St. Joseph’s Villa

St Joseph’s Villa, a nonprofit in Richmond, Virginia has received a grant in the amount of 1.2 million to help fight homelessness. This grant has been awarded by the Day 1 Families Fund, which is actually a philanthropic venture started by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. The Day One Families Fund’s awards leadership grants every year to: “organizations and civic groups doing compassionate, needle-moving work to provide shelter and hunger support to address the immediate needs of young families” St Joseph’s Villa meets these requirements, as the team works tirelessly to address the growing issues that face people experiencing homelessness, and children with developmental disabilities and autism.  

St Joseph’s Villa mission statement reads: “St. Joseph’s Villa provides children with special needs and their families the opportunity to succeed through innovative and effective programs.” But it’s more than just about what their mission is because they serve underserved communities who may be the most vulnerable to these types of challenges.

St. Joseph’s Villa serves children and families who are facing homelessness or those who may be experiencing autism or developmental disabilities, special education-specific challenges, along with a whole host of other issues. Their goal in working with these types of individuals or families is that they can help them to lead more independent, more fulfilled lives, and they offer many services aimed at this purpose. The nonprofit offers mental health counseling, housing, career, and transition services, and several programs specifically aimed at homelessness.  

Now, that the St. Joseph’s Villa has received this grant, they will be able to expand their services even further, offering more to help people in distress. According to a press release put out by the organization, this grant will enable St. Joseph’s Villa to reach 150 more families, and to be able to invest in diversion and prevention programs so they can help families who may be on the verge on experiencing homelessness. 

Kathleen Burke, CEO of St. Joseph’s Villa had this to say about the nonprofit receiving the leadership grant: “We are exceedingly honored and grateful to be entrusted with this transformational grant, which will impact thousands of our neighbors in need of safe and stable housing,” said Kathleen Burke Barrett, CEO of St. Joseph’s Villa. “The Villa is committed to ending chronic homelessness in our region through a collaborative approach with our partners. This investment from the Day 1 Families Fund puts us in a great position to succeed.”

by Lianne Hikind