Austin nonprofit ECHO receives $2.5 million grant to end homelessness from Bezos fund

AUSTIN, Texas — The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) received a $2.5 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund to assist in ending homelessness around Austin and Travis County.

ECHO was selected as one of the 40 nonprofits by the Day 1 Families Fund, created in 2018 by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, because of the organization's efforts to solve homelessness throughout Austin. 

A total of $123.45 million in grants were given to nonprofits across the U.S. that help "families move from unsheltered homelessness and shelter to permanent housing with services they require to achieve stability," according to the release.

The one-time grant will allow ECHO to continue supporting families as rent across the city continues to increase, as well as allow families to have access to limited resources during periods of low income. 

“We’re thankful and encouraged by the collaboration we see in Austin among service providers, people with firsthand experience of homelessness, advocates, business leaders and elected officials to work toward ending homelessness in our community,” said Matt Mollica, ECHO’s executive director. “Gifts like this one from the Day 1 Families Fund provide much-needed flexible funding to help families and individuals work toward lasting solutions to end their homelessness.”

The nonprofit plans to use their grant money to:

• Scale up options for people to move off the street quickly
• Create non-congregate shelter options
• Create incentive structures to grow its system of private-market rental partners

These above initiatives will provide immediate housing to those that are already connected to rental subsidies and support systems, but can't find a place to live. 

“An opportunity like this gives families hope,” said Lyric Wardlow, ECHO’s community training manager. “Nonprofits are often limited in the services they can provide, leaving those experiencing homelessness with little to no options. This funding strengthens organizations, offering families a clearer path to stability.”

ECHO was chosen by a group of national advisors on the Day 1 Families Fund board that lead advocates and experts on homelessness and service provision. These advisors brought information and expertise on the following topics:

• Housing justice
• Advancing racial equity
• Helping programs employ resources effectively to assist families out of homelessness