500 children and to hundreds families every year.

Both programs include a Training component, to ensure the systematic and ongoing training of all FACE projects teams, to ensure effective children protection and high standards in service provision. The FACE training also works to provide training and technical support to different local organizations, schools, companies, and to local and national child protection public bodies about Child protection, childcare, social work, non-formal education, alternative care and other topics.

Sine 2022, FACE is facing the increasingly difficult economic context in Egypt, with a very high inflation and several devaluation of the local currency in recent years, which have contributed to increase needs for support among the poorest categories of the population, but in the same time have largely affected the organization finances. FACE needs your support to contribute to our work in favor of child protection in Egypt and to help us to continue providing support to the most vulnerable children in Egypt.

FACE for Children in Need

A loving children's home since 1985 giving care, nutrition, medical, education, and rehabilitation to abandoned children in Mumbai

**Bal Asha Trust provides comprehensive care to abandoned and destitute children for 38 years.** Our child protection services ensure immediate shelter in their children's homes.  **We have supported over 6,000 children through our programs.**

**We provide physical care, health services, education and well-balanced meals,** including formula milk for infants and four healthy meals a day for older children.  Our children go to different schools as per their ability. **We have two visiting pediatricians who treat children with a range of conditions,** from undernourishment,  Hep. B, Albinism and HIV to cerebral palsy and developmental delays.

**We also assist with legal procedures to reunite children with their biological parents across India or find caring Adoptive parents.** The goal is to ensure that every child in our care has the opportunity to grow up in a loving and supportive environment.

Our child development & family strengthening programs support vulnerable children in communities with Nutrition, Educational Sponsorships, and developmental therapies.  We create awareness in communities and among various stakeholders on Juvenile Justice and Adoption. Our mission is that every abandoned child is protected and in a loving family.

Bal Asha Trust

A policy shop working to implement the civilizational low-hanging fruit.

Balsa Research is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) non-profit focused on crafting shovel-ready policies that actually address core underlying human needs. We model issues, draft viable legislation, commission academic studies, spread ideas, and work to enact change.

Balsa will focus initially on some combination of four fronts: Repealing the Jones Act, Reimagining NEPA, ensuring housing gets built where people want to live, and protecting against the risk that AI will cause human extinction.

We take a full stack approach to policy:
1. Model the world. Find improvements that balance viability with physical impact.
2. Compile options into Official Policy Binder and Official Solutions Website.
3. Commission proper academic work to credibly quantify impacts on all fronts.
4. Use this as an opportunity to run experiments and learn more.
5. Draft model legislation using learnings.
6. Spread the world via media and writing.
7. Lobby. Pitch members of Congress and their staff. Do the work. Find champions.
8. Start small if necessary. Wins beget wins.


Balsa Policy Institute Inc.

Habitat for Humanity of Key West and Lower Keys believes that everyone should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live. 

About Habitat for Humanity:
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity found its earliest inspirations as a grassroots movement on an interracial community farm in south Georgia. 

Since its founding in 1976, the Christian housing organization has grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. 

Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. 

Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. 

Through shelter, we empower.

About Habitat Lower Keys:
Habitat for Humanity of Key West and Lower Florida Key is a nonprofit organization that helps families build and improve places to call home. We believe affordable housing plays a critical role in strong and stable communities. 

Habitat Lower Keys builds and repairs houses using volunteer labor and donations. Income-qualifying Lower Keys families purchase homes through no-profit, no-interest mortgages. To qualify, the families must demonstrate a need for affordable housing, qualify for the loan, and be willing to partner with Habitat by completing homeownership courses and contributing 200-300 hours of "sweat equity" through work on their home or within the community.

Homebuyer Program:
Habitat for Humanity of Key West and Lower Florida Keys, Inc. does not build houses for families or give homes away; we facilitate a partnership with families who demonstrate a need for adequate affordable housing, the ability to pay a mortgage, and a willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity. 

This partnership also engages community supporters who join the families in the home building process and provide both financial and in-kind support for building supplies and materials. Homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor into building their home and they pay back a no-profit, no-interest mortgage. 

Habitat for Humanity of Key West and Lower Florida Keys, Inc. is committed to the development of decent, affordable homes. We also are committed to working with partner families to insure that the experience of homeownership is positive and successful. 

Families are trained and supported in a variety of skills, including: basic construction skills to assist in the building of their house; home maintenance skills; various home improvement skills; neighborhood involvement and cooperation skills; budgeting and consumer awareness skills; and others as necessary.

Habitat homes are modestly sized. They are large enough for the homeowner family’s needs, but small enough to keep construction and maintenance costs down.

The labor of volunteers and partner families, efficient building methods, modest house sizes, and no-profit loans make it affordable for low-income families to purchase Habitat houses.

We are proud to be able to provide an opportunity for working families to stay in the Keys, put their roots down and raise their families. 

Critical Home Repair Program:
Down here in the Lower Keys, available land to build on is very scarce. Habitat for Humanity of Key West and Lower Florida Keys also focuses on maintaining decent, affordable homes for low-income families by renovating or preserving existing homes. 

By making critical home repairs to homes owned by low-income seniors, or adults with disabilities, we allow these residents to remain in their homes independently. For older adults, aging in place in their homes extends longevity and quality of life, and safe and stable housing and community networks are core to these outcomes. Surveys of homeowners that partner with Habitat show they’re mentally and physically healthier, feel safer at home, and engage with their family and friends more. Recognizing that safe and accessible housing is a key social determinant of health, Habitat is committed to making repairs focused on safety and accessibility for those in need.

Affordable Rentals:
Recognizing the scope of the affordable housing crisis in the Lower Keys, habitat also provides 27 affordable rentals for low-income families and residents. Keeping our rents below the city and county-mandated affordable levels allows our tenants to focus on why they live here and enjoy the beautiful Lower Keys environment, instead of spending all of their time working multiple jobs just to make it.

For some of our tenants, a Habitat rental can be the gateway to homeownership. Their rental agreement and payment history with Habitat helps them establish credit and show a history of on-time payments, which then helps them to qualify to become a Habitat homeowner.

Why does housing matter?
Affordable housing plays a critical role in strong communities because it is a determining factor for mental and physical health, as well as in educational outcomes for children. Access to affordable homeownership allows essential workers to stay in the Keys, put
down roots and raise their families here, establishing a foundation for building generational wealth. Communities that are diverse across income levels, race and culture are resilient communities. 

Housing that is affordable and decent also reduces taxpayer expenses and boosts the local economy. Allowing seniors to age in place in their own homes reduces the tax payer burden of supported living. Safe, affordable homes reduce public costs associated with
illness and poor school performance in children. Construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing employs local trade workers and powers local businesses.

How do we achieve our vision?
To achieve our vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live, we build with hammers, with volunteers and with families. We build affordable homes for local essential workers to purchase, we make critical repairs to keep residents on fixed incomes in their homes, we build future homeowners through affordable rentals and homeowner education classes, and we build community in the process. We build through advocacy and through partnerships, and by bringing people together to forge bonds, share their skills and share
their stories. 

Our work is needed now more than ever. We must continue to create community, foster opportunity, and generate access and equity for all. A world, and a local community, where everyone has a decent place to live is not only something we wish for, it is the future we build together every day.

You can help!
Be an Advocate. 
Make your friends and family aware of Habitat’s good work and ask them to support our cause. Follow us online and share our social media posts.

Give Your Time.
We need help with: construction, property maintenance, community education classes, and fundraising.

