• Our History

    1985

    The Doe Fund is founded in memory of a homeless woman known only as "Mama" Doe.

  • Our History

    1990

    With the opening of the 70-bed 520 Gates Avenue residence in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Ready, Willing & Able is born.  

     

  • Our History

    1991

    The first Ready, Willing & Able Graduation celebrates the accomplishments of 45 formerly homeless individuals. 

     

  • Our History

    1992

    The Doe Fund is recognized by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, receiving its first annual Community Service Excellence award.

  • Our History

    1994

    The Community Improvement Project kicks off on Manhattan's East 86th Street.

  • Our History

    1996

    The Doe Fund unveils the 198-bed Harlem Center for Opportunity.

  • Our History

    1998

    The Doe Fund embarks on what will become a series of social enterprises, opening Back Office of New York as its first venture.

  • Our History

    2001

    The Doe Fund expands Ready, Willing & Able to Philadelphia with a 70-bed residence.

  • Our History

    2003

    Ready, Willing & Able doubles in size with the opening of the 400-bed Peter Jay Sharp Center for Opportunity in Brooklyn.  

  • Our History

    2006

    Ready, Willing & Able Day, a nonresidential program for parolees, is launched.

  • Our History

    2009

    The Veterans Program opens its doors, serving 138 former servicemen at the Peter Jay Sharp Center for Opportunity.

  • Our History

    2010

    Criminal justice expert Dr. Bruce Western reveals that Ready, Willing & Able grads are 60% less likely to be convicted of a felony within three years of their release from incarceration.

  • Our History

    2011

    U.S. Department of Labor awards The Doe Fund a $5.6 million grant to expand its prisoner reentry efforts through a new day program, Ready, Willing & Able: Pathways.

Our Mission

To develop and implement cost-effective, holistic programs that meet the needs of a diverse population working to break the cycles of homelessness, addiction, and criminal recidivism. All of The Doe Fund's programs and innovative business ventures ultimately strive to help homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals achieve permanent self-sufficiency.

WORKING TO END HOMELESSNESS AND RECIDIVISM

We pursue our mission through a series of award-winning programs which collectively serve more than 1,000 individuals every day:

  • Ready, Willing & Able - Our flagship offering provides homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals with transitional work and housing, case management, life skills, educational assistance, occupational training, job readiness, and graduate services

  • Ready, Willing & Able: Pathways - An intensive non-residential work and education program for recent parolees

  • Veterans Program - A specialized program which offers homeless veterans transitional work and housing, counseling and benefits advocacy, life skills, educational assistance, occupational training, job readiness, and graduate services

  • Affordable housing - For low-income individuals and families

  • Supportive housing - For individuals and families with a variety of complex challenges such as chronic homelessness, substance use, mental illness, HIV/AIDS, and chronic unemployment