COLES HOUSE FUND GRANTS $95,000 TO VBC GIVING FOUNDATION'S VETERANS VILLAGE TO HELP FEMALE VETERANS BREAK CYCLE OF HOMELESSNESS

Fund at Philadelphia Foundation Supports Housing Needs of Women

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The VBC Giving Foundation (VBCGF) has just been awarded a $95,000 grant from Philadelphia Foundation's Coles House Fund to support its efforts to help female Veterans break the cycle of homelessness. The Coles House Fund grant is designated to supply security deposit, rent and utilities assistance to female Veterans seeking permanent housing at VBCGF's Veterans Village. The new 47-unit affordable housing community for Veterans, located at 5127 Duffield Street in Northeast Philadelphia's Frankford neighborhood, is the first project VBCGF has funded in fulfillment of its mission to provide high quality, dignified Supportive and Affordable Housing for those in need nationwide. 

"We are so grateful for the support of Coles House Fund through the Philadelphia Foundation," said Dana Spain, president of VBCGF. "This donation will help female Veterans transition from shelters and recovery programs into permanent housing at Veterans Village. This funding will directly help these women break the cycle of homelessness."

"Women are assuming combat roles in the military," Spain noted. "It is imperative we support them when they return, as we see an increasing number of female Veterans come home with PTSD and other challenges. Having a safe, respectful place to call home is the first step to ensuring their future success."

The Coles House Fund, a Donor Advised Fund established at Philadelphia Foundation in 2002, traces its roots to a Young Women's Board Home Association founded in 1865 by Mary Coles to advance the ability of women to get jobs by providing them with safe, comfortable, and affordable housing when they came to Philadelphia for work or study.

The housing proved so popular that Coles secured donations to acquire four adjoining townhouses in the 900 block of Clinton Street that eventually accommodated 74 women. When the organization ceased operations after more than 135 years, the buildings – by then listed on the National Register of Historic Places – were sold, with the proceeds used to create the Philadelphia Foundation fund to support in perpetuity the housing needs of women in Philadelphia.

The VBC Giving Foundation was created by Volumetric Building Companies (VBC) to address the housing crisis in America, and to give back to the communities it serves. Through the foundation, VBC is creating an opportunity to bridge the housing gap and provide Supportive and Affordable Housing for those in need: special needs adults; Veterans; seniors; and working families, amongst other demographics.

The foundation is powered by VBC's robust national coalition of modular manufacturing companies, raw and finished materials suppliers, developers, and real estate experts across the country. With generations of combined experience, VBC is strategically poised to address the increasing need for Affordable and Supportive Housing by utilizing a proven, time-efficient, and environmentally sound method to deploy high-quality multi-family modular projects to all sectors in need, and to any community across the nation. These projects will ease the housing burden for municipalities and other agencies nationwide, contributing to long-lasting thriving neighborhoods.

Veterans Village (VV) is a 47-unit new construction permanent housing community for Veterans. As the first project spearheaded by the VBC Giving Foundation, VV will serve as a template for future housing projects for seniors, Veterans, special needs adults and other vulnerable populations across the country. The Joan & Bernard Spain Family Foundation donated the seed funding necessary to bring this project to fruition.

Founded in 1918, the Philadelphia Foundation strengthens the economic, social, and civic vitality of Greater Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Foundation grows effective philanthropic investment, connects individuals and institutions across sectors and geography, and advances civic initiatives through partnerships and collaboration. A publicly supported foundation, the Philadelphia Foundation manages more than 900 charitable funds established by its donors and makes over 1,000 grants and scholarship awards each year. To learn more, visit www.philafound.org 

Media Contacts:
VBC Giving Foundation: Shelley Clark, [email protected] or
Teresa Lundy, [email protected].

Philadelphia Foundation: Betsy Anderson, [email protected].

SOURCE VBC Giving Foundation

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