Support Financially. 
Help us build affordable homes through a one-time donation, monthly support, or a corporate sponsorship. With your help, a family can achieve the dream of owning a home in their community. Your donation becomes the solid foundation for their future. You can donate online at www.habitatlowerkeys.org, or give us a call at our office at 305-294-9006. You can also donate stocks, crypto, DAF, or leave a planned gift through your will or estate.



Habitat For Humanity Of Key West And Lower Florida Keys

Sharing God’s love with people living on the streets of the mid-peninsula 💛 

Sharing God's love with people living on the streets of the mid-peninsula 💛

We are a community-based, non-profit organization that serves the homeless and at-risk populations of the Mid-Peninsula. We establish environments and build relationships where community volunteers can provide food and clothing, as well as referrals for shelter, addiction recovery, and other personal support.

_____

Street Life Ministries (or SLM) began in 2001 at the downtown Menlo Park train station. Today, due to the help of many people, it now serves over 35,000 meals a year, five nights a week, in Menlo Park, Palo Alto and Redwood City. For 20 years SLM gatherings have built a reputation as the one consistent place the homeless can count on. Whether it is a holiday, a cloudy or rainy day, SLM never varies from the set schedule, giving the homeless a stable option throughout the year.

_____

SLM is an established 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a board of directors, and is very different from many “feeding ministries.” It serves a unique role in the way it cares for the homeless and the hungry in San Mateo/Santa Clara Counties. Hot, home cooked meals served in outdoor venues are less threatening for our homeless neighbors, fostering a safe environment for relational connections to develop with the SLM leaders and volunteers. These connections build trust for guiding homeless friends toward healthier decisions, medical assistance, detox, rehab, housing, mentorship and counseling. In addition to food and encouragement, SLM provides clothing, toiletry kits, sleeping bags, medical supplies, temporary shelter, recovery services and job assistance to those in need. 

SLM is also unique because it places its staff and its services “in the streets”, and “in the camps”, where the homeless live. It reaches more homeless people directly in those street locations than traditional professional service agencies. Additionally, no other homeless non-profit in the area provides local residents with the large number (over 6000 hours per year, estimated) of volunteer hours of opportunity to meet directly and be served on a face to face basis as we do. Homeless folks need love, care, trustworthy friends, and reliable, regular support to improve and/or recover. SLM is “in the trenches and on the street” every day, helping our homeless neighbors. SLM’s outreach can be accessed at all hours of the day and night. 

Street Life is working on launching a 12 month all inclusive rehab program, the Homeless to Healthy program. Check our website for more details!

https://streetlifeministries.org/homeless-to-healthy/

Street Life Ministries

Four Winds Connections lives and loves radically at the intersection of human and animal well-being.


Four Winds Connections lives and loves radically at the intersection of human and animal well-being. We work within communities, support change, and invite healing through the human-animal bond.

Four Winds Connections preserves the human-animal bond through:

- [Affordable and accessible veterinary care for marginalized communities](https://www.fourwindsconnections.org/community-love.html)
- [Community partnerships](https://www.fourwindsconnections.org/tribal-partnerships.html)
- [Dog foster training](https://www.fourwindsconnections.org/reactive-dog-foster-training.html)
- [Dog training for underrepresented communities](https://www.fourwindsconnections.org/fostering-healing-series.html)
- [Pet food support](https://www.fourwindsconnections.org/northfield-pet-food-shelf.html)
- [Temporary pet homes for victim-survivors of domestic violence](https://www.fourwindsconnections.org/mn-pet-foster-coalition.html)

Four Winds Connections

Support humanitarian aid for people affected by the crisis in Gaza

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen. Since October 2023, over 30,000 people have been killed. Thousands of children are missing, likely injured or dead under the rubble of destroyed buildings. Over 1.7 million remain displaced at emergency shelters, facing severe shortages of food, water, fuel, medical supplies, and other essential resources. Dire water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions, damaged hospital infrastructure, and malnutrition are exacerbating urgent needs.

Myriad USA launched its Gaza Humanitarian Fund to pool donations for three trusted partners delivering critical aid to displaced individuals in Gaza - Taawon (Welfare Association), Medical Aid for Palestinians, and Mersal Foundation for Charity and Development.

**Taawon (Welfare Association)**

Taawon is one of the leading independent Palestinian non-profit organizations. Since the first day of the conflict, Taawon has coordinated humanitarian interventions in Gaza. They support more than 400,000 displaced individuals by providing their basic humanitarian needs such as food, water, clothing, and blankets, in addition to aiding hospitals with medicines, medical supplies, and fuel. Donate directly to [Welfare Association | Every.org](https://www.every.org/welfare-association-ch)

**Medical Aid for Palestinians**

For over 30 years, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) has been working to ensure that all Palestinians have access to healthcare, and the full realization of their rights to health and dignity. MAP is responding to the ongoing emergency in Gaza by providing immediate medical aid, food, and humanitarian aid, while supporting local capacity for the development of the Palestinian healthcare system in the long-term. Donate directly to [Medical Aid for Palestinians | Every.org ](https://www.every.org/medical-aid-for-palestinians-uk)

**Mersal Foundation for Charity and Development**

Based in Egypt, Mersal Foundation provides high quality healthcare to those in need. Their humanitarian program for Gaza includes medical aid convoys with supplies, equipment, medicines, and sanitary products; free remote tele-medicine and tele-therapy services; and volunteer medical personnel stationed at the border crossing in case of emergency medical evacuations. Donate directly to [Mersal Foundation for Charity and Development | Every.org ](https://www.every.org/mersal)

Gaza Humanitarian Fund

Legal Aid of Arkansas provides high-quality free civil legal aid to low-income Arkansans.
Learn more at www.arlegalaid.org. 

We bring change to our community by providing free legal services to those who need it most and can afford it the least.

Legal Aid of Arkansas makes a significant – often lifesaving – difference in the lives of Arkansas’s most vulnerable residents by giving them a place to turn for legal help to resolve problems affecting their most basic needs.

All donations will be applied to Legal Aid's General Fund unless otherwise noted.

Legal Aid of Arkansas receives funds from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). Legal Aid complies with the LSC Act, 42 USC §§ 2996 et seq., regulations, 45 CFR Part 1600, et seq., appropriations riders, and all other applicable law. See, Pub. L. 104-134(1996).

Legal Aid of Arkansas

We aim to promote access to quality education for vulnerable and marginalized populations in Mathare slum in Nairobi, Kenya.
 

**Every child deserves a chance for a better future.**

Enfants de Mathare financially supports the **Roots Institute Centre (RIC),** a primary school in Mathare, one of the largest slums in Nairobi, Kenya. RIC provides free quality education, nutritious meals and a safe environment for vulnerable children of Mathare.

**To be born into Mathare offers little hope of escape. Many of these children will never experience life without violence, hunger or sickness. Joyful, intelligent, and resilient, the children of Mathare deserve the chance for a better future but they need your help to break free from the cycle of poverty.**

Our aim is to raise enough funds to cover RIC’s annual operational costs, which includes teacher salaries and food for the student meals. Every school year we also try to sponsor scholarships for a secondary education for some of our best performing students.

Our long term goal is to build a permanent building that will replace the current corrugated steel structure RIC is housed in. We hope that this new building will serve as a central point for education and training for the entire community.

Your donation will help Roots Institute Centre and Enfants de Mathare transform the lives of hundreds of Mathare children.

Enfants de Mathare

NVHS: ending veteran homelessness in Central Florida via street outreach, transitional housing, and homelessness prevention.

