LAGUNA HILLS, California, June 15, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The homeless population in California faces a grim challenge in the face of COVID-19.  Deprived of easy access to hand washing options and social distancing protections, this group is especially susceptible to the rapidly spreading coronavirus.

Homeful Foundation an innovative not for profit organization that partners with homeowners to eliminate homelessness, is helping address this pressing and critical need of homeless families needing to isolate during the COVID-19 pandemic, by providing RV trailers for homeless families in three counties throughout California. Through a $500,000 donation from an Anonymous donor, Homeful has purchased 28 RV trailers to date.

In a major expansion of this initiative, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is donating $250,000 to purchase 12 additional trailers.

Homeful is coordinating its efforts with the State of California, the Governor’s Office and the Office of Housing, Homelessness, Transportation, Infrastructure, CHP, High Speed Rail, DMV and Autonomous Vehicles with the latter agency choosing the most appropriate locations for the trailers.  Presently, the RVs are housing families in Northern and Southern California towns including Salinas, San Bernardino and Santa Cruz.

“We’re grateful to The Pfizer Foundation for helping us grow this effort which will provide some homeless families with shelter and privacy while, we hope, helping them elude exposure to the novel coronavirus,” said Jeff Roos, Homeful’s board president.

When medical experts widely acknowledge that the spread of COVID-19 is under control statewide, Roos envisions the trailers continuing as a potential transitional housing option. “We didn’t envision this RV campaign as a stop gap measure; however, given the immediacy of the coronavirus threat, we sought an expedient approach that could be implemented quickly.”

“Amid this global health crisis, we understand the need for immediate and significant philanthropic and private sector contributions to help sustain local partners who are working on the front lines to save lives,” said Caroline Roan, President, The Pfizer Foundation and Vice President, Global Health & Patient Access, Pfizer Inc. “We believe it is our responsibility to help protect the most vulnerable from this disease and are putting the full weight of our resources behind our comprehensive COVID-19 response.”

The RV shelter initiative is a scalable approach that can grow in breadth as additional funding arrives from other potential partners.

Past and ongoing Homeful activities are subsidized by a California-based home builder that designates a percentage of funds from each constructed home to the non-profit. Since 2016, that percentage, culled from approximately 40,000 new homes, has earmarked more than $10 million to homeless initiatives through Homeful.

About Homeful Foundation

Homeful is a visionary non-profit dedicated to solving homelessness once and for all. Through an innovative partnership between homebuilders and homeowners, Homeful has created a unique, ongoing and expansive source of giving that is transforming the fight against homelessness.

For more information, visit www.homefulfoundation.org.

About The Pfizer Foundation

The Pfizer Foundation is a charitable organization established by Pfizer Inc. It is a separate legal entity from Pfizer Inc. with distinct legal restrictions

SOURCE Homeful Foundation