HealthPath Funding Helps Organizations Provide to Communities in Need
Earlier this year, the HealthPath Foundation shifted grantmaking dollars to help address community needs in response to the impact of COVID-19 on families, individuals, and community organizations across our 36-county service area. Grants were awarded for up to $10,000 to organizations addressing community needs in the areas of housing and shelter, food access, caregiving services, and overall healthcare.
Adams Brown Counties Economic Opportunities (ABCAP): ABCAP utilized HealthPath funding to help residents in Adams and Brown County with rental assistance, security deposits, and to pay back rent after the temporary eviction moratorium was lifted. ABCAP aided in preventing homelessness in the local community, focusing on residents whose income was affected or reduced due to COVID-19.
One Adams County resident, who was in the middle of a divorce, received an eviction notice from her landlord during this time. She owned a cleaning business for commercial and residential units, but when Ohio’s stay-at-home order was enforced, several of the businesses she cleaned closed and homeowners placed their services on hold. Her income was drastically reduced, and she was unable to file for unemployment because she is self-employed.
Funding from HealthPath allowed ABCAP to assist this community member with financial assistance to sustain her home during a time of heightened need.
Community Action Commission of Fayette County (CAC): A program of the CAC, Peace House provides emergency housing, homeless prevention, care coordination, safety planning, and crisis intervention to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Funding from HealthPath allowed CAC to purchase household appliances and items for the shelter as well as continue to provide services.
During the pandemic, a client entered Peace House after being assaulted by a family member. CAC was able to connect her to mental health care, Medicaid, a primary care physician, and a local food bank. This client also was financially dependent upon her family, so CAC connected her to a bank to set up an account, allowing her to be financially independent.
This client started a job and is currently looking for a second job. Through the funding from HealthPath, CAC was able to provide her with the support she needed, and she is now prospering.
Family & Community Services, Inc.: Someplace Safe, a program of Family & Community Services, Inc., provides temporary emergency shelter in Trumbull County for people experiencing domestic violence issues. During the early months of the pandemic, the county saw a significant increase in the number of domestic violence cases, which resulted in a steady increase of occupants at Someplace Safe.
To keep residents safe, the organization had to maintain its 24/7 frontline staff to ensure day-to-day operations ran smoothly. To ensure their staff’s employment during this period of economic uncertainty, the organization used funding from HealthPath to provide hazard pay to their frontline staff to guarantee that their residents would not lose any critical services.
Additional funding was used to create Safe Chat an online chat system where victims of domestic violence can seek advice from advocates.
“Thanks to the generous support from HealthPath, we have been able to continue successfully helping those experiencing domestic violence during the pandemic and support our community during this difficult time,” said Heather Laliberte, Grant Administrator, Family & Community Services.