National Veterans Homeless Support, Inc. (NVHS) is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization that was founded in 2008 by George Taylor Sr. and his friends who were passionate about helping homeless veterans in their community. Their mission is to eliminate homelessness among veterans in Central Florida by providing street outreach, housing assistance, and transitional housing facilities.

NVHS has two primary programs that assist homeless and at-risk of homelessness veterans and their families:

- Search and Rescue: NVHS proactively locates homeless veterans, provides them with basic needs, and connects them with housing, employment, and benefit assistance providers. NVHS also secures or provides funding for immediately at-risk of homelessness veteran families to pay overdue housing debts to keep them housed. This program aims to prevent new cases of veteran homelessness and rapidly re-house those who are already homeless.
- Transitional Housing: NVHS operates transitional housing facilities for homeless veterans in Brevard County with capacity to house 17 clients at one time.

NVHS has made a remarkable impact on reducing veteran homelessness in Brevard County. According to the Bi-Annual Point in Time Count, the homeless veteran population has decreased from 1,800 in 2008 to less than 200 in 2023, an amazing 90% reduction! NVHS strives to reach mission complete by housing all the homeless veterans and preventing the at-risk veterans from losing their homes. Over 350 veterans and their family members are assisted on average annually between the two programs.

NVHS is also committed to being fiscally responsible and transparent. They have a continuous Gold Star rating on GuideStar, and 4 of 4 Stars rating with Charity Navigator for their fiscal responsibility and transparency.

National Veterans Homeless Support

Rebuilding roofs in underserved communities throughout Puerto Rico while providing carpentry training to local residents.

Our mission is twofold: We rebuild damaged roofs in under-served communities throughout Puerto Rico, while providing residents with basic carpentry training. This approach helps improve living conditions by improving housing and addressing the shortage of skilled construction workers on the island.

At PRoTechos, our approach to rebuilding involves working closely with the communities we serve. We network with local community leaders, other non-profits, and municipalities to locate the most urgent cases, and we focus on helping residents who do not have the financial resources to hire help for roof repairs. We prioritize homes with children, elderly, and sick or disabled occupants.

Once we have identified a candidate for roof replacement, we assess the roof. Our work is limited to roof repairs or reconstruction of metal roofs. If the homeowner and the roof qualify, our project manager performs a detailed assessment, taking measurements and creating a scope of work. Once release forms are signed, our project manager orders the lumber and other roofing materials, and works with the foreman to schedule the project.

Depending on the size of the roof and extent of the damage, it can take a team of two to four people between two and 10 days to complete. Rain often interrupts our schedule; for safety reasons, we do not allow anyone on a roof when it is wet. In all, each roof costs an average of $10,000 to complete, including materials and labor.

Carpentry and construction work are done by skilled carpenters and trainees who participate in our Learn and Earn apprenticeship program.

PROTECHOS INC.

Our mobile tools build a fairer housing search by helping New Yorkers speak up & exercise their rights when facing discrimination.

Unlock NYC is a tech nonprofit majority-led by women who have experienced housing discrimination because they use government assistance to help pay the rent. 

Our free mobile chatbot allows prospective tenants to easily record phone calls and create a paper trail when landlords illegally turn them away. We connect our users to government agencies and other resources so they can exercise their rights and find housing. 

Advocates, attorneys, and cities use our data to understand trends, develop stronger fair housing policies, and open more doors for millions of low-income and homeless American households who use rental assistance programs.

Unlock NYC

Support Afghan orphans this Ramadan. Sponsor a child & earn blessings. 100% Zakat-eligible & overseen by Sheikh Dr. Ali Ahmed. 

This Ramadan, Sheikh Dr. Ali Ahmed, is conducting a focused campaign to support Afghan orphans. The initiative aims to empower these children, offering them the care and resources they need to thrive. By sponsoring an orphan, you honor the Prophet Muhammad's (saw) teaching and stand a chance to earn abundant blessings. The campaign guarantees that 100% of your Zakat contributions are allocated to these orphans, with Sheikh Dr. Ali Ahmed overseeing the distribution. Take part in this virtuous act and contribute to a future where no orphan stands alone.

Every year, the students of Islamic Knowledge at Al-Shafi'e Institute, under the supervision of Sheikh Dr. Ali Ahmed, embark on various humanitarian projects in Malaysia and around the world.

Such humanitarian projects concentrate on empowering and lifting from poverty orphans and widows who have no one to fend for them except Allah and then yourselves.

This is an urgent appeal to those who wish to have an opportunity in the month of Ramadan to sponsor and provide for orphans so as to gain much reward on the Day of Judgment.

The Prophet (saw) said: “**Myself and the caretaker of an orphan will be in Paradise like this**,” and he held his two fingers together (Sahih al-Bukhari)

We have identified thousands of needy orphans who desperately need our help and support.

Don't miss this opportunity!
This campaign is **100% Zakat eligible** and will be supervised and distributed personally by Sheikh Dr. Ali Ahmed, President of Al-Shafi'e Institute.

Kafeel Orphan Care Corp

Sound Foundations NW builds tiny homes as transitional shelter for our homeless neighbors while they await permanent housing

Villages not Encampments.  Sound Foundations NW’s goal is to be a part of the solution to end homelessness by building transitional tiny homes as alternatives to tents, rv's, and encampments.  We have a plan to ensure that every homeless man, woman, and child who wants one, has a roof over their head and a lock on their door, all to keep them warm, safe, and dry while they wait for permanent housing, 

Tiny home villages offer transitional shelter in community settings. Through our all-volunteer building model, we currently build one tiny home for about **$4500 worth of materials** and our homes are **designed and built to last 20 years**.  Based on current averages, each transitional tiny home provides a warm, safe, dry, and secure space to bring up to 3 people off the streets each year – meaning **up to sixty sheltered citizens over the life of each tiny home**.

To date, **we have built more than 550 tiny homes**, and counting, that helped move nearly 2500 people off the streets over the past two years.  Now, we need your help to continue tackling this problem!

Building tiny homes is a practical and tangible way to help relieve the crisis of unsheltered homelessness all around us. You can be a part of this compassionate effort by supporting Sound Foundations NW. Please make a generous one-time or ongoing donation, today. If your situation allows, please consider sponsoring one or more complete tiny homes at the $4500 level.

Please know that your gift, at any amount, makes a visible difference right now as we strive for our ambitious goal to bring every unsheltered neighbor inside and off the ground within three years.  Thank you!

Sound Foundations NW

Boots on the ground, grassroots community effort to make Seattle beautiful and safe for all to enjoy

We Heart Seattle is an action-based, boots-on-the-ground movement that organizes trash cleanups in our public spaces and offers resources to those in need.  Through our direct civic engagement we lead the way to a more compassionate and healthy community.

To meet these goals, we:

* Organize regular volunteer trash cleanups in public spaces
* Offer individualized assistance to those in need 
* Create a sense of community by welcoming everyone to be involved in real civic engagement
* Build a network of people who no longer walk by neighbors in need and areas needing repair while expecting someone else to help
* Utilize all available safe housing, shelters, and treatment facilities for anyone who is ready
* House our neighbors quickly without the typical restrictions, delays and inefficiency that has kept many on the streets
* Clean up litter and eradicate graffiti
* Develop great partnerships with like-minded stakeholders
* Work cooperatively with city and county employees and leaders

We Heart Seattle (FKA I Heart Downtown Seattle)

Nine Star is a nonprofit organization based in Anchorage, Alaska. We help Alaskans Get a Job, Keep a Job and Advance on the job. 

