New Raleigh nonprofit provides cash grants to help homeless find housing
Cooper Charitable Foundation helps homeless individuals secure permanent housing with $2,500 grants covering move-in costs.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — A Raleigh-based nonprofit is helping people experiencing homelessness transition to permanent housing through small cash grants, with recipients like Tristin Taylor crediting the program with changing their lives.
The Cooper Charitable Foundation, created in 2024 by John Cooper, president and CEO of Cooper Tacia general contracting firm, provides housing stability grants averaging $2,500 to help cover move-in costs for people leaving homelessness.
Taylor, 63, received one of these grants about 18 months ago, just a week before Thanksgiving. The former regional salesperson for a high-end skin care line had fallen into homelessness after debilitating migraines caused her to lose her job and burn through her savings.
From Shelter to Stability
“It was just traumatic,” Taylor said about her experience in the shelter system. “It really was the worst thing I’ve ever been through in my life.”
Taylor spent her days riding Raleigh city buses because the shelter closed its doors at 7 a.m. and didn’t reopen until 4 p.m. Despite being approved for Social Security disability benefits, her monthly checks had not yet begun arriving when she faced a deadline to leave the shelter.
The $2,500 grant from Cooper Foundation covered her first month’s rent, security deposit and last month’s rent. “It was just a miracle that day,” Taylor said. “I fell to my knees and was like, ‘There is a God.'”
Foundation’s Mission
Cooper founded the nonprofit to honor his grandmother, who he says set an example of “giving to others.” The foundation focuses specifically on housing stability grants that help people experiencing homelessness move into permanent housing.
Without the grant, Taylor worried she would be pushed onto the streets since she had no income to pay rent or cover the upfront costs of securing an apartment. The foundation’s intervention came at a key moment when she was about to lose her shelter placement.
Addressing Housing Crisis
The Cooper Charitable Foundation represents a targeted approach to addressing homelessness in Raleigh by providing direct financial assistance for housing transitions. The typical grant amount of approximately $2,500 covers the immediate barriers that prevent people from securing permanent housing.
Taylor’s case illustrates how quickly someone can fall into homelessness and how small interventions can make the difference between housing stability and life on the streets. Her transition from a middle-class professional to shelter resident demonstrates the vulnerability many face when health issues impact employment.
The foundation’s work comes as Raleigh continues to grapple with homelessness, with encampments being cleared from areas like U.S. 70 near Garner as the city seeks solutions for displaced residents.
