Los Angeles, September 28th, 2023 – DignityMoves – an innovative nonprofit organization focused on ending unsheltered homelessness by reimagining solutions that are rapid, scalable, and cost-effective – has been selected to receive a $75,000 grant in the housing and homelessness issue area for this year’s LA2050 Grants Challenge.

LA2050 is a community-guided initiative driving and tracking progress toward a shared vision for the future of Los Angeles. LA2050, launched in 2011 by the Goldhirsh Foundation, to inspire an outbreak of civic activism and to develop a roadmap for the future of the Los Angeles region.

DignityMoves will receive the grant at LA2050’s Grantee Showcase today, Thursday, September 28th from 10:00 am PT at Second Home Hollywood. The Grantee Showcase will gather funding partners, grantees, media, and elected officials for a mix of programming – including the official public announcement of the grant decisions.

In California, where there are 172,000 homeless people—30% of the U.S. homeless population – DignityMoves has built four interim supportive housing communities, including one in Santa Barbara, in just under 18 months. These housing sites include over 200 beds serving more than 270 individuals at a time. Each community provides residents with an individual unit that they can lock, a place to store their belongings, a private bathroom, and the opportunity to bring pets and partners.

Elizabeth Funk, DignityMoves founder, states: “My dream is that someday my grandchildren will read about homelessness in their history books and marvel in shock and dismay at how–in the richest country in the world, at such an innovative moment in history–we could have allowed our fellow citizens to sleep on the sidewalks.”

In the next few months DignityMoves plans to bring their mission to cities across the country. This energetic band of brothers and sisters was founded during the pandemic in 2020 by members of Young Presidents’ Organization’s homelessness task force.

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Media Contact:
Richard Laermer
RLM PR
dignity@rlmpr.com
212-741-5106 X 216

About DignityMoves:
DignityMoves is a philanthropic initiative aimed at ending unsheltered homelessness throughout the country. It functions as interim supportive housing, providing a dignified approach to housing our neighbors experiencing homelessness. The model focuses on building dignified “interim supportive housing” as a stop-over between tents and permanent housing where clients feel safe, get out of survival mode, and start to rebuild their lives. The model is rapidly spreading across California, with communities open or underway in San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Rohnert Park, Alameda, Thousand Oaks and many others.