Temporary Emergency Services will use $1 million grant to help families in need

A record-breaking $1 million grant will allow Temporary Emergency Services to support its mission of helping West Alabama families in need.

The grant, awarded by the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund founded by billionaire entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, is the largest gift in the history of Temporary Emergency Services, which was found in 1945 by Tuscaloosa area churches.

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Karen Thompson-Jackson, executive director of TES, said that she is happy that the organization was selected as a recipient of the grant, but it's also bittersweet.

"It's exciting but then it's also kind of sad to realize we really do have an affordable housing problem in our community," Thompson-Jackson said. She also said that the needs will persist despite the infusion of money.

Thompson-Jackson said that homelessness is a year-round problem in the Tuscaloosa community, but TES often sees an increased need of their services in the fall and winter.

According to its website, TES helps families in need by providing financial and other temoporary assistance. TES operates a thrift store and provides area resients with food bags, clothing, baby items and personal hygene products. The agency also offers an in-house shower facility and can provide money for utilities, birth certificates, tooth extraction and some prescriptions.

TES was selected as a Day 1 Families Fund grant recipient by a group of national advisers who are leading advocates and experts on homelessness and service provision. National advisers brought expertise on housing justice, advancing racial equity and helping programs employ resources to assist homeless families.

The one-time grant will support TES in serving as a lifeline to children and adults in families experiencing homelessness, who represent more than a quarter of the homeless population nationally.

TES said it plans to use the grant to reduce homelessness by addressing families’ immediate needs and providing rapid response interventions, such as temporary accommodations, security deposits, application fees and initial rental payments.

"We're going to do our due diligence to be good stewards of the money," Thompson-Jackson said.

Despite this large donation, support from the community is still greatly needed at TES, she said.

"We're still going to need help (in other areas)..." Thompson-Jackson said.

"If the community does not continue to support us, we won't be able to thrive," she said.

For more information, go to https://temporaryemergencyservices.org.

Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Temporary Emergency Services will use $1M grant to help families