Keys to stability
THE DOE FUND 2025 ANNUAL REPORT
Letter from the President
Dear Friends,
Over the past year, New Yorkers have remained focused on addressing the urgent needs we face together: expanding economic opportunity, increasing access to affordable housing, and building stronger pathways out of homelessness — work that creates a stronger, more livable city for all.
At The Doe Fund, we see every day how the right keys can advance that work: paid job training, a safe place to call home, trusted support, and opportunities to move forward with dignity and purpose.
In 2025, alongside trainees, residents, staff, employers, community partners, and supporters like you, we put those keys into action — opening doors to greater stability.
We expanded access to Ready, Willing & Able. We helped more trainees connect to jobs and housing. We provided more people with safe, permanent homes than ever before. And we launched RWA@Home, bringing elements of our proven workforce model directly into our permanent housing communities.
What stays with me most are the human moments that bring our impact to life:
A new trainee on a supplemental sanitation route receiving a high five and a thank you from a passerby — an early sign that he is on the right track.
A trainee beaming with pride as he heads into an interview with a newly-updated resume.
A father bringing his children to our alumni barbecue to celebrate a decade of steady work, a home of his own, and continued connection to his Doe Fund family.
A tenant in Doe Fund housing finding connection and community through horticultural programming.
A tenant taking first steps toward training and employment through RWA@Home, exploring new possibilities for the future.
As we look ahead to 2026, we are excited to build on this momentum — opening new pathways to stable homes, meaningful careers, and brighter futures.
None of this happens alone. Thank you for helping provide the keys to greater stability for the New Yorkers rebuilding their lives every day. We are deeply grateful for your continued partnership and all that we will accomplish together in the year ahead.
With gratitude,
Jennifer Mitchell, President & CEO
P.S. Every success story in this report began thanks to supporters like you, whose generosity has enabled hundreds of people to rebuild their lives. Please consider making a gift today.
Keys to Stability:
By the Numbers
Click on each number to learn how The Doe Fund changed lives in 2025.
Ready, Willing
& Able
15,000+ Lives Rebuilt.
Since 1990, Ready, Willing & Able has provided the keys to success for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
The program combines paid work training, transitional housing, and structured support to deliver measurable results. Trainees build workplace skills in Career Essentials classes — skills that are further developed through hands-on training at their supplemental sanitation assignments across the city.
These services help trainees prepare for the workforce, earn income, increase savings, and deliver visible public benefits.
Later in the program, trainees have access to occupational courses in fields from construction to Culinary Arts. All the while, dedicated case managers support trainees, while housing specialists help them open doors to new homes.
Permanent Housing
1,300 homes for New Yorkers in need — and the support to keep them there.
The Doe Fund’s permanent housing offers safe, high-quality homes to low-income renters, paired with on-site support for tenants with histories of chronic homelessness and severe health conditions. In doing so, The Doe Fund provides not just keys to an apartment, but also long-term stability.
In 2025, The Doe Fund completed construction on a 109-unit building on Webster Avenue and won a highly competitive City award to develop The Stemma. Upon completion, the 149-unit residence will include a recreation center with two swimming pools, a basketball court, a fitness space available to the community, and 14,000 square feet of green space.
The Doe Fund also launched RWA@Home, bringing Ready, Willing & Able’s work training model to residents of its permanent housing.
Financial Summary
In Fiscal Year 2025, The Doe Fund increased total revenue by 4% over the previous year, including an 8% rise in private contributions and earned income. Program investments drove a 13% increase in expenses, resulting in a 4% decrease in net assets following significant growth the previous year. Total net assets remain strong at more than $47 million.
Nearly 85% of all expenses supported program services, well above sector benchmarks. This performance is reflected in continued high ratings from independent evaluators and national recognition for program impact and innovation.
Revenues
|
$49,458,209 (71%) |
|
|
$7,679,464 (11%) |
|
|
$7,249,200 (10%) |
|
|
$3,289,575 (5%) |
|
|
$2,005,030 (3%) |
|
Total |
$69,681,478 |
Expenses
|
Program Expenses |
$60,322,677 (85%) |
|
$35,285,694 (50%) |
|
|
$15,767,097 (22%) |
|
|
$4,948,489 (7%) |
|
|
$3,852,517 (5%) |
|
|
$468,880 (1%) |
|
$9,990,728 (14%) |
|
|
$988,886 (1%) |
|
Total |
$71,302,291 |
|
Net Assets — Beginning: |
$49,546,748 |
|
Net Assets — End: |
$47,605,902 |
The financial summary excludes building operating revenues and expenses from The Doe Fund’s real estate portfolio.
Success Stories
I got my certifications, worked hard, saved money, found a good-paying job… I even met the love of my life and got married, all thanks to this program.
Lighting the path to Jobs and Housing
Last year, 665 people committed to Ready, Willing & Able — stepping into paid work training and structured support.
After struggling with substance abuse and homelessness, Andy turned to Ready, Willing & Able for a new path forward. Thanks to the program, he now has professional certifications, permanent housing, a stable home life, and full-time employment helping others overcome addiction and homelessness at a peer organization. Andy is proud to be a member of the Class of 2025.
Lighting the path to Jobs and Housing
Last year, Ready, Willing & Able celebrated 595 placements into jobs, homes, and independence.
In 2025, The Doe Fund reached a major milestone. After securing employment in healthcare administration and moving into an apartment, Norman became the 15,000th person The Doe Fund has connected to jobs, housing, or both.
I have nothing but good things to say about The Doe Fund. They gave me a place to stay and gave me the training I needed. They helped me find housing, get a good job, and stay out of trouble.
