Homelessness Support Fund

Fund Description

The Housing Support Trust Fund was established in 1988 at The Central Valley Community Foundation to serve as an endowment for assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness or those at risk of becoming homeless. Organizations receive grants annually for distribution to eligible individuals residing in Central City, California, and/or River County, California. An advisory committee oversees the funds and all grant decisions.

• Grant Range: Each applicant may request a grant of $10,000. No more than 20% of the requested amount can be used for the grant program's operational or staffing costs. An organization can only submit one application. Organizations with multiple locations must determine which location will apply or how one grant may be split between the different locations.
• Application Launch: Monday, June 3, 2024
• Application Deadline: Monday, July 22, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. PST
• Notification of Decision: Early September. Applicants will be notified via email.
• Grant Award Period: October 1, 2024, to July 1, 2025. Grant checks will be issued in October 2024.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Applicant must have current 501(c)(3) status.
• Applicant must have its primary office in River County, California, or Central City, California.
• Applicant must have a mission statement directed towards assistance to homeless persons or those at imminent risk of becoming homeless and offer services to this population on a regular basis.
• Applicant must utilize and report through a shared data reporting system such as MAACLink, CaseWorthy, or other comparable system (i.e., Community CareLink, Apricot, etc.)

Grant funds may be expended for any of the following activities:

• Obtaining and/or reproducing clients' personal identification documents
• Obtaining work-specific clothing
• Commercial storage for clients' personal possessions
• Food, including hot meals, to-go sack meals, and pantry items.
• Client transportation, including vehicle repairs, registration, insurance, and titling fees (excluding general gas station cards, non-transferrable gas-only cards are allowable).
• Obtaining emergency medicines for clients (excluding all dental)
• Obtaining prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses for clients or other durable medical equipment (excluding all dental)
• Obtaining, activating, or maintaining service to a cellular device for clients
• Application fees and deposits to obtain housing or utility service (excluding rent, mortgage, and utility payments)
• Other emergency assistance needs of clients (excluding home repair expenses and normal agency operating costs)

Grant funds may be expended on the following individuals:

• Persons receiving grant funds shall verify that they understand themselves to be residents of Central City, California, or River County, California.
• Recipients shall have a combined gross income of not more than 150% of the federal poverty guidelines and shall be homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless.

Preference will be given to the following:

• Small to mid-sized homeless service organizations where awards can make a significant impact on services (i.e., agencies with operating budgets of $2 million or less)
• Mid-sized to larger homeless service organizations may be considered with specialized programs for highly underserved and disproportionately impacted populations within the homeless community (i.e., formerly incarcerated, LGBTQ, victims of sex trafficking, individuals in recovery from substance abuse, etc.).
• These are programs that use funds to implement expanded services, not replace other funds for ongoing efforts.

Past Awardees:

2023

• Community Assistance Network, Inc.
• Footsteps
• Valley Assistance Council, Inc.
• Hope Bridge Homeless Support Campus
• Path to Renewal
• Our Place CC
• SHELTER, Inc.
• Beacon Family Resource Center

2022

• Care Beyond the Block
• Valley Assistance Council, Inc.
• Hope Bridge Ministries
• Path to Renewal
• SHELTER, Inc.
• Beacon Family Resource Center

2021

• Care Beyond the Block
• Community Assistance Network, Inc.
• Valley Assistance Program
• Path to Renewal, Inc.
• River Haven
• Beacon Family Resource Center

2020

• Community Assistance Network, Inc.
• Valley Assistance Program
• Path to Renewal, Inc.
• SHELTER, Inc.
• Beacon Family Resource Center