Nine Star has served thousands of Alaskans over our 48+ years. We focus on education for employment, and we save the State of Alaska and tax payers millions upon millions of dollars by helping vulnerable Alaskans go to work.

Our services also help employers secure work-ready employees through our powerful ad effective Center for Workforce Excellence. With your help, we can reach further into the rural areas, support Alaskan employers succeed, and create even more robust training and equipping offerings to prepare Alaskans for long-term career success.

Please join us in raising up a powerful and ready workforce in Alaska!

Nine Star Education & Employment Services

Our mission is to lower the suicide rate and prevent homelessness in the veteran population.  

Formerly known as Operation Combat Bikesaver. Our flagship program is what we call "Hotrod Therapy," which teaches veterans the skills and techniques to rebuild an old beat up motorcycle and create the bike of their dreams.  Through this distractive therapy veterans also get to work through their problems and end up "rebuilding" themselves as well.  We have seen some great men and women go through incredible changes in this program.  The veteran then gets to keep their project at no cost, and they usually end up sticking around to help mentor the next veteran through the process.  
While we are most known for our Hotrod Therapy program, we offer a variety of programs to improve the lives of veterans that served their country.  The "On Your Feet" program helps veterans going through hard times.  Our weekly veteran peer support group "Lima Charlie" meets every Thursday and gives veterans a safe space to workshop their problems with like-minded individuals who have been through similar experiences.  Our F.A.T. Program, or "Fitness and Tranquility" helps veterans to live a healthy, active, and peaceful lifestyle, which can be an adjustment to some.  Just to name a few.
100% of your donation goes to helping veterans, whether that be a part for their motorcycle build, getting them a safe ride to work in the morning, or enabling them to make positive impact in their community.  
We do not believe in just "raising awareness."  People are definitely aware.  We are making a positive impact.  

Operation Charlie Bravo

Kinyeti Foundation strives to develop the future core human capital of South Sudan.

Kinyeti Foundation is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to increasing access to high-quality education for young people and promoting sustainable development in South Sudan. 

Kinyeti Foundation's Vision

Our graduates are globally competitive and competent, possessing the skills to create, lead, and to innovate in the global economy. 

Kinyeti Foundation's Mission

Our school mission will be anchored on three objectives:

1. To create a model facility, faculty, and program that can be scaled and replicated to meet South Sudan’s critical need for educated leadership at all levels.
2. To identify and recruit students of all genders with strong potential to achieve, regardless of background. 
3. To deliver a learning program that meets world-class standards, helping our students to cultivate rigorous intellect and knowledge as well as character and leadership. 

Kinyeti Foundation's Theory of Change

South Sudan is a young fledgling democracy. We believe that a great democratic country requires great leaders and that access to high-quality education is the most important factor in developing leaders of all types.

Based on that belief, our theory of change is that if the brightest young South Sudanese students acquire high-quality education, the students will gain access to the most competitive boarding high schools in the world, which will prepare them for the most competitive colleges/universities in the world; where they will gain world-class knowledge and skills, which will make them better leaders, innovators, and social builders committed to social change in our communities and our country.

Kinyeti Foundation

HOPE USA is a Volunteer-Based 501(c)(3) Organization Working to End Poverty in Pakistan by Empowering Women and Children.  

About HOPE USA:

HOPE Charities USA is a volunteer-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization working to better the socioeconomic forefront of impoverished citizens in Pakistan.  Estimates of poverty in Pakistan range anywhere from 25 percent to almost 40 percent.  Health indicators suggest that it is the lack of accessible healthcare — not terrorism, drones or the energy crisis — that is the greatest adversity facing Pakistan.  Additionally, in a country where 60 percent of youth are illiterate and only 1 in 3 women can read and write, education becomes a scarce commodity which inhibits freedom from poverty.  HOPE USA’s mission is to end poverty in Pakistan through a calculated, multi-pronged interventional approach which focuses on Healthcare, Education, Vocational Training, Clean Water, and Disaster Relief.

Currently, HOPE has a countrywide presence throughout Pakistan which includes 4 Hospitals, 3 Formal Schools, 200 Informal Schools, 7 Vocational Centers, 1 Basic Health Clinic, 2 Mobile Health units, and 6 Maternal and Child Health Clinics.  Altogether we have grown to a network of hospitals and schools that treats over 750,000 patients per year, educates 11,000 students annually, and provides income-generating skills to over 2,000 young adults yearly; 70 percent of our beneficiaries are women and children.

All of HOPE USA’s health, education, and vocational training facilities provide free/nominal cost services to the impoverished. Additionally, HOPE has been on the frontlines of every emergency relief effort that has impacted Pakistan, from the 2005 Kashmir earthquake to the current 2022 catastrophic flooding crisis.  Our emergency relief efforts have generated aid to over 100,000 victims of natural disasters over the years and we have established 130 hand pumps in remote and rural areas to provide clean water to 130,000 people total.

As a nonprofit organization, HOPE USA has an outstanding record of performance. With almost 15 years of experience, we are currently at the stage where we are a small organization with tremendous impact potential.  Major corporations/governments have vetted us and trust our work.  Some recent grantors include Procter & Gamble, Paypal, Target Corporation, US Aid, Unicef, and the Centers for Disease Control. Additionally, HOPE USA has received corporate matches from Cisco, Microsoft, Salesforce, Oracle, Facebook, Linked In, Adobe, Paypal, Mastercard, and Dreyers. 

We are a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) boasting some of the lowest overhead rates one will see in the nonprofit realm (less than 3 percent). In 2021 we were awarded a medal by Pakistan President Arif Alvi for our poverty alleviation model in Pakistan – we were 1 of just 2 organizations to receive this honor. We are also the only authorized distributor of Procter & Gamble PuR water sachets in Pakistan which become critical during times of natural disasters such as the 2022 Pakistan Flood Crisis.

“No matter how dire the current situation in Pakistan, or the obstacles we face in the future – there is always hope.” ~ Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla, Founder of HOPE USA

HOPE USA's Story:

Health Oriented Preventive Education (HOPE) was the inspiration of Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla, a pediatrician by profession who helped eradicate polio from Pakistan in the early stages of her career.  In 1997, while working in Karachi’s government-sponsored hospital for the needy, Civil Hospital (where she currently still practices), Dr. Mubina thought of a vision for the betterment of the citizens of her country.  She and a small band of volunteers joined forces to establish HOPE as a nonprofit governmental organization in Pakistan.  

Due to Dr. Mubina's medical background, HOPE's initial objective was to provide the poor with better access to medical centers and hospitals.  In a country grappling with basic issues such as lack of access to clean drinking water, poor maternal and infant health, malnutrition in children, prevention and treatment of diseases such as malaria, cholera, and tuberculosis, it already seemed as though HOPE had enough of a challenge on its hands.  

But soon Dr. Mubina realized that the cornerstone of a productive and forward-thinking community relies on both a healthy body and healthy mind.  She honed her vision to an integrative approach that was twofold: health and education.  Today, HOPE has evolved to an organization that prioritizes the health and education opportunities of underserved women and children in Pakistan.  HOPE aims to empower females with education and health so that they become self-sufficient and productive members of society. 

As a single woman in a male-dominated country, Dr. Mubina faced many challenges and setbacks; it was through perseverance and hard work that HOPE grew from a dream to a reality.  Today, HOPE has a countrywide presence throughout Pakistan which includes hospitals, formal schools, informal schools, vocational centers, basic health clinics, mobile health clinics, and maternal health clinics, all which provide free or minimal-cost healthcare and education.  Additionally, HOPE has been active in disaster relief efforts throughout Pakistan. 

