Pasadena, Calif, Dec. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Union Station Homeless Services, the San Gabriel Valley’s largest and most comprehensive nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness, today announced that Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are recognizing the organization with a $5 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund. This investment builds on the $5 million Day 1 Families Fund grant received in 2021. With this new grant, Union Station Homeless Services is part of the eighth annual cohort of organizations across the country receiving funding from the Day 1 Families Fund to deepen their work to help every family have a safe, stable place to call home.
“Every day, our team works with parents who are fighting to keep their families safely housed,” said Katie Hill, chief executive officer of Union Station Homeless Services. “This grant allows us to reach more families earlier, move faster and remove barriers that keep families from permanent housing.”
Union Station Homeless Services will use its Day 1 Families Fund grant to serve even more families experiencing homelessness in San Gabriel Valley, with the goal of ensuring no child in our community sleeps outside.
With its first Day 1 Families Fund grant, Union Station was able to broaden its impact across all family-serving programs, with a special focus on family crisis and interim housing and specialty programs designed to help parents and children move into a permanent rental unit. Funds from the initial grant allowed Union Station to provide interim housing and other supportive services to over 700 families and to move over 530 families from homelessness to permanent housing.
Union Station Homeless Services plans to use its new, one-time Day 1 Families Fund grant over the next five years to increase housing placements and add flexible financial assistance for rehousing, childcare, transportation, and stability support.
Union Station Homeless Services was identified to receive this grant by a group of national advisors who are leading advocates and bring expertise on homelessness, housing policy and effective approaches and solutions to family homelessness.
“People come to us during the most frightening moments of their lives,” said Amanda Green, chief operations officer. “This support helps us remove red tape, respond faster and build pathways to housing that honor dignity and choice.”
Since its inception in 2018, the Day 1 Families Fund has awarded 280 grants totaling more than $850 million to organizations serving families in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. The Day 1 Families Fund grant recipients have tremendous flexibility to use the funds in the ways that are most impactful in their communities, making the grant a game-changer for organizations on the frontlines of the family homelessness crisis. Recipients will use their funds to support families experiencing homelessness to access critical services, regain stable housing and achieve well-being.
This year, the Fund issued a total of $102.5 million in grants to 32 organizations. The full list of awardees is available at https://bezosdayonefund.org/day1familiesfund. Case studies of the impacts past Day 1 Families Fund grantees have made with their funds are available at https://www.bezosdayonefund.org/case-studies.
About Union Station Homeless Services
Union Station Homeless Services works to end homelessness through housing solutions, supportive services and connection to community. For over 51 years, we have served as a trusted community partner, helping families and individuals move from crisis to stability. Our programs span outreach, housing, food programs and comprehensive care coordination, all designed to strengthen community well-being and keep our neighbors safely housed.
About the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund
Through the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos issue annual leadership awards to organizations doing compassionate, needle-moving work to help families experiencing homelessness. For more information, visit www.BezosDayOneFund.org/Day1FamiliesFund.
Tian Martinez Union Station Homeless Services 6269774350 tian.martinez@ushs.org
