Help Them Home Giving Day Seeks To Raise $1 Million for Homeless

Did you know there are more than 6,800 people nightly are homeless in Orange County?

On April 28, the Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) will host Help Them Home – a collaborative Giving Day aiming to raise $1 million for 20 OC nonprofits working to combat homelessness and its devastating impact on our community. As the wide-ranging fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately impact our community’s most vulnerable individuals and families, this 24-hour fundraising opportunity comes at a crucial time.

There are an estimated 552,830 homeless individuals in the U.S.– 47% of whom reside in California. And locally, according to United to End Homelessness, there are nearly 7,000 homeless individuals – including more than 300 veterans and almost 700 seniors – in Orange County on any given night. According to the coroner's office, more homeless people died in Orange County in 2020 than any other year.

Participating nonprofits – all of which offer a range of housing, community outreach, education, and supportive services for Orange County's homeless residents – include American Family Housing; Casa Teresa, Inc.; City Net; Colette's Children's Home, Inc.; Families Forward; Family Assistance Ministries; Family Promise of Orange County; Friendship Shelter, Inc.; Grandma's House of Hope; HomeAid Orange County; Homeless Intervention Services of OC; Illumination Foundation; Mercy House Living Centers; Pathways of Hope; Serving People in Need, Inc.; South County Outreach; StandUp for Kids, Orange County; The Salvation Army Orange County; Thomas House Family Shelter; and WISEPlace.

"The past year has brought unprecedented challenges to nonprofits providing life-changing services for Orange County's homeless residents as they continue to suffer the fallout of the pandemic,” said Shelley Hoss, president and CEO of the Orange County Community Foundation. "OCCF is proud to collaborate with OC's philanthropic community through the Help Them Home Giving Day to generate support for individuals and families working to achieve stability and lasting independence."

The Help Them Home campaign is part of OCCF's iheartOC Collaborative Giving Days, an annual initiative that designates 10 cause-specific giving days focused on critical community issues. The online giving model matches OC nonprofits with shared missions – from homelessness and workforce development to preserving ecosystems and supporting local veterans – to create momentum on one shared day and leverage a combined outreach effort for collective success. In 2020, the 10 days secured support from 6,476 donors and raised a record $3.2 million for 98 nonprofits. Since its start in 2015, OCCF's Collaborative Giving Days have raised more than $10 million for Orange County nonprofits.

To give online during the 24-hour Giving Day on April 28, please visit help-them-home-giving-day.ocnonprofitcentral.org. For more information about Orange County Community Foundation Collaborative Giving Days, please visit oc-cf.org/givingdays.