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The Salvation Army becomes 24th Member Agency |
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The Salvation Army’s Homeless Prevention Program has exceeded expectations in its first three months of operation. Now the newly-formed safety net for those in housing crisis has a safety net of its own—Member Agency status with the United Way of Union County. The Board of Trustees approved the