FORWARD TOGETHER
THE DOE FUND 2024 ANNUAL REPORT
Letter from the President
Hello from The Doe Fund!
While headlines spoke of record homelessness last year, we saw something different: people moving forward together. Hundreds of individuals stepped out of shelters and into jobs and homes of their own, some opening their own front doors for the first time in decades.
They didn’t just find stability — they built it. With hands-on training, industry-recognized certifications, earned income, and a network of support, our community laid the foundation for long-term independence.
2024 marked a year of momentum. We opened two new supportive and affordable housing residences, creating beautiful, dignified homes for formerly homeless New Yorkers. Within our flagship Ready, Willing & Able program, we received a prestigious NYSERDA award to expand career pathways. And we relaunched our annual alumni barbecue with hundreds of graduates and their families—celebrating our commitment to “Doe Fund for Life.”
We also prepared for what’s next. We completed a programmatic refresh of Ready, Willing & Able — drawing on 35 years of experience to streamline services and build more efficient pathways to lasting employment. We secured new private funding to expand wellness programming across our housing portfolio. And through a highly competitive award from the Citi Foundation, we began planning the launch of RWA@Home. This bold new program will bring our job training model directly to residents of our housing, empowering hundreds more New Yorkers to build self-sufficiency.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we are moving forward—with purpose, with dignity, and with each other.
Forward Together,
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.
Forward Together:
By the Numbers
Click on each number to learn how The Doe Fund changed lives in 2024.
Ready, Willing
& Able
14,884 Lives Rebuilt and Counting.
Since 1990, Ready, Willing & Able has been a proven pathway from homelessness to housing, jobs, and brighter futures.
Trainees earn money, learn workplace habits, and develop essential skills while providing supplemental sanitation across 115 miles of New York City streets. These skills are built on in workforce development and occupational courses, complete with industry-recognized certifications.
With lifelong support and hands-on training, Ready, Willing & Able prepares people for lasting stability.
In 2024, we strengthened our programs to open more doors for people experiencing homelessness. We streamlined job and housing services, revamped training to match today’s job market, expanded graduate support, and launched new career tracks in HVAC and solar panel installation.
Permanent Housing
1.27 million square feet of affordable and supportive housing. 1,237 homes for New Yorkers in need.
With soaring rents pushing more people into homelessness than ever before, we’re not waiting for affordable and supportive housing to catch up. We’re building it ourselves.
In 2024, we opened two new residences totaling 162 units. And that’s just the start: over 800 more homes are under construction or in pre-development. Residents in these buildings have access to on-site supportive services to help them thrive, alongside wellness activities and events that build community.
In 2025 — for the first time ever — we’re bringing Ready, Willing & Able programming into our supportive housing, connecting residents to paid transitional work experience, career training, and jobs that build economic mobility.
Financial Summary
The Doe Fund maintains a strong financial position, with net assets increasing by $3.7 million over the previous fiscal year and total revenues increasing by nearly $3.6 million.
83% of expenses covered program costs, earning The Doe Fund top marks from independent charity evaluators. View our complete audited financial statement here.
Revenues
|
$44,537,393 (66%) |
|
|
$7,122,795 (11%) |
|
|
$6,712,170 (10%) |
|
|
$6,098,105 (9%) |
|
|
$2,606,818 (4%) |
|
Total |
$67,078,281 |
Expenses
|
Program Expenses |
$52,647,450 (83%) |
|
$31,962,770 (50%) |
|
|
$12,030,204 (21%) |
|
|
$4,054,129 (6%) |
|
|
$3,113,059 (5%) |
|
|
$487,288 (1%) |
|
$10,192,044 (16%) |
|
|
$534,776 (1%) |
|
Total |
$63,374,270 |
|
Increase in Net Assets: |
$3,704,011 |
|
Net Assets — Beginning: |
$45,842,737 |
|
Net Assets — End: |
$49,546,748 |
The financial summary excludes building operating revenues and expenses from The Doe Fund’s real estate portfolio.
Success Stories
I’ve had the opportunity to learn, grow, and regain my independence thanks to The Doe Fund. Best of all, I’m able to inspire others.
Lighting the path to Jobs and Housing
Last year, Ready, Willing & Able celebrated 415 placements into jobs, homes, and independence — proof that second chances work.
After Marc lost his job during the pandemic, he turned to Ready, Willing & Able for a new path forward. Thanks to the program, he now has professional certifications, permanent housing, and full-time employment. Marc is proud to be a member of the Ready, Willing & Able Class of 2024.
Progressing to Stable Careers
Our graduates don’t just get jobs. They launch careers — with wages that help them build real futures. It’s more than a paycheck. It’s a fresh start.
Through The Doe Fund’s new HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) training, Marquis is building a stable career in a high-demand skilled trade. When he presented the certification he earned in the class during a job interview, he was hired on the spot as a Supervisor — at double the salary.
The Doe Fund opened doors in ways I couldn’t imagine. This is a place where you can start over. When I talk to people about the program, I tell them: this is a place for winners.
