CLPHA is pleased to share the ten recipients of its COVID Resident Support Grants. The recipients are CLPHA member public housing authorities (PHAs) from across the country that utilized their grants to meet immediate and locally defined needs exacerbated by COVID-19 for projects such as providing residents with essential household supplies, helping households successfully lease affordable units with their housing vouchers, and supplying technology and devices that help resident children attend virtual school or connect resident seniors with healthcare resources.
The recipients were chosen via a competitive selection process, and the robust response to CLPHA’s call for applications demonstrates the need for additional funds to support COVID-19 relief services and supplies for low-income Americans.
These ten sub- grants are made possible through CLPHA’s grant from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s (CDP) COVID-19 Response Fund. Click below to see how our grantees used these funds to help meet the public health, education, employment, and basic urgent needs of their residents profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
VIDEO
Our Grantees + Their Programs
ACTIVITIES
INLIVIAN leveraged their grant to provide seniors and families with a variety of need-based supplies and resources, such as non-perishable food items and other essential household cleaning supplies through the creation of the new Community Cares Pantry. The Community Cares Pantry is informed and led by the Resident Advisory Council and pivoted more towards to cleaning supplies than food items to address the overwhelming requests for those resources. The pantry offers grab-and-go resources to address emergency needs of families of INLIVIAN through a pantry-style model as well as pop-up stations at community events.
RESULTS
Through the creation of the new Community Cares Pantry, approximately 350 residents were able to obtain a wide variety of cleaning supplies to mitigate virus exposure. As of November 30, 2021, the Community Cares Pantry conducted twelve pop-up stations, pantry events, or resource tables at events, as well as providing one-on-one assistance to residents. Not only did the Community Cares Pantry distribute cleaning supplies to families, but the effort also created opportunities to safely come together as a community. For example, Community Cares Pantry combined with other community engagement initiatives to provide the residents with a comprehensive National Night Out event.
Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of the City of New Haven
ACTIVITIES
ECC/HANH created The Senior Tech Club, a club where elderly and disabled adult residents come to Learn, Explore, and Share “smart” Technology. The Senior Tech Club programs provided 20 rentable tablets to seniors and worked with a consultant to provide learning workshops and one-on-one lessons for the participants to become more familiar and comfortable with common devices, apps, and software.
RESULTS
ECC had 45 residents register for their technology workshops and helped other residents through one-on-one lessons. Through pre/post surveys, ECC saw the participants increase their use of virtual technology after the class and increase their attendance of other community virtual meetings and programming. Most encouragingly, ECC reported a decrease in feelings of isolation among the technology workshop participants, with 97% of them now using technology to connect with families, friends, and community programs.
Housing Authority of the City of Goldsboro
ACTIVITIES
HACG used this grant to address senior isolation, provide senior residents with food, hygiene items and cleaning supplies, and support healthy living. They distributed items from senior pantries door-to-door to those in need, conducted blood pressure checks within their communities, called residents to check in on them, and mailed and passed out health education information.
RESULTS
The senior supply pantries and the health education program provided by this grant made a great impact on the seniors in the HACG communities. 261 seniors received health education information and resources. 153 residents received needed items from the senior pantries, and 35 seniors received blood pressure cuffs to help them monitor their blood pressure on a daily basis. Twenty seniors also received frying pans to support healthy eating along with recipes and cooking tips from their local cooperative extension.
Jersey City Housing Authority
ACTIVITIES
JCHA’s grant goals adjusted with the announcement of the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program. Instead of providing internet, they focused their work on promoting enrollment in the EBB program as well as providing school-aged youth and seniors with devices and improving digital literacy skills. In the long term, JCHA is working with several partners to develop training materials and to offer in-person learning opportunities to introduce senior residents to technology and improve their digital skills.
RESULTS
JCHA promoted the EBB for monthly internet subsidies agency wide and have offered direct support to households in need of assistance to apply for the EBB benefits. They expanded Wi-Fi access and provided devices to 25 seniors, with an additional 8 tablets left to distribute. In surveying their residents, they received over 250 requests for devices for school-aged youth who either had no device or did not have a device suitable to complete schoolwork or online learning. They were able to meet the needs of 50 of those school-age children by providing them with laptops, enabling those children to participate fully in remote schooling and homework assignments and also to take advantage of virtual and hybrid youth programming provided by JCHA partners including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hudson County, Nimbus Dance, and Hands in 4 Youth. JCHA is seeking additional funding to meet the additional device requests for school aged youth and provide digital literacy classes.
Lucas Metropolitan Housing
ACTIVITIES
LMH created a pilot telemedicine program, the Telehealth-21 Initiative, that gives senior residents the opportunity to meet one-on-one with an appropriate health provider in the comfort of their home. For residents who participate in these services, LMH provided a care packet that includes a tablet device and a gift card to support purchasing health-related supplies. LMH has reached beyond the telehealth program to also engage their local library to promote digital literacy.
RESULTS
Despite a number of challenges that delayed the launch of the program, LMH has been able to implement the Telehealth-21 Initiative and residents have started to sign up to participate in the program. To date, eight residents have made appointments with the nurse practitioner. They hope to increase the number of scheduled appointments now that both of the participating sites have officially launched. LMH invested in 80 tablets and 80 gift cards, along with 80 Wi-Fi hotspots and 800 facial masks through LMH funds, to support the Telehealth-21 initiative.
