A Honolulu nonprofit on the front lines of youth homelessness just landed a multimillion-dollar boost from some very deep pockets.
Residential Youth Services & Empowerment, better known as RYSE, announced yesterday it will receive a $2.5 million award from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez to expand supportive housing for young families on Oʻahu. The gift is the largest donation in RYSE’s history and is set to fund housing and wraparound services for young parents and their children.
According to Pacific Business News, the funding comes from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund and will be used to build out housing programs specifically focused on young families. The outlet reports it is RYSE’s largest gift to date.
Bezos Day 1 Families Fund And A National Cohort
The fund’s official list shows RYSE among 32 recipients selected in this year’s awards, part of $102.5 million in grants distributed across the country. The Bezos Day 1 Families Fund notes it has issued 280 leadership awards totaling more than $850 million since launching in 2018.
RYSE Leaders Focus On Keeping Young Families Together
Ana Eykel, RYSE’s senior housing manager, told Hawaii News Now the funding “allows us to address that directly” by keeping family units together and helping them move into stability. She and other RYSE leaders said the organization expects to deploy the money over the next five years to develop supportive housing programs for young parents and their children.
How RYSE Already Serves Oʻahu
RYSE operates a drop-in access center, an emergency shelter and multiple housing programs for transition-age youth, and it also runs a Mobile Crisis Outreach van, as per RYSE. The Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions says Ohana Zone funding previously expanded RYSE’s bed capacity to 30 and added on-site medical services, underscoring the nonprofit’s growing role in the island’s youth homelessness response.
What This Means For Local Housing
The Day 1 Families Fund has a track record of supporting multi-year housing and rental assistance programs. Its website lists HOPE Services Hawaii among earlier Hawaii grantees that received $2.5 million. Officials with the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund describe the awards as investments meant to help families move from unsheltered homelessness into permanent housing. Local advocates say the latest grant could help more young families shift into stable homes instead of remaining in temporary shelter.
RYSE leaders say they will share project details and timelines as plans are finalized and partnerships fall into place. For more about RYSE’s existing programs and how to get help, visit the organization’s website.