Freedom House Ministries receives $50,000 grant to support family homelessness

PRESS RELEASE

February 11, 2025

Freedom House Ministries receives $50,000 grant to support family homelessness

Basic Needs Giving Partnership funds shelter services, basic needs

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Freedom House Ministries, a non-profit organization providing comprehensive care to families experiencing homelessness, has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Basic Needs Giving Partnership. This funding is part of the Partnership’s broader $2.5 million investment in addressing poverty across Northeast Wisconsin through targeted support of housing access, mental health, substance use, and childcare and education initiatives.

Freedom House empowers families experiencing homelessness through a holistic approach that includes safe shelter, intensive case management, educational programming, workforce coaching and housing navigation. The organization’s faith-based mission focuses on helping families rebuild their lives with dignity and purpose.

“This grant from the Basic Needs Giving Partnership will strengthen our ability to provide comprehensive care to families in crisis,” said Freedom House Executive Director Jennifer Schmohe. “Beyond just providing shelter, we work to address the root causes of homelessness through education, workforce coaching, housing navigation and supportive services. This funding will help us continue offering these vital services to families working to achieve stable housing and self-sufficiency.”

Lynn Coriano, Executive Director of the Basic Needs Giving Partnership, emphasized the importance of helping organizations that provide direct assistance while working toward systemic change.

“We’re inspired by the many ways that organizations are supporting individuals and families affected by poverty – whether leading collaborative change efforts or by providing critical direct services like access to affordable childcare, eviction prevention programs, and peer-led mental health and substance use support” said Lynn Coriano, executive director of the Basic Needs Giving Partnership. “We’re encouraged by the quality and combination of efforts and the difference they will make for children and families in our region.”

The grant is made possible through funds raised during the annual U.S. Venture Open, which generated $4.83 million in 2024 to back poverty-fighting initiatives across Northeast Wisconsin. The Basic Needs Giving Partnership’s grantmaking is also supported by matching funds from the J. J. Keller Foundation, Oshkosh Corporation, ThedaCare, and the Thrivent Foundation.

For more information about Freedom House Ministries and their programs, visit freedomhousegb.org.

About Freedom House Ministries
Freedom House Ministries empowers families experiencing homelessness through 24/7 shelter services, basic needs (meals, clothing, and hygiene products), individualized case management, educational programs, workforce coaching and housing navigation. Through Faith and dignity, we shelter families so they can embrace self-worth and obtain stable housing. Please visit our website, freedomhousegb.org, for more information on how to help families experiencing homelessness overcome barriers and regain and life of stability and independence.

About the Basic Needs Giving Partnership
The Basic Needs Giving Partnership envisions thriving, equitable communities across Northeast Wisconsin. We invest in local and regional solutions that address the root causes of poverty in alignment with our shared values of trust and collaboration, curiosity and learning, and equity with a systems-based approach. The funds raised through the U.S. Venture Open from generous corporations, family foundations, and individuals are granted to support nonprofits providing critical services as well as organizations working to change the systems that hold poverty in place. For more information about the Basic Needs Giving Partnership, please visit our website, bngpwi.org.

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