Friendship Place Receives Prestigious Grant from Soros's Open Society Foundations

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Open Society Foundations (OSF) Washington, D.C., office has awarded a $50,000 grant to Friendship Place, an organization dedicated to ending homelessness in the nation's capital. OSF, founded and chaired by George Soros, awards highly competitive grants that are by invitation only.

Friendship Place is a longtime leader in the effort to end homelessness in Washington, D.C. and the Metropolitan Area through both direct service and advocacy. It will use the money to advance its mission of finding permanent solutions to end homelessness.

"Friendship Place not only plays a critical role on the front lines of homelessness prevention in Washington D.C., it also works behind the scenes with policymakers and coalition partners to attack the roots of the problem," Jonathan Kaplan, the communications officer for the Open Society Foundations in Washington, D.C., said. "Through its leadership with the Way Home Campaign, Veterans NOW, and the 25 Cities Initiative, Friendship Place has made great strides towards ending chronic homelessness in Washington D.C."

"Friendship Place is honored to have received this grant from Open Society Foundations. We are grateful to the OSF staff and trustees for making this investment in ending homelessness in our community," Jean-Michel Giraud, Executive Director of Friendship Place, said.

The Open Society Foundations work to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. Working with local communities in more than 100 countries, the Open Society Foundations support justice and human rights, freedom of expression, and access to public health and education.

Friendship Place – FriendshipPlace.org – empowers individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness to rebuild their lives with the involvement of the community. Through innovative leadership and community engagement, we provide effective, customized programs, including street outreach, shelter, transitional and permanent supportive housing, health care, job placement, homelessness prevention, rapid rehousing, and specialized services for veterans and youth.

CONTACT: Katie Hughes, 202-503-2964, [email protected]

SOURCE Friendship Place