I wanted to be self-sufficient again. I wanted to be an example for my kids. This program gave me the grit, the structure, and the sense of self-worth to achieve that.
Building momentum and security that lasts
For graduates of Ready, Willing & Able, a job isn’t just a moment. It’s momentum.
Terrance was hired by South Bronx Restoration, one of The Doe Fund’s valued employer partners. They quickly recognized his strong work ethic, reliability, and attention to detail, as well as a positive attitude and eagerness to learn. Terrance quickly earned a promotion and a raise, and in a recent inspection, a building Terrance manages improved thirty points from the previous year to earn a perfect score. Just a year ago, he was experiencing homelessness. Today, Terrance is in a management role earning performance-based bonuses.
Training for dignity, purpose, and financial security
$7.36 million earned, $784,000 saved. In 2025, trainees built financial security — showing that stability isn’t out of reach.
Whether it was serving in the military or participating in Ready, Willing & Able, Derick always gave 100%. He embraced the most difficult parts of our program and refused to let obstacles get in the way of his success. When he graduated last year — with employment, housing, and his loved ones back in his life — he did so with his savings rebuilt thanks to our paid work training.
This program shaped me, showed me what I needed to work on, and taught me how to endure. It strengthened my resolve and helped me become the best version of myself.
I didn’t want to be chained to substances. I was willing to do anything… Learning how The Doe Fund helps you find housing and work changed my life.
DEVELOPING discipline, pride, and real-world experience
Keeping NYC clean, learning essential workplace skills, and rebuilding lives — all at the same time.
Kyle joined Ready, Willing & Able to build a brighter future for himself after struggling with addiction and homelessness. That future starts with training assignments that keep our city streets clean, safe, and vibrant. In doing so, trainees develop skills critical to success in the workforce — accountability, leadership, teamwork, time management, problem-solving and so much more.
Providing a lasting place to call home
Tenants aren’t just housed in our residences. They’re home.
Last year, The Doe Fund launched RWA@Home, a new initiative expanding access to Ready, Willing & Able’s work training model to residents of its permanent housing. Laura, a Doe Fund supportive housing tenant since 2020, became its first graduate — securing employment after participating in paid work training and taking Culinary Arts courses.
I’ve finally found my footing. The Doe Fund has given me the support, the encouragement, and the community I needed to get my life back.
I want to help others, just like the team here has helped me. The
staff really care about us and
what we have to say.
Thriving across 1,237 homes
Behind every door is a future worth investing in.
Even with a job, Tesia was forced into the shelter system by the skyrocketing cost of living. Keys to a place of her own seemed out of reach, until her shelter case manager told Tesia about a new Doe Fund affordable housing residence she could rent immediately.
Since receiving the keys to her apartment last year, Tesia’s life has turned around. She’s back in school, studying for a degree in social work — one of many opportunities unlocked by the stability Doe Fund housing provides.
PARTNERING FOR A BETTER NEW YORK CITY
The pride trainees take in improving the community — and the recognition they receive from the public — is a crucial part of the transformation that occurs in Ready, Willing & Able.
“Pushing the bucket,” as trainees often say, “isn’t about pushing the bucket.” Hand in hand with the workplace skills training they receive is a mindset adjustment that comes from delivering enormous public benefits. From garbage bagging to snow plowing, power washing, graffiti removal, painting street furniture, and even tree bed watering and clearing, trainees take pride in their efforts to vitalize the city and the thanks they get from community members.
Under the most challenging conditions, and with an enormous amount of territory to cover, our team from The Doe Fund works tirelessly to keep the streets of Downtown Brooklyn clean and safe for thousands of residents, shoppers and workers.
—Regina Myer, President, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership
The Doe Fund has done so much for me. It made me want to give back and help others. No matter our background, we’re one family, because we share an accomplishment.
Building skills and confidence for lasting careers.
A job starts long before the first paycheck. Trainees built the skills to tell their stories, land interviews, and launch careers.
Henry came to Ready, Willing & Able having to start over after a severe injury put him out of work. Starting the job search after so many years intimidated Henry, but our Computer and Career Essentials classes — which teach the basics of computer use, resume-writing, the job search, interviewing, and much more — turned him into a competitive applicant in no time. Now, Henry is employed with financial security, a stable home, and the pride of knowing he can support his family.
Nourishing bodies — and building careers in the kitchen
Three meals a day, every day, because no one can focus on the future while hungry.
Trainees in The Doe Fund’s Culinary Arts program learn the skills to excel in the food service industry, while also feeding hundreds of people experiencing homelessness every day. In 2025, the team opened its Dishes by Doe Farmer’s Market — offering more advanced training opportunities in customer service, sales, and inventory management while offering the public opportunities to enjoy the delicious meals we prepare.
I found my passion and purpose in Ready, Willing & Able’s culinary arts program… It’s because of The Doe Fund that I’m the dad I was meant to be. This program saved and changed my life.
—Derrick, Ready, Willing & Able Graduate
These programs are so important not just for residents but the community as a whole, because to me, they’ve revitalized this entire section of the Bronx.
—Gregory, Supportive Housing Tenant
Supporting healing and growth
Healing isn’t just about stability — it’s about health, confidence, and community.
Last year, The Doe Fund expanded its wellness programming across its permanent housing portfolio. Our buildings’ outdoor spaces transformed into vegetable gardens where tenants gather to make fresh food, learn from horticulture classes, and build community. Combined with the mindfulness, meditation, and yoga classes we operate, these activities embody our commitment to ensuring every Doe Fund resident has the resources to thrive.
In The News
2025 was a banner year for press at The Doe Fund. Click on the outlets below for some of our coverage, and see more here!
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