Until I joined Ready, Willing & Able, I never knew how to hold down jobs. The program taught me accountability and how to be responsible.
Building momentum and security that lasts
For graduates of Ready, Willing & Able, a job isn’t just a moment. It’s momentum.
Ion came to The Doe Fund with little work experience and a history of incarceration. Now, he’s paying it forward as a peer recovery specialist, where he has been named Employee of the Month multiple times and just received a raise. His supervisor’s praise has been effusive: “Ion is a hard worker. He’s punctual, takes pride in everything he does, and goes above and beyond to give back to people in need.”
Training for dignity, purpose, and financial security
$5.9 million earned, $680,000 saved. In 2024, trainees built financial security — showing that stability isn’t out of reach.
Thanks to Ready, Willing & Able, Stephen earned his driver’s license and saved enough money to purchase his first car. With a steady job, transportation, and newfound independence, he’s living his best life.
In my darkest moments, this incredible community motivated me to keep going. I saved money, maintained sobriety, got my driver’s license, even purchased my own car. Now, I’m a mechanic for U-Haul with a 401k and health insurance.
I wore the blue uniform too. I know what they’re going through. I treat them with respect because I understand their circumstances and I can help them achieve their potential.
DEVELOPING discipline, pride, and real-world experience
Keeping NYC clean, learning essential workplace skills, and rebuilding lives — all at the same time.
Jerome struggled with addiction for 26 years, until a life-changing decision brought him to The Doe Fund. Through Ready, Willing & Able, he developed teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving skills that prepared him for the future. Today, he is a supervisor for our East Midtown training route, where he mentors trainees who are following in his footsteps.
Providing a lasting place to call home
Tenants aren’t just housed in our residences. They’re home.
When Ameena moved into a Doe Fund supportive housing residence after experiencing homelessness, she was finally able to focus on her career and education. That stayed true even after she encountered a severe health crisis. From her first trip to the emergency room to her final release, Ameena’s neighbors rallied to her side to assist her recovery. Thanks to the stability and community she found through The Doe Fund, Ameena completed her degree and now works as a case manager… where she refers candidates to Ready, Willing & Able!
I’ve worked hard all my life. What I needed was stability and support. The Doe Fund provided just that… in a beautiful building, no less.
I’ve struggled with addiction for most of my life, but I’m finally getting myself where I need to be and living life on life’s terms. I’m five years sober thanks to The Doe Fund.
Thriving across 1,237 homes
Behind every door is a story of resilience and a future worth investing in.
After struggling with substance abuse for over 40 years, Laura finally found the support she needed at The Doe Fund’s Crystal Tower residence. With help from our dedicated staff, she recently celebrated her fifth year sober and was welcomed back into her family with open arms.
In 2024, Laura took her newfound independence to the next level. She eagerly signed up for a Ready, Willing & Able vocational training that was piloted at her residence and even shared her inspiring journey on Spectrum NY1.
LEADing with experience, compassion, and dignity
The proof is in our people — those who walked this path are now leading the way for others.
Duane Fagan, Associate Director of Programs at our Peter Jay Sharp Center for Opportunity, knows what it takes to overcome homelessness, substance abuse, incarceration, and the many other barriers trainees face. That’s because he is among the 70% of our program team who are Ready, Willing & Able graduates themselves — “credible messengers” whose lived experience make them critical to The Doe Fund’s success.
When I meet a new trainee, the first thing I do is tell them that I was in their shoes not so long ago. I know all the pitfalls and challenges firsthand. It builds trust… They believe in us because we’ve walked the walk. And we help them believe in themselves, because we’re proof that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
I dropped out of high school, so the computer classes and educational skills brought me up to date with what I needed to know to move forward in life… Just two years ago, I was in a totally different place. Today, my kids tell me how proud of me they are and how much they love me on a daily basis.
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.
Ready, Willing & Able’s Computer and Career Essentials were crucial to Robert’s transformation. The classes taught him the basics of computer use, resume-writing, the job search, interviewing, and much more. In turn, these skills paved the way for Robert to earn his Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and secure a well-paying job as a regional truck driver. Now, he has 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. For Darius, the training enabled him to turn his passion into a career. Today, he co-manages a catering company and is saving to purchase his own food truck. Best of all, he’s not only supporting himself — he’s back in his family’s lives.
The Culinary Arts team did so much more than give me the skills to julienne with precision or become an industry-certified food handler. They inspired me to believe in myself again.
The yoga classes help me stay healthy. I have so much on my mind… they ease my stress and block out negative thoughts so I can stay on the right path.
Supporting healing and growth
Healing isn’t just about stability — it’s about health, confidence, and community.
Last year, The Doe Fund expanded wellness programs to Ready, Willing & Able trainees and Doe Fund permanent housing residents. These popular classes — from mindfulness, meditation, and yoga to horticultural therapy — embody our commitment to building community and improving health outcomes among those we serve.
In The News
2024 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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