In Guam, homelessness doesn’t always mean living on the streets. For many families, it means cars, couches, or homes built from scraps. Now, a $2.5 million grant is giving WestCare Pacific Islands more tools to help. 

The local non-profit was selected through an invitation-only process through the Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos Day 1 Families Fund.

Westcare Pacific Islands Chief Operating Officer Aja Ramos said being invited to apply came as a surprise.

“When we were identified for our region as one of the organizations who were invited to apply for the funding, we were quite surprised. We were very excited. What we were most proud about was there was attention being brought to the needs of our region,” Ramos said. WPI serves Guam, the CNMI and Palau. The organization was founded in 2009 and provides housing and supportive services for families, youth and veterans.

“It meant a great deal to us that we would be the first to be able to apply for these funds and represent our islands,” Ramos said. The Day 1 Families Fund focuses on housing and innovative solutions for families experiencing homelessness. Ramos says the problem on Guam takes many forms.

“What homelessness looks like on our island is a whole spectrum, from people living on the streets from what people are most familiar with, to individuals living in their cars, people who don’t have a place to stay at night, maybe they’re couch surfing from family to family,” she explained.

She said the largest population she sees are families living in substandard or unsafe housing. “When we go out to the PIT count, and I’ve been out there myself, we really see the conditions that many families struggle through– living in homes that are oftentimes made of pallets, who have canopies for their roofs, makeshift doors and makeshift floors,” Ramos said.

Guam's Point-In-Time count shows a 31 percent drop in homelessness in 2025, compared to the previous year. But while comprehensive, Ramos said the data doesn’t tell the whole story. “Even if we go out and we’re canvassing, three people who may be in an encampment or may

be walking on the streets may not want to do the survey and they may not be counted. So there are challenges with the data collection, but it is still a valuable tool for us to measure where we may be, with the caveat that there may be underrepresentation of what we’re seeing,” she said.

In the meantime, WestCare has already received the funding and is now in the planning phase. “We anticipate in the next few months really solidifying our processes, drilling down on the specifics of eligibility, how many we can serve and identifying the appropriate staff to be able to implement the programs with sound practices,” Ramos said.

Over the next five years, the grant will help expand shelter capacity and safe housing for families in crisis. The funding comes as the need continues to outpace resources. “We constantly exceed our target numbers…We want to make sure that we’re fulfilling the need.

Just people coming through our doors, we can serve with this money. Because like I said, we’re over capacity and sometimes have waitlists in terms of how we can serve and who we can help,” she explained.

Though the $2.5 million grant won’t solve Guam's homeless problem, Ramos said it will help fill the gap, bringing help and hope to families that need it most.