In the course of 25 years, HOPE has emerged as a viable solution in bettering the socioeconomic forefront of the people of Pakistan, particularly women and children. 

HOPE USA

Marshall ROC -  Restoring Our Community is a coalition helping our neighbors recover from the devastating Colorado Marshall Fire  

Marshall ROC -  Restoring Our Community  is a coalition of community organizations, funders, and government agencies bound together by the common interest: Helping our neighbors, particularly those who are most in need, recover from the Devastating Marshall Fire & Windstorms which destroyed over 1000K homes.  

Marshall ROC is led by its members, who are a dedicated community of volunteers and organizations, in collaboration with government representatives. Many organizations in the surrounding communities offered their help after the Marshall Fire. Coordinating these efforts is challenging, but important. Marshall ROC is structured as a Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG), which is a nationally recognized, tried-and-true method for coordinating limited money, muscle, and materials among multiple organizations, on behalf of individuals and communities impacted by disaster. The Marshall ROC Mission is to support and empower individuals and households affected by the Marshall Fire and windstorm to lead their own recoveries by identifying needs and coordinating assistance on their behalf

The Marshall ROC Mission – Restoring Our Community
The mission of Marshall ROC is to support and empower individuals and households affected by the Marshall Fire and windstorm to lead their own recoveries by identifying needs and coordinating assistance on their behalf. Marshall ROC is a collaborative coalition of existing agencies and all Marshall ROC related services will be provided without regard to race, creed, color, gender, disability, religious or political affiliation, documentation status, or sexual orientation. 

Disasters are, by their nature, overwhelming. If it wasn’t overwhelming, we’d call it an “inconvenience,” not a “disaster.” The Marshall Fire and Windstorm is overwhelming. Our neighbors lost hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property and belongings. So many individuals and organizations have rallied to help and it is inspiring to see how engaged and supportive the communities responding to this disaster have been. However, it is now clear the need is greater than the available resources. Marshall ROC and its members will work to help as many people as possible, while managing community expectations.
One of the most important efforts of Marshall ROC is the launch and opening of the Marshall Fire Recovery Center, which is a centralized Louisville, CO location dedicated to expediting the access and delivery of disaster related support, services and resources to fire survivors in Superior, Louisville and Unincorporated Boulder County as they navigate the complexity of their recovery. The Marshall Fire Recovery Center will house the Marshall ROC office and provide spaces for mental health, rebuilding and technical programs, and the network of professionals who are all helping to support the impacted community as well as to facilitate coordination and collaboration among local, national and governmental organizations. The Navigating Disaster for Boulder County program, operated by Lutheran Family Services – Rocky Mountains, will also be located at the Center. 
The Marshall ROC Marshall Fire Recovery Center is a testament to the power of community and our coalition of organizations. We / Marshall ROC felt it was important the financing of this Marshall Fire Recovery Center effort should be separate from donations previously collected so as to not detract from funds raised for the direct support of fire families, and we’re exceedingly grateful to the many organizations who have contributed so far to  help us launch the Recovery Center and effort:
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) Colorado Wildfire Fire Recovery Fund
Stephen Tebo and Tebo O'Conner 
Colorado 211-United Way
The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado
Ascent Community Church
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)

We also appreciate the in-kind contributions which have furnished the offices, conference rooms, website graphic design and technology:
A Precious Child
The University of Colorado Boulder Property Services Division
ITDRC (Information Technology Disaster Resource Center
Crisis Cleanup
Voltage


Marshall ROC - Restoring Our Community 

Girl Scouts of Greater New York builds girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.

Founded in 1913, the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York (GSGNY) is the largest and oldest organization of its kind in New York City. A 501 c 3 organization, GSGNY reaches over 25,000 youth ages 5-18 annually and offers the Girl Scout program in all five boroughs of New York City.

GSGNY’s signature programs include:

- Leadership Institute, an intensive leadership development experience for grades 6-12;
- Outdoor experiences at our Camp Kaufmann property;
- Troop 6000, GSGNY’s program for youth experiencing homelessness;
- Girl Scouts for All, which supports the inclusion of youth with disabilities;
- STEM Series, free introductory Girl Scouting programming focused on STEM topics and career

Girl Scouts of Greater New York

Feeding Pets of the Homeless® believes in the healing power of pets. 

Mission Statement
Feeding Pets of the Homeless® believes in the healing power of companion pets and of the human/animal bond, which is very important in the lives of many homeless. They find solace, protection and companionship through their pets. They care for their pets on limited resources so they themselves have less. Our task, nationwide, is to feed and provide basic emergency veterinary care to their pets and thus relieve the anguish and anxiety of the homeless who cannot provide for their pets.

History
Several years ago, our founder, Genevieve, and her husband visited New York City. They saw a homeless man with his beautiful healthy, mixed breed dog at his side. He wasn’t panhandling. She had always ignored the homeless but this time, something was different. She couldn’t get that dog out of her mind.

She tried to imagine what brought the man to be homeless. Was it drugs, alcoholism? That’s the conclusion most people make about the homeless. This man didn’t look like an addict, and she wondered why and how he got to where he was in life. And, what about his dog? It was obvious the dog was devoted to the man. He was not on a leash and could have run away at any time. She was confused about why anyone homeless, who could barely feed or take care of themselves, would even consider having a pet.

When she returned home, she researched the homeless with pets and came across the “National Coalition for the Homeless.” At the time, their estimates indicated that 3.5 million people in America were homeless and that between 5%-10% of homeless have dogs and/or cats. In some areas of the country, the rate is as high as 25%. Most people who experience homelessness are homeless for a short period and usually need help to find housing or a rent subsidy. Unfortunately for those with pets, it becomes more difficult, and many homeless are forced to choose between their pet and a roof over their head. Surprisingly, most choose to stay on the streets with their pets. Why? The answer became evident to Genevieve. Their pets are nonjudgmental; provide comfort and an emotional bond of loyalty. In some cases, they provide the homeless with protection and keep them warm.

Genevieve’s family has almost always had dogs and cats, which made her wonder, what would she do if faced with homelessness? Could she give up her pets? It felt equal to giving up her children. While they would possibly be better off emotionally, it would be a devastating decision to make because of the comfort and unconditional love they give.

It was one of those “ah-ha” moments when she realized that she could do something for those pets. And so began Feeding Pets of the Homeless®. 

Donors have told us over the years that they feel such compassion for the pets of the homeless but were afraid to approach due to safety concerns and welcomed the opportunity our organization give for a safe and easy way to help. 

That one day in New York changed Genevieve’s life. It created a passion she did not know she held that utilized her past education, life experiences, and careers to start this unique nonprofit. Each day, she looks forward to knowing that Feeding Pets of the Homeless® is providing pet food and veterinary care to the hundreds of thousands of pets that wander the streets with their owners. And she looks forward to each day knowing that we can assist the calls from the homeless or about to be homeless.

The homeless with pets are often desperate to find a shelter to go to that will allow their pets. They seek help to find an agency that will give them pet food. They are frantic to find emergency veterinary care for injuries or illnesses.

Next time you see a homeless person with a pet, think of Genevieve’s story. Please share it with your friends and consider donating to our organization. Such donations help pay for emergency care, wellness clinics, and pet crates for homeless shelters. Check to see if there is a pet food and supplies donation site in your community. If there isn’t, consider helping us to get one started.

Thank you for your interest and support,

Genevieve Frederick

Feeding Pets of the Homeless

We empower refugees by helping them reclaim access to education, develop modern media skills, and pursue professional employment.

