<< Return to Foundation Focus Page Homeless Prevention Efforts Receive a Foundation Boost With support from the Community Foundation for Muskegon County and the Council of Michigan Foundations, the Muskegon County Homeless Continuum of Care network (MCHCCN), a homeless prevention initiative, has initiated a series of efforts designed to give greater visibility and prominence to the issue of homelessness in the Muskegon region. A point-in-time survey completed in February 2005 revealed that there are over 234 persons who are homeless in Muskegon County on any given day. Through the incentive of a Homeless Prevention Challenge grant opportunity offered by the Council of Michigan Foundations, the Community Foundation and the Muskegon community have an opportunity to establish a homeless prevention endowment that will elevate the need for homeless prevention efforts in our communities and also provide a starting funding source that will provide permanent financial support for the work of the Homeless Continuum of Care. Establishment of a community homeless prevention fund is one measure of community commitment to this social issue that is used by State and Federal funding authorities to qualify communities to receive funding assistance. One of the terms of the match grant provided by the Council of Michigan Foundations stipulates that every community dollar raised to support the establishment of a homeless prevention endowment fund to address homelessness prevention will be matched 1:1 up to a maximum of $10,000 to provide services to reduce homelessness in the Muskegon region. The new Muskegon Homeless Prevention Fund established at the June meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation will support activities designed to prevent or minimize homelessness in our communities. With the assistance of a lead gift of $10,000 from Howmet Castings announced at a homeless prevention community fundraising awareness and kick-off event held in the Frauenthal Performing Arts Center Beardsley Theater on August 29, the endowment fund raising campaign is well underway. The Howmet contribution is a match gift that calls for an additional $10,000 to be raised by the community. The Homeless Continuum of Care Network has challenged the Muskegon communities of faith to raise $5,000 and has asked the general community to raise an additional $5,000 to match the Howmet gift. Gifts to the Muskegon Homeless Prevention Fund may be made using the On-Line Gift feature on the home page of the Foundation web site at www.cffmc.org , or may be mailed or hand delivered to the Foundation office. Donations to this community effort can also be made through your Donor Advised Fund. To add visibility to the campaign underway to help raise awareness about homelessness in Muskegon County , promotional buttons are also being sold for $1 each with the proceeds of the sales also going to the Muskegon Homeless Prevention Fund. Buttons can be obtained from Coalition representatives or by calling Stacey Vandenberg at West Michigan Therapy at 739-6840. Please consider supporting this important community campaign to reduce the incidence of homelessness in the Muskegon area. << Return to Foundation Focus Page