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Emergency
Rental Assistance
In October of
2006, our
community was
facing an
immediate crisis
due to an
unprecedented
escalation in
requests for
Emergency Rental
Assistance.
The first three
months of our
fiscal year saw
a
700%
increase in
emergency rental
plans
from the
previous year,
virtually
depleting the
available State
and Federal
resources that
were received
and administered
by Catholic
Social Services
for the year.
United Way
immediately
gathered a group
of community
partners and
leveraged an
additional
$90,000 to
address this
impending
community
crisis.
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Foundation
Safety Net
A 95 year old
woman faced the
prospect of
having to give
up her home in
the middle of
winter due to a
broken furnace.
Her limited
fixed income was
down near the
poverty level,
and no other
funding sources
were available
to assist her.
Homelessness
became a very
real concern for
this woman who
had lived her
entire life with
a high degree of
dignity and
independence.
However, with
the continued
support of three
local
foundations and
the United Way
of Lackawanna
County, she was
able to safely
remain in her
home. The United
Way’s Foundation
Safety Net
program filled
the void and
arranged for her
furnace to be
replaced as well
as the furnaces
of eleven
additional
families in
similar
situations. In
nearly every
case, the
individual or
family involved
would have been
temporarily or
permanently
displaced from
their home. In
addition to the
furnace repairs,
a number of
households
received
assistance with
their home
heating fuel on
an emergency
basis—also
averting
potential crises
for these
families in
need. |
Emergency Food and Shelter Program
The United Way of Lackawanna County is in its 25th year as the local
administrator for the FEMA program which provides funds to
supplement and extend current available resources for emergency
needs including rent, food and energy assistance. During the past
year the local Emergency Food and Shelter Board—chaired by the
United Way— awarded $114,052 in federal funds to
ten local organizations.
State
Food Purchase
Program
As local administrator of the State Food Purchase Program, the
United Way of Lackawanna County leveraged $309,168 in grant monies
from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture.
These monies were awarded to 15 local organizations
to assist area families with emergency food needs.
Individual
Emergency Plans
For more than
25 years, the United Way of Lackawanna County has managed a separate
fund to provide assistance during individual emergencies above and
beyond what can be funded through federal and state dollars. This
provision ultimately allows for a safety net to ensure our most
vulnerable residents receive help during times of dire need. To date
there have been a total of 72
emergency plans funded which
impacted 296 individuals who
truly had no where else to turn. |
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