At ReFOCUS Media Labs, our mission is to empower asylum seekers and refugees by equipping them with modern media skills to overcome the challenges they face, such as limited access to education, language barriers, financial constraints, mental health support, skills training and job placement. 

US-BASED DONATIONS ARE 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE

Through our three Media Labs (Lesvos, Athens, Krakow) workshops and original content productions on location (Amsterdam, Berlin, Athens, Krakow) we provide comprehensive education in photography, filmmaking, audio engineering, and graphic design. Moreover, we actively collaborate with our students in the production of impactful dramatic films and documentaries.

Established in 2017 in Lesvos, Greece as a pilot project when we supported the residents of the infamous Moria refugee camp. in 2019 we officially registered ReFOCUS Media Labs as a foundation in Poland, and started formalizing our work. In 2022 we expanded our efforts by adding new media labs in Athens (GR) and Krakow (PL).  Athens was established to support refugees who struggled to secure access to education and job placement in the Greek system, and Krakow was created to support the massive influx of Ukrainian refugees who fled to Poland after the full-scale Russian invasion. Our work throughout our global network of media creation labs demonstrates our commitment to empowering our community members, and ensuring they have a seat at the table in determining our present and future direction. 

Our mission is to transform lives through education, career training, and psychosocial support, and ultimately sustainable employment. 

In Greece, we primarily work with minors and young adults, who are either stuck in the asylum system or struggling to integrate after receiving minimal asylum protection.  In Poland, our focus groups are women and young adults who fled the war, and now put down roots in Poland.  A key highlight of our training is the creation of professional portfolios, an essential tool that enables our beneficiaries to effectively showcase themselves to potential employers. This part of our program is particularly important as many refugees arriving in Europe have faced educational disparities due to conflict, poverty or discrimination in their home countries. Even those who have a university degree often struggle to be recognized in Europe as education systems in their home countries often fail to meet EU standards. As a result, many higher education graduates are forced to adapt and accept employment well below their skill and education level. In most cases this leads to exploitation on the European labor market.

Our programming aims to break the cycle of disadvantage that refugees and asylum seekers encounter in the labor market. By providing a platform for our students to showcase their original work, share their stories, and employ them as teachers, lab coordinators and co-creators we empower them to become skilled professionals within the global media industry. But our work goes beyond the technical training by providing foundational support and safe spaces for people with refugee backgrounds to be accepted and flourish. Put simply, we treat the whole human being. 

Since our establishment in 2017, we have successfully certified hundreds of media students, produced feature films and music videos; internationally published original photography and graphic design, and collaborated with mainstream media partners on investigative reportage.

We've been featured in National Geographic, collaborated on investigative reports with Forensic Architecture, Human Rights Watch, BBC Newsnight, Aljazeera, the Guardian, and BBC Panorama, and also produce our own original podcast "Fractured", which focuses upon refugee issues and human rights violations in Europe and around the world.

What sets ReFOCUS apart is our dedication to mentoring students beyond the traditional classroom setting. We actively collaborate with our students to create compelling films and documentaries based on their own scripts and concepts. Since 2019 ReFOCUS has produced several films directed, filmed and edited by our students and alumni including  “Even After Death”, “Nothing About Us Without Us”, “Dancing Bells”, “Dead End”, Interview" and "Erantzun", all of which were written and directed by community members. 

“Stitches” - our latest film is currently in post production and will premiere in March 2024 at Movies that Matter Film Festival. Our films and work has been internationally recognised and showcased at prestigious film festivals worldwide, including the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin (DE), Movies that Matter Film Festival (Hague, NL), CPH:DOX (Copenhagen, DK), Melbourne International Film Festival (AU), Rotterdam International Film Festival (NL), IDFA (Amsterdam, NL), New Delhi International Film Festival (India), the World International Film Festival (Amsterdam, NL), and the (in)Justice Film Festival (Chicago, US) and many more. 

In recent years we have expanded to reach larger audiences and provide even more community members with employment and pathways to develop their own careers as freelance media creators. We also take a local approach to ensure the settled communities we work with have foundational support. A great example of this local approach is our Art Under Pressure Arts Festival, which was inaugurated in Athens, Greece (May 2023). The festival provided a platform for artists from Athens, both from within our community and the greater cultural community, to showcase their music, art, performance, design, photography, films and critical reportage on issues the community faces. In 2024 the festival will travel throughout Europe and North America in an effort to activate new local communities of artist who can learn from one another and create together. 

At the heart of our organization is a fundamental belief that individuals can make a difference in the issues they see in the world. Our extensive experience in the field working on the front line of the "refugee crisis" in Europe proves that civil actions can have a massive impact in the lives of people at risk, especially when media and governments claim otherwise. These challenges are not intractable, rather they are opportunities for us to think creatively, and work collectively to ensure we build the societies we know are possible. 

And so we remain committed to helping people with real lives in crisis develop the real skills needed to pursue the real futures they envision. No matter how many times the fast news frames people in need as "takers" and "burdens", we are proving every day that it is possible to cultivate givers who enhance and power our society into the future. 

Fundacja ReFOCUS Media Labs

Our mission is to protect LGBTQ+ youth in Poland from the harms of homelessness and refugeehood. 

The Warsaw House Foundation's mission is to protect homeless and refugee  LGBTQ+ youth in Poland and provide them with the tools they need to live independently. Our inspiration was the  Ali Forney Center  (AFC)  n NYC, which is largest organization in the world offering support to homeless LGBTQ+ youth. We are honored that Carl Siciliano, the AFC's founder is on the board of the Warsaw House Foundation and works as an advisor. We place extra attention on HIV and STI education, support and prevention with the help of board member Dr. Joanna Kubica and the Smart Life Clinic in Warsaw.  After we took in our first LGBTQ+ youth to house on February 14th, 2023  we have been flooded with calls for housing and support from young people in need.  These are Polish Trans 18 year-olds from the Polish countryside in desperate need to escape their abusive and intolerant homes, young queer people with PTSD and untreated mental illness who need housing and support immediately, LGBTQ+ refugees from Ukraine and several young gay men from Iraq who suffered torture in their homeland, were detained and imprisoned at the Polish/Belarussian border for up to two years, and are now trying to build their lives in Poland.  We are also housing and supporting young LGBTQ+ people from Uganda and Egypt,  We are raising money to support the young people under our care, to house and feed them and pay for their medical needs and courses needed for them to start an independent life,  We are also raising money to hire staff (all of WH's work is now done by volunteers), to continue the renovation of our residential building and for short term emergency rentals.  We have a committed and professional team and a well planned strategy for both emergency and long term care.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!! We will be in regular contact if you'd like to hear of our progress and  if you'll be in Warsaw, we'd be delighted to meet with you personally and show you the work we do.

Warsaw House Foundation

Interpreting Freedom Foundation, is a nationally registered 501(c)3, committed to supporting our Afghan Interpreters and Allies.

www.InterpretingFreedom.org Founded in 2018, The Interpreting Freedom Foundation, a National Nonprofit, a registered 501(c)3 organization, committed to supporting our Afghan Interpreters, allies, and families as they transition to their new life as community members of our United States of America.
 
We provide comprehensive support services for all US combat interpreters who were engaged in Operation Enduring Freedom. These military and special ops interpreters played a critical role in the battlefield alongside US Armed Forces.
 
Please visit our webpage at www.InterpretingFreedom.org. On there, you will see that we are in many ways very different from other nonprofits. We go out of our way to be highly transparent about the stewarding and spending of your generous donor dollars. On our page, you will see a counter which tracks many of the services we have provided to date.
 
