More than a dozen nonprofits focused on helping vulnerable populations in St. Louis during the pandemic are the beneficiaries of grants totaling $625,000 from the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund.
The grant money has been allocated to a network of 14 organizations, including the United Way of Greater St. Louis, Catholic Charities and The Salvation Army, through the COVID-19 Regional Response Team (C19RRT), a coordinated outreach effort to provide needed services to isolated older adults and people with disabilities in the community, officials with the C19RRT and the St. Louis Community Foundation announced today.
The need to assist homebound individuals grew out of concern about their ability to access basic needs when stay-at-home orders were announced and their continued vulnerability as public health measures are eased.
“The bi-state region responded generously to this crisis, and the St. Louis Community Foundation takes seriously our role as coordinator of and home to the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund,” said Elizabeth George, director of Community Investment for the St. Louis Community Foundation. “Our mission is to work collaboratively with groups like the C19RRT and other local agencies to create effective solutions that serve our community in times of immediate need and for years to come.”
The C19RRT worked closely with representatives of the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund housed at the St. Louis Community Foundation, the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities, and determined that leveraging United Way’s existing 2-1-1 system was the most efficient means of connecting individuals in the target group to the food, basic supplies, rent and utilities assistance they need.
“For over a decade, United Way has been connecting people to the resources and services they need through 2-1-1,” said Michelle Tucker, president and CEO of United Way of Greater St. Louis. “Having an already established system and platform in place to leverage allows the organizations involved to move quickly and efficiently to address needs for these vulnerable populations.”
Using United Way’s navigation and assistance platform, the homebound initiative serves older adults and people with disabilities through a four-stage process. Since launching the initiative on May 8, United Way reports 413 connections through the 14 participating agencies, resulting in services met throughout the metro region for 280 seniors, 63 individuals with chronic health conditions and 70 persons with disabilities.
The COVID-19 Regional Response Fund, led by a coalition of businesses, foundations and individual donors convened by the St. Louis Community Foundation, has raised a total of $5 million, with almost $3 million granted total of 141 regional nonprofits working with vulnerable populations.
