Family Service League secures $1.25M grant

Long Island’s Family Service League has been selected to receive a $1.25 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund.

The grant is the largest ever given to the Huntington-based Family Service League.

Launched in 2018 by Amazon founder and executive chair Jeff Bezos, the Day 1 Families Fund issues annual leadership awards to organizations and civic groups doing compassionate, needle-moving work to provide shelter and hunger support to address the immediate needs of young families.

The grant will allow the Family Service League to help reduce the emergency housing stays of households by streamlining access to housing relocation assistance, affordable housing, case management and support services. Participating households will receive a variety of services including housing relocation assistance, intake and assessment, ongoing goal planning, increased ability to access necessary resources and benefits, increased educational and vocational achievement and home-based case management and stabilization services once permanent housing is secured, according to an organization statement.

“We are excited to have been selected as a Day 1 Families Fund grantee,” Karen Boorshtein, president and CEO of FSL, said in the statement. “For 95 years, Family Service League has been committed to providing effective, equitable and respectful care and services that are responsive to the diverse populations we serve. We utilize a housing-first approach when providing services to those struggling with housing issues. We recognize that people aren’t able to focus on mental health, addiction treatment or obtaining employment without having basic necessities like food or a place to live. This generous grant will help us expand the scope of tangible assistance we provide to households experiencing homelessness.”