Please share our successes with your family, friends, colleagues, and connect with us via social media.
 
From the bottom of our hearts, Thank You for supporting our amazing organization.

The Interpreting Freedom Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 organization and your donation is tax deductible.

Mailed Checks may be made out and sent to "Interpreting Freedom Foundation", 8349 Arrowridge Blvd. Suite R, Charlotte, NC. 28273

Interpreting Freedom Foundation

Multiple is a (501c3) non-profit dedicated to catalyzing innovation and supporting technologies for the autism community at scale.

Multiple is the engine for innovation—a global community of dedicated families, entrepreneurs, funders, and experts collaborating to solve the greatest challenges for people with autism. We are an early-stage autism innovation platform; a force-multiplier, supplying data, resources and relationships to fuel innovation and solve the greatest challenges for people with autism.

Autism innovation lacks the critical support it needs to power positive change for the autism community, which is perhaps a reflection of the spectrum itself, a fantastically dis-integrated community. The solution is Multiple: a hub where we can create greater impact by creating together. 

Multiple

Closegap is a 501(c)(3) non-profit technology company on a mission to improve the emotional and mental health of K-12 students.

Closegap is a nonprofit tech startup that’s created a free daily mental health check-in for K-12 students. Each day, students complete a developmentally appropriate and interactive check-in, which asks a series of questions about their emotions, energy level, physical needs and more. Students then have the option to request to speak with a trusted adult or choose from a library of self-guided, social-emotional learning activities on the digital platform. School staff receive alerts, a daily triaged list of their students, and data visualizations to spot trends over time. Founded on the idea that every kid needs at least one trusted adult and self-regulation skills to navigate tough circumstances, we’re working to transform the way kids are cared for and supported within schools. 

THE PROBLEM 
Closegap is addressing the youth mental health crisis, and schools’ inability to meet student mental and emotional health needs. Youth anxiety, depression and suicide have been on the rise for the past decade. In 2019, one in three high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, an increase of 40% from 2009. The pandemic exacerbated the crisis. In 2020, there was a 30% increase in emergency room visits for mental health reasons for youth ages 12-17. Today, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds. 

Schools are on the frontlines of this crisis, and represent an enormous opportunity to strengthen our mental health safety net—most students (and BIPOC students, disproportionately) receive mental health services at schools. Yet, schools are often understaffed and under-resourced. When something is wrong, we don’t have mechanisms in place to catch it. Nationally, there are over 415 students for every 1 school counselor, almost double the recommended ratio. School staff are largely unequipped to monitor the needs of all their students or intervene in real time; it’s unrealistic that they can check-in with each student, and implicit bias can cloud judgment. Additionally, not all students feel comfortable asking for help. For this reason, many students slip through the cracks. Schools desperately need a way to gauge the mental health needs of their students both in real-time (for immediate individual support) and over time (for systemic support) to adequately address the youth mental health crisis. 

THE SOLUTION 
Closegap equips schools with the technology and data to more effectively support the mental health of K-12 students. 

The check-in is developmentally appropriate and backed by research from mental health experts and leading institutions, enabling schools to ask the right questions early and often. It first asks students about their feelings, needs, and challenges. Then the more foundational questions. Are they eating enough? Sleeping well? Is everything okay in their peer group? At the end, students are given the opportunity to privately ask for help from an adult or choose from a library of self-guided, evidence-based social-emotional learning activities, such as box breathing, shaking out parts of their body and making a gratitude list. Students learn to label, understand and regulate their emotions, and are provided with a new, direct line to school staff to express their emotional needs; this is particularly important for students who may not feel comfortable walking to the counselor’s office.

Check-in data enables school staff to monitor and intervene on student needs in real time and at scale; they receive alerts, a daily triaged list of students, and data visualizations to spot trends over time.  Schools move from a disjointed, reactive approach when serious crises occur to a proactive approach to care. 


IMPACT
Schools using Closegap have prevented suicides and uncovered cases of self-harm, sexual assault, bullying and trouble at home that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. The check-in leverages technology to bolster the current support system in schools—meeting kids right where they are, fostering more genuine connection between school staff and students, and increasing empathy and understanding. We’ve served over 200,000 students across all 50 states, with over 5.8 million check-ins completed to date.

Read about one school counselor who was able to help prevent a student suicide using Closegap: https://www.closegap.org/closegap-saving-lives-the-story

“I open up my dashboard and see 14 kids marked as urgent. That’s 14 kids that I wouldn’t have known needed me. Closegap brought those kids to my office.”
— Melena, School Counselor

“Some kids fly under the radar, but with Closegap they have an opportunity to say something that they’re not saying to anyone else.”
— Katie, School Counselor

“When I submit my Closegap for the day, it makes me feel that someone is actually listening to me, or cares about how I might feel that day.”
— Jaylynn, student




Closegap

A social justice movement and social service provider dedicated to strengthening communities and transforming lives.

GLIDE

Leftover Love, Inc. is a Baltimore-based community 501c3 committed to helping get leftover food in the hands of those in need

Leftover Love, Inc,  A Baltimore-based community 501c3 non-profit committed to helping get leftover food in the hands of those in need, located at 5000 Thayer Center, Suite C, Oakland, MD 21550.

Our purpose and mission is to connect community based businesses’ leftover food with those in need in the Baltimore area, ultimately reducing both food waste and those who go hungry.

We achieve this mission by matching volunteers in our network to businesses in their area for picking up food donations and dropping off at local shelters, wellness centers, churches and other organizations who use this to serve their community in need.

Your donation goes directly to the organization's costs such as mileage reimbursement for volunteers, food packing materials, bags, website costs and upkeep.

Leftover Love does not have any paid staff lines and all donations benefit the organization's mission.

Charity Identification Number: 51731

Leftover Love Inc

My Dog Is My Home's mission is to increase access to shelter and housing for people experiencing homelessness with animals.

My Dog Is My Home is a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to shelter and housing for people experiencing homelessness with companion animals. By securing their ability to maintain their most important relationships and find adequate shelter, we ensure every family’s right to build a home.

We assist service providers like homeless shelters in expanding their programming to allow humans and their companion animals to remain together. My Dog Is My Home’s programs currently fall into three categories: storytelling, community building, and technical assistance.

STORYTELLING
Storytelling is at the foundation of our work. We believe that people who are impacted by the problem are necessarily close to the solution. My Dog Is My Home provides a platform for people with actual lived experience of homelessness and animal companionship to share in their own words how co-sheltering people and animals together contributes to ending homelessness. Through exhibitions, speaking events, and video or narrated images, we are able to educate members of the public, program administrators, and policymakers about preserving the human-animal bond in circumstances of homelessness.

COMMUNITY BUILDING
We believe in the mantra that we are “stronger together.” My Dog Is My Home holds space for members of the homeless services and animal welfare communities to come together to connect, learn from one another, and solve mutual problems. Most notably, our community building efforts have created two related but distinct stakeholder watering holes: 

1) Annual Co-Sheltering Conference
Since 2021, My Dog Is My Home’s annual conference has drawn 400-500 people together from across disciplines to hear from homeless shelter programs about co-
sheltering models in practice, latest research in homelessness and animal companionship, and relevant policy efforts across the US and globally.

2) Co-Sheltering Collaborative
The Co-Sheltering Collaborative is a peer-to-peer learning network with membership that
spans across animal welfare and homeless services. This Collaborative meets as a large group on a quarterly basis to exchange resources, troubleshoot, and hear presentations from members on the progress of their work. In between large group meetings, working groups meet to produce deliverables that work towards collectively developed goals. The Collaborative also provides a sustained community for attendees of the annual conference.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
My Dog Is My Home also works with homeless shelters that need more hands-on assistance with developing or implementing co-sheltering. We provide customized training, consultation on policies, and resource coordination to ensure a successful co-sheltering program.

