Lynchburg, Va. – November 20, 2024: Miriam’s House, a nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness in central Virginia since 1994, has been awarded a $1.25 million grant from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez through the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund. This grant is part of a larger initiative where 40 organizations across the U.S. received a total of $110.5 million to combat family homelessness.

“We are deeply grateful for this transformative grant, which will allow us to expand our work addressing family homelessness and ensure that no child in our community is without a home,” said Sarah Quarantotto, Executive Director of Miriam’s House. “This incredible support will move us one step closer to our goal of ending family homelessness.”

Family homelessness in the U.S. has risen dramatically, with families now representing more than 28 percent of the country’s homeless population, according to a 2024 report from the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Miriam’s House plans to use the grant to expand its rapid re-housing efforts and explore additional homeless response programs to serve families in Lynchburg and surrounding counties.

Since its inception in 2018, the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund has awarded 248 grants totaling nearly $750 million to organizations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. These grants support families experiencing homelessness by helping them regain safe, stable housing and achieve well-being.

For more information about Miriam’s House and its programs, visit Miriam’s House.

Contact: Sarah Quarantotto, Executive Director

434-847-1101

sarah@miriamshouse.org

About Miriam’s House

Miriam’s House is a local nonprofit that has been working to end family homelessness in the Lynchburg community for 30 years. With a variety of solution-focused homeless response programs, Miriam’s House meets the individual needs of persons experiencing homelessness and ensures their long-term housing stability by providing individualized, wraparound supportive services. Miriam’s House believes that every person deserves the dignity and safety of a home.

About the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund

Launched in 2018, the Bezos Day One Fund made a $2 billion commitment to make meaningful and lasting impacts in two areas: funding nonprofits that help families experiencing homelessness and creating a network of new, nonprofit tier-one preschools in low-income communities. The Fund issues annual leadership awards to organizations doing compassionate, needle-moving work to help families regain safe, stable housing and achieve well-being. For more information, visit Bezos Day One Fund.

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