Bank of America Foundation Grant Benefits Homeless Families in East Portland

Portland, April 12th, 2013. Human Solutions received a $10,000 grant from the Bank of America Foundation that will help provide emergency shelter, permanent housing and case management services to homeless families. This latest grant brings BofA’s total philanthropic support for Human Solutions to $235,000 over past decade.

The grant supports the Homeless Families Program at Human Solutions, which serves more than 700 homeless parents and children in 230 families on any given night. The program helps families permanently overcome homelessness through a combination of emergency shelter, permanent affordable housing and intensive case management. This mix of services is extremely effective when serving homeless families, according to Human Solutions Executive Director Jean DeMaster.

“Emergency shelter serves homeless families in crisis. Permanent housing offers these families stability while they work to overcome homelessness for good,” DeMaster said. “Support from the Bank of America Foundation helps make it possible for Human Solutions to provide the support homeless families need so they can get back on their feet and provide for themselves and their children.”

Monique Barton, Bank of America’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility, cited the unique and effective mix of temporary shelter, permanent housing and case management as the reason for BofA’s funding: “Human Solutions has a proven track-record of getting results in the work they do, and we’re pleased to be able to do our part to support their important efforts. And on behalf of our local 1,600 employees, we’re especially proud of the fact that this is the 10^th year we’re supporting Human Solutions, with $235,000 in grants from the Bank of America Foundation over that time,” said Barton.

About Human Solutions: Human Solutions promotes self-sufficiency for homeless and low-income families and individuals in outer East Portland and East Multnomah County. The agency’s four primary program areas are overcoming homelessness, affordable housing, employment and economic development, and safety net services such as rent and utility assistance. For more information, visit www.humansolutions.org.

About Bank of America Foundation: The Bank of America Charitable Foundation provides philanthropic support to address needs vital to the health of communities Bank of America serves through a focus on preserving neighborhoods, educating the workforce for 21st century jobs and addressing critical needs, such as hunger. In order to create greater impact, the Foundation leverages a combination of local and national funding and volunteerism, both addressing the needs of the community and supporting the passion of Bank of America employees. For more information, visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.

Information provided by Kim Christiansen of Human Solutions.