The Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk (EOC of Suffolk) has been awarded a $175,000 grant from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, through the foundation’s 18th annual Housing for Everyone grant program.

The grant supports independent living for marginalized community members, especially those who experience homelessness and face conditions that make it difficult to maintain a stable home without additional help.

EOC of Suffolk was one of 37 non-profits around the country to have received a total of $7 million through the bank’s Housing for Everyone grant program. Recipient organizations were located across TD Bank's Maine to Florida footprint and in Michigan.

A not-for-profit organization, EOC of Suffolk promotes self-sufficiency among low-income families and individuals in Suffolk County.

The organization’s Rapid Re-Housing Program works with individuals and their families who are experiencing homelessness. The program helps them transition and return to permanent housing as quickly as possible within their community.

A HUD-approved housing counseling agency, EOC of Suffolk also offers a comprehensive array of housing services, including housing counseling, budget and credit counseling, savings programs for eligible first-time buyers, and mortgage default and foreclosure prevention counseling.

“Despite popular perceptions of Suffolk as a relatively prosperous county, homelessness remains a serious problem here in our community,” said Adrian Fassett, CEO of EOC of Suffolk. “We are grateful to the TD Charitable Foundation for its support of our ongoing initiatives to overcome the challenge of homelessness in Suffolk County.”

According to Data USA – a project of Deloitte, Datawheel, and the MIT Media Lab –

21.8 percent of Suffolk County’s population was living with severe housing problems in 2022. And a 2023 count by the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless found 3,536 homeless people overall in both Nassau and Suffolk counties, with 1,463 being people under the age of 18.

As the affordable housing crisis continues, gaining access to and sustaining safe, affordable housing remains out of reach for many across the country. The 2024 Housing for Everyone grant recipients represent organizations focused on housing solutions including rapid re-housing (such as short-term rental assistance), permanent supportive housing (such as a combination of leasing and/or rental assistance and/or support services) or transitional housing (such as temporary accommodations) that lead to stable, independent living situations.

"Organizations like EOC are making it their primary mission to help relieve some of the most vulnerable members of our community — those who are unsheltered or experiencing homelessness due to higher eviction rates as pandemic-era programs have ended or financial insecurity grows through inflation or other factors," said Paige Carlson-Heim, Director of the TD Charitable Foundation. "Housing for Everyone grant recipients are working closely with TD to improve access by creating innovative solutions that are helping to create a more sustainable and inclusive future for everyone. It is a privilege to support our 2024 Housing for Everyone grant recipients and to continue to be a part of this imperative work."

Since 2005, the Housing for Everyone grant program has awarded more than $49 million to support more than 550 affordable housing initiatives in the communities TD serves.

About Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk

The Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk, Inc. (EOC of Suffolk) is a not-for-profit minority community-based organization providing a range of services promoting self-sufficiency among low-income families and individuals in Suffolk County. Program areas include community development, housing, health care, youth and adolescent services, childcare and early childhood education, violence prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment and support, disability services, and veterans services. Founded in 1967, EOC of Suffolk receives most of its funding through Federal Community Service Block Grants as the county’s federally designated community action agency. It also receives support from state and local sources. For more information, go to www.eoc-suffolk.com.

About the TD Charitable Foundation

The TD Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing over 10 million customers with a full range of retail, small business, and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,100 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas, and Florida. Since its inception in 2002, the Foundation has distributed over $323 million through donations to local nonprofits from Maine to Florida. More information on the TD Charitable Foundation is available at https://www.td.com/us/en/about-us/communities/ready-commitment/funding-opportunities/td-charitable-foundation.