My Dog Is My Home

Airbnb.org’s mission is to unlock the power of sharing space, resources, and support in times of need. 

Airbnb.org opens homes in a times of crisis.  We facilitate emergency housing for people displaced by disaster or conflict, especially those from marginalized communities hardest hit by crisis.  Airbnb.org works with communities and nonprofit partners to offer emergency temporary housing.  We have housed over 250,000 guests during times of need.  

We do this by providing short-term, quality and free emergency housing to people displaced by natural disasters and conflict, inspiring and empowering people to act as hosts and support their community, and staying responsive to crises by innovating and leveraging our strengths.

We amplify recovery efforts for individuals by providing safety, financial relief, psychological wellbeing, and connections to the community.   Ultimately, by making connections between hosts and guests, we strengthen and build social cohesion in communities.

Airbnb.org is an independent and publicly-supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that leverages Airbnb, Inc.’s technology, services, and other resources at no charge to carry out Airbnb.org’s charitable purpose.






Airbnb.org

 In partnership with our families, HPP breaks the cycle of childhood poverty.

HPP helps families become healthy, stable and self-sufficient. We focus on the social determinants of health, supporting both parents and children in order to strengthen the whole family. With services ranging from emergency support to intensive case management, the agency partners with parents to address family needs during the critical years from pregnancy through kindergarten.

The first agency in San Francisco to hire former clients as staff, HPP’s evolution has been guided by the community it serves. More than half of HPP’s immensely talented staff of 125+ come from the community and/or are graduates of the agency’s Community Health Worker Apprenticeship Program, which trains individuals for careers in the nonprofit sector.  

Over the years, HPP has received considerable recognition for its service to the community. In 2022, we were named “Nonprofit of the Year” by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and our work has been highlighted by The New York Times, CNN, KQED, The Huffington Post, People and The San Francisco Chronicle.  Additionally, HPP receives consistently-high ratings by leading philanthropic evaluators such as Guidestar and Charity Navigator.

Homeless Prenatal Program

The Cupcake Girls is a nonprofit organization focused on the prevention and aftercare of sex trafficking. 

The Cupcake Girls provides confidential support to those involved in the sex industry, as well as trauma-informed outreach, advocacy, holistic resources, and referral services to provide prevention and aftercare to those affected by sex trafficking.

We provide nonjudgmental support to empower our clients in their pursuits through respect, resources, and relationships.

The Cupcake Girls

We provide housing and support to deprioritised asylum seekers and refugees.

**History**
From the first idea of Mazí in a kitchen in central Athens, residents have been at the heart of what we do. 

An asylum system is hostile by design. In this context, however, it was also inefficient, arbitrary and violent. As the state withdrew access to basic services (healthcare, legal, bureaucratic) in 2019, tens of thousands of people became trapped in dangerous and unsanitary overflowing camps on the Greek islands or across the mainland; stuck in cold and dirty and overcrowded basements of community centres or religious centres; or stuck in travellers’ houses: notoriously unclean, insecure spaces. Working frontline at a community centre and information point, we met people every day with an urgent need of housing for an indefinite period of time. People were stuck in the asylum system; stuck without legal status; stuck without access to healthcare; stuck without the status or tools to rent an apartment, find fulfilling work, and build their own pathways out of their situation in Greece.

We decided to use safe, stable housing as the prime lever for residents to unpick these issues, and to move on. Every day we saw young men come into the centre, up to the information point and ask for support. Typically, state and humanitarian actors distribute aid based on the vulnerability of different groups of displaced people. Someone can be “vulnerable” if they fit within a defined social group (old, young, pregnant, ill). Solo men are always bottom of this list. It is remarkable how quickly you internalise the knowledge that there are no services for a young man as he asks you for help; how quickly you internalise a belief that he will be fine: he is young, he is a man, he is strong. The unspoken thought behind this is: he will be ok sleeping on the street.

**Goals**
We are a small charity, and that enables us to provide genuinely impactful support to each resident we work with. We measure our impact in its depth as well as breadth, and aim to achieve five key goals, increasing each resident’s:

- Stability and access to safe spaces
- Feeling of ownership of living space and the city
- Ability to access services
- Ability to support himself financially
- Feeling of strong mental health

With these five keys residents leave Mazi equipped to support their own independent housing.

**Mission**
Mazí Housing exists to end homelessness and social exclusion for displaced people in Athens. In a world where displacement is a reality and resources are limited, we provide viable housing options and holistic support to those who face barriers to social inclusion. We demonstrate the potential for humane, cost-effective and inclusive housing responses to migration that facilitate positive interactions between all communities, and use our voice to advocate for better policy.

**Activities**
Mazí’s model is unique. We have three years of experience in using housing, safe community spaces and livelihoods support as a lever into inclusion in European societies. We have a strong track record of enabling residents to move on independently from our services: sixty-eight residents have arrived at Mazí without a job since 2020; fifty have left with the tools needed to work and forty-six have left in sustainable employment. Behind these figures are 113 asylum service visits; 38 positive asylum decisions or renewals; 65 legal information sessions; 303 doctor appointments; 24 referrals for psychological support; 3429 hours of language study. There are many indicators of inclusion, self-reliance and independence beyond these: including confidence speaking at house meetings, sense of ownership of living space, ability and willingness to navigate the neighbourhood and the city alone.

**Next Steps**
In three years, we have learnt a lot. We are constantly evolving our programme to reflect the changing context and the needs of our residents. We cannot anticipate the external triggers of these adaptations, but this flexibility ensures that we are making the most of our skills and resources to support residents to be self-reliant. The changes we have seen since the Athenian kitchen in 2018 have not, however, been solely driven by the context in which we work. We have pushed ourselves to become more effective, sustainable and replicable. Looking at the next two years, we have a clear vision of what Mazí looks like:

1. **STRENGTHEN**
• In 2023, to recruit a board with broader experience in different areas relevant to our work, e.g. advocacy, finance, funding, housing, lived experience
• To maintain a more stable core team: this means, in 2024, four members of staff for our current operations (average 40 residents over a year)
• Broader and deeper partnerships with other organisations to amplify impact we have

2. **CODIFY**
• We measure impact meticulously
• We communicate successes and learnings clearly, both internally and externally
• We maintain and uphold clear internal systems
• We document our approach clearly and charmingly, ensuring it is easy for others to see and understand how we work, and the impact this has

3. **GROW**
The work that we do is as needed as it has ever been.
• We will grow to support more people: we will open more apartments, sustainably (one housing manager per three houses)
• We will open up community space to non-residents to meet the shortfall in services as organisations close across Greece

4. **ADVOCATE**
• We will build on our track record to speak about housing; to articulate the weakness of camp-based solutions; and to advocate for better access to rights
• We will collaborate with existing partners, and search for unexpected partnerships, to amplify our voice and its impact
• We are a voice that people listen to about housing and integration in Europe

 Mazí Housing Project

SIPA enriches and empowers generations of Pilipino Americans and others in Historic Filipinotown and throughout Los Angeles.

SIPA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving Historic Filipinotown and other neighborhoods throughout Greater Los Angeles County. SIPA produces programs for youth and families including case management and counseling, after school programs, senior programs, small business development, cultural enrichment, and affordable housing.


Search To Involve Pilipino Americans

1258415673

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