Advancing innovative solutions to end homelessness

Northern California Grantmakers (NCG) and Funders Together to End Homelessness (FTEH) are pleased to announce the Bay Area Homelessness Funders Network (BAHFN).

We are joining forces to advance racial equity and coordinate across the region to prevent and end homelessness in the Bay Area by creating a space to connect and facilitate action. The network draws on NCG’s expertise in bringing philanthropy together to build healthy, thriving, and just communities and FTEH’s work mobilizing philanthropy in using its influence, expertise, and voice to advance lasting solutions to end homelessness, including addressing structural and racial inequities.

“We're creating a space for strategic thinking and collective action through this network. By collaborating and centering the voices of grassroots leaders and those with lived experience, we can advance regional work while supporting statewide and national efforts.” says Sarah Frankfurth, NCG’s Director of Regional Programs and Partnerships.

While people often associate homelessness with visible tents and encampments, many more people experiencing homelessness remain out of sight – living in their cars or moving around to stay with friends or family when they can. People of color, particularly Black and Indigenous people, face the additional hurdle of policies that have long excluded them from equal access to housing, community supports, and opportunities for economic mobility.

“We are already seeing the impact of COVID-19 on the Bay Area’s existing homelessness crisis. Making a significant difference requires centering racial justice, including those with lived expertise as decision-makers, and using an intersectional approach to facilitate action in philanthropy,” says Amanda Andere, CEO of Funders Together to End Homelessness.

Cities across the Bay Area have been intensifying their efforts to respond to the pandemic and protect people experiencing homelessness, and stakeholders are lifting up regional strategies and solutions. BAHFN hopes to align these efforts in addressing the structural and racial inequities to advance lasting solutions to end homelessness.