Recent Lucky Duck Foundation programs and investments to prevent and alleviate the suffering of homelessness

All donations matched up to $1.5 million

May 2025 updates

Recent Lucky Duck Foundation programs and investments to prevent and alleviate the suffering of homelessness

San Diego College of Continuing Education Employment and Job Training Program: $689,000 over the next two years (Jan 2025 – Dec 2026)

Employment and job training program offers 75+ certificate and job training programs, paid internships, case management, transportation, access to community college, and more, so that individuals suffering from homelessness can secure long-term, livable wage jobs
Serves any state of homelessness and partners with any social service provider
LDF has supported since 2020 and outcomes continue to be very strong
Program is very cost effective, serves any state of homelessness as well as any and all service providers, so they can help their clients access its many programs, certifications, etc.

22 New Detox Beds: $325,000

Provided a $1-for-$2 matching challenge to Genesis Recovery to activate 22 new detox beds
Genesis successfully raised an additional $675,000 for a total of $1 million in private philanthropic support to bring these beds online
It is expected the ongoing operating costs for the beds will be covered by Medi-Cal reimbursements
These 22 new beds in Dulzura are expected to be open in late April or early May
These beds, plus an additional 22 new detox beds in Escondido, will increase the total number of Medi-Cal detox beds in San Diego County from 79 to 123. Though still a meaningful shortage, this represents a 56% increase in detox beds

Sleeping Bag Coats: $675,000 deployed to distribute 4,500 coats for ‘24/’25 winter

Distributed 4,500 in the fall/winter of ‘24/’25 – this is more than LDF has ever distributed in one fall/winter season
LDF has distributed 17,000+ since 2020 and has become the largest purveyor of Empowerment Plan coats in the world
Several individuals who have benefited from the coats and gone on to end their homelessness have said the coats are life-saving

Food Rescue Employment Program: $242,000 committed to extend and potentially expand the program over the next 2 years

Program hires Salvation Army shelter residents as food rescue route drivers; Feeding San Diego provides vehicle and rescue routes and LDF provides funding to cover all wages, gas, maintenance, and insurance
An anticipated 24 Salvation Army shelter residents will be employed over the next 2 years to rescue ~200,000 pounds of food
720,000+ lbs. of food that would have otherwise ended up in the landfill has been rescued since May 2020 at an approximate cost of ~$.45 per pound; rescued food is given to those who are homeless or on the brink

Inclement Weather Shelter for Youth and Seniors: $200,000

Given the shortage of inclement weather shelter beds and shelter beds in general, this new program helps seniors and youth move into a hotel room immediately and connects them to case management / supportive services
New program launched in mid-November 2024 has helped 30 youth and 51 seniors as of Mar. 1, 2025 thanks to a major donor who provided a six-figure donation to make this effort possible
Purpose is to provide an immediate reprieve from the streets, and help them move from a hotel room into a long-term program with housing

Food & Water Outreach: $456,000 committed for another 12 months as of February 2025

Program provides food & water to unsheltered homeless San Diegans in partnership with 20+ organizations
Eclipsed 2,000,000 meals distributed as of March 7, 2025
Each meal costs $1.50 to $2 to purchase, pack and deliver
Program also employs homeless youth who help assemble meal kits

Promises 2 Kids “Fostering Futures”: $200,000

Pilot program will equip foster youth, one of the highest-risk groups prone to homelessness, with a multitude of support including case management, access to education and employment, financial literacy, and more
Done in partnership with Regional Task Force on Homelessness and Promises 2 Kids, with a modest amount of funding contributed by the City and County
When compared to the cost and traumas of unsheltered homelessness, this $1 million investment today could save as much as $80 million over the next 40 years while aiding 50 youth in their journey to self-sustainability

Townspeople “Shared Housing” Home: $75,000 one-time investment to purchase home

“Shared housing” model (roommates) will provide housing for 2-3 households who are coming out of homelessness
Townspeople had a donor who provided ~$680,000 of the ~$880,000 purchase price of the home
Same donors gave Townspeople a challenge to raise the remaining $200,000 for the purchase price, of which LDF is the last money in
Home is in Mid-City area and should be occupied in mid to late April

Teaching & Learning Collaborative: $25,000

New program pairs 10-12 high school youth who are homeless and/or unaccompanied with mentors who offer them regular meetings, mentorship, service and job training, assistance on college and scholarship applications, and a graduation stipend for end of year expenses and transition to college
Goal is $25,000 investment today will save $25 million over the next 60 years ($42,000/year per homeless person x 60 years x 10 students = $25 million in potential savings)

Humble Design: $100,000 matching challenge

Humble Design provides a fully-furnished apartment for individuals coming out of homelessness
UCSD’s Homelessness Hub conducted an extensive research study on their model and determined the individuals they assist are 10 to 12 times more likely to help families stay housed after two years than the County-wide average
Program is a meaningful way to break the cycle of homelessness for the parents and children who benefit, as 2/3 of the households Humble helps are families
Humble achieved LDF’s matching challenge to help them expand from two move-in’s per week to three with plans to continue their growth and reach

Tax-Saving Tips

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Donate by Mailing a Check

Personal or corporate checks can be made out to:

The Lucky Duck Foundation
5675 Ruffin Road, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92123

Donate via Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)

These funds are highly popular among individual donors because of the ease of administration and potential tax savings from donating via a DAF.

Tax-Saving Tips

Strategies to save big on taxes, such as Charitable Remainder Trusts, bundled donations, and donations of appreciated stock, IRA, real estate, and estates.

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Donate Clothes

We’ve partnered with LNDRY, a premier laundry service in San Diego, to pick up your gently used clothes donation (for free!) to help homeless employment and education-seekers look and feel their best!

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5675 Ruffin Road, Suite 100,

San Diego, CA 92123

The Lucky Duck Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Tax ID: 20-3324885

All donations matched up to $1.5 million

May 2025 updates