In July 2021, Mark Otis Thornton, former Executive Director of the Homeless Coalition, passed away after battling cancer. Otis changed the way our community addressed homelessness and his impact is still felt today. We hold his family in our thoughts and prayers and will always be grateful for the way he changed Fort Worth and Tarrant County.

In remembrance of Otis’s work, our community is honored to introduce the Forever Home Fund. The Forever Home fund will be used to support people who have exited homelessness and found a place to call home. Funds will be used to ensure people stay housed by providing an array of services to keep people housed and avoid a return to homelessness. Funds can be used to provide homeless prevention rental support, should a person not be able to pay a portion of their rent; pay for job training to increase income; pay risk mitigation fees to landlords, should a tenant cause damage to a unit and need to relocate; pay for transportation to assist with securing and/or keeping employment. Other appropriate uses can be approved by the Executive Director, assuming the expense is directly related to keeping a person housed.

Select “Forever Home Fund – In Memory of Mark Otis Thornton” under Apply My Donation to ensure your gift is applied to the fund.