Oklahoma City Housing Authority
ACTIVITIES
OCHA used their grant funds to create rentable technology kits available to their residents to support educational efforts, employment opportunities, and connections to the broader world while social distancing. The kit included a Google Chromebook, Hotspot with active Wi-Fi, appropriate chargers, easy to read instructions with pictures, flash drive, mouse, carrying case and bag to offer increased connectivity. Residents needed a way to secure and keep their documents after returning the technology kit, so OCHA purchased flash drives to provide to residents to ensure documentation, certificates, resumes, etc. were safe with the resident and not lost when the technology kit was returned.
RESULTS
OCHA provided 18 technology kits to their residents to be rented. They served 29 people with the kits allowing them to connect to resources, access education and employment opportunities, and connect with friends and family. OCHA also conducted a pre/post survey of the rental users. They found that while some of the renters had devices, none of them had internet access AND a device to access the internet at home. Most renters used the devices for education or employment purposes and used the devices daily. An overwhelming 94% stated the technology kits met their expectations, 88% would recommend the program to a friend, and 88% would participate in the technology loaner program again.
ACTIVITIES
Home Forward pivoted away from initial plans to provide digital literacy manuals, which were instead developed as part of the City of Portland COVID-19 Response Digital Divide Work Group and were financed by the CARES Act funds. Based on resident feedback, Home Forward instead partnered with Community Vision, an agency that contributed to the City’s digital literacy manuals, to design customized trainings for a group of residents at three high-rise properties. These residents would become an expert group and technical support to other residents. Additionally, Home Forward provided stipends to participants in their youth career development program, NexGen, to offer additional technical support to their fellow residents.
RESULTS
The digital literacy guides were printed and distributed across 13 high-rise properties serving over 1,000 residents. Home Forward purchased 75 tablets and organized several events where the residents had an opportunity to test the digital literacy guides. Residents appreciated having access to a variety of technical support (including printed guides, videos, in-person support). While some residents needed only minimal assistance, it was evident that the majority of residents needed an array of supports.
Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura
ACTIVITIES
HACSB supported children and youth in their communities by establishing a one stop learning and resource hub. Through the hub, HACSB developed on-site and accessible education resources and programs to fill the gaps created by closed community centers, enrichment programs, and youth-focused service providers in their community. The hub provided a space for distance learning when schools were closed and for free play for young children. It held new programming such as teen clubs and music classes, both indoors and outside.
RESULTS
The greatest impact of the San Buenaventura grant program was an increase resident buy-in, engagement, and participation in programming, which allowed them to meet the needs of and serve more families. Events were well attended, including larger community events, and participation increased in parenting programs and youth/teen programs. HACSB estimates 113 youth were served during the grant period as well as saw 150 and 200 residents attend their community events. The levels of teen presence, participation, and volunteering they experienced have not been seen before and is offering up huge opportunities for the PHA to continue working with them. Given this increased engagement catalyzed by this grant, the PHA has planned additional programming for teens with partnership organizations focused on civic engagement and gang prevention to come into effect January 2022.
ACTIVITIES
THA took a different approach to their grant resources than the other funding recipients. They strove to assist households that are having trouble renting in Tacoma’s highly competitive housing market by contracting with the Housing Connector. The Housing Connector provides assistance with navigation, referrals, and resources as well as assistance with fees and barrier payments, including rent arrears that may lead to homelessness. This innovative partnership is in its early stages but is already helping families find and secure housing. As part of the MOU, THA has used the CDP grant funds as a seed for a Landlord Mitigation Fund. The Fund is helping fill a gap that is not available with other resources. Landlords have found the state Landlord Mitigation fund inaccessible and onerous. The fund THA created with the Housing Connector is more flexible and Housing Connector has agreed to match their seed with $13,000 additional funds. They are also working with other philanthropic foundations to make the fund sustainable.
RESULTS
The Housing Connector is using this flexible Landlord Mitigation Fund to secure contracts and commitments from Landlords to hold units for Tacoma’s housing voucher holders that have had difficulty leasing in the current competitive housing market. Housing Connector is helping clients with move in costs, and screening fees. For example, they paid screening for a client that was originally denied housing. In addition to assisting clients looking for housing, they assist clients at risk of losing their housing and becoming homeless.
Wilmington Housing Authority
ACTIVITIES
WHA leveraged their funds to provide technology support and cleaning supplies, as well as to support arts activities for their residents to emotionally process their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. WHA purchased 10 iPads with internet access to create a Technology Lending Program where residents can check out the tablets to access important online opportunities and resources. They also provided COVID Supply Bags to all public housing residents aged 60 years and over. The supplies included cleaning items, masks, sanitizer, and recreational items. Wilmington Fire Department assisted with distribution at Solomon Towers and Hillcrest Apartments. Finally, WHA partnered with Cameron Art Museum (CAM) to provide a range of art classes for children and adults. CAM also created the Pandemic Story Quit with WHA families and youth, who shared their experience and stories of life during the pandemic by creating squares for the quilt.
RESULTS
Over 50 youth and adults participated in the events sponsored by the Cameron Art Museum and WHA is looking forward to strengthening this relationship moving forward. Over 300 WHA seniors received a COVID Supply Bag including cleaning supplies, sanitizer, masks and entertainment items. Seven families have participated in the Technology Lending Program so far to access education, employment, and health care resources. This program will continue after the end of this grant, and WHA is determining additional ways to market the program to residents and provide instruction to the senior population.