Amazon Gives $8 Million to Nonprofits to Fight Homelessness

Alexandria, VA – Amazon is on its way to open is second headquarters in Northern Virginia, and the tech giant just announced it is giving $8 million to housing and homeless nonprofits, including to three Alexandria organizations. Amazon is donating to Carpenter’s Shelter, Community Lodgings and Wesley Housing Development Corporation. 

“Homelessness and affordable housing are real concerns in Seattle and the Washington, DC region – as neighbors in both, we made these donations to Plymouth Housing and the Arlington Community Foundation because of their work and progress on housing stability and helping families improve their quality of life,” said Jay Carney, SVP, Global Corporate Affairs at Amazon. “We believe this gift can help offer additional housing and support services for our neighbors in need. In addition, together with our employees, we will donate to nonprofits located in Washington State, Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia, whose missions support affordable housing and people experiencing homelessness.”

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Amazon plans to open its HQ2 in Crystal City – a move that will add thousands of employees to regional roadways. In Arlington County, nearly 90 percent of affordable housing stock has been lost, and Amazon is also donating to a number of Arlington nonprofits and groups.

“Our veterans and working families deserve an appropriate standard of living that is healthy, safe, and makes for a vibrant community,” said Jennifer Owens, CEO of the Arlington Community Foundation.

Beginning today, Amazon also launched an employee match campaign to encourage employees to donate to 20 select nonprofits addressing housing and homelessness in the company’s two headquarter regions. Amazon will match the donation one-for-one, up to $5 million, through September 30.

The select nonprofits include:

• Accelerator YMCA
• El Centro de la Raza
• AHC Inc.
• Facets
• Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing
• FareStart
• A-SPAN
• Friendship Place
• Bellwether Housing
• Hopelink
• Carpenter’s Shelter
• Mary’s Place
• Community Lodgings
• Plymouth Housing
• Compass Housing Alliance
• Wellspring Family Services
• Cornerstones
• Wesley Housing Development Corporation
• Doorways
• YouthCare