Vancouver nonprofit Council for for the Homeless awarded $2M grant from MacKenzie Scott’s foundation

Council for the Homeless received a $2 million grant Tuesday toward its mission to end homelessness.

The money comes from Yield Giving, a national foundation created by Amazon co-founder and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Council for the Homeless, a Vancouver-based nonprofit, will use the $2 million to bolster its homeless coordination system. More than 360 nonprofits were awarded funding.

“The need for our services significantly expanded over the last five-plus years. These funds will support our work alongside collaborative partner agencies. As homelessness increases, CFTH must increase its capacity to meet the needs of this crisis,” the council’s executive director, Sesany Fennie-Jones, said in a news release.

According to the council’s Homeless Crisis Response System, 9,032 people experienced some form of homelessness in 2022, a 43 percent increase from 2021.

The nonprofit coordinates homelessness outreach services among six agencies, according to the news release. It also provides housing program intake and assessment services, diversion resources and applies for federal funding on behalf of community partners.

“A coordinated system makes it easier for people in need to find the help they need, leverages resources and expertise from multiple partners, and supports evaluation to report system performance to the community,” said Charlene Welch, Council for the Homeless’ development and communications director, in an email to The Columbian.