Samuelis’ big gift targets homelessness prevention in different way

The two-year, $7.5 million gift that the Samueli Foundation gave to three Orange County nonprofits this month – all for the purpose of keeping people from slipping into homelessness – is a lot of things.

It’s big money for three small-ish local charities. It’s a model of simplicity in the sometimes byzantine world of charitable giving. It’s a statement of support for the economically disadvantaged, or the unlucky, at a moment when public backing for that world seems to be slipping.

And, above all, it’s a blunt infusion of cash aimed at a problem that seems to be stumping every elected official in America:

Keeping people from becoming homeless.

“This world is very hard for poor people,” said David Gillanders, executive director of Pathways of Hope, one of the three nonprofits getting Samueli Foundation money through the initiative. “And until the last couple years, homeless prevention of the type we’re talking about had an image problem, that it was somehow free money for freeloaders.

“But it’s nothing like that,” Gillanders added. “It’s simply a small bit of help for working people who are struggling in a system that’s not very hospitable to them.

“Our thinking is that we can use this money to help a lot more people.”

Listening works

The money announced last week came only after a pilot program, run by all three nonprofits for most of last year, showed how a smaller amount of cash could keep people housed. Combined, the three charities used about $1.5 million to keep 294 families from becoming homeless. The new deal expands on that.

But it’s also a potential accelerant, something that could spark new ideas in housing, nonprofits and even other deep-pocketed foundations.

For the charities involved, getting $2 million-plus to spend over two years is potentially transformative.

For example, Gillanders’ organization, Pathways, is a Fullerton-based agency helping north county residents with shelter and food that, in 2023, reported charitable revenue of about $3.75 million. So, depending on how you do the math, the Samueli gift could boost Pathways by as much as 53%.

Similar calculations (if smaller bumps) can be made for the two other recipients, both of which provide food and shelter services in central and south Orange County. In 2023, Families Forward, in Irvine, raised $11.6 million, while South County Outreach, also in Irvine, raised about $6.19 million.

For all three nonprofits, the money is enough to cover what for-profit companies might describe as expansion capital and research funding.

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The Orange County Register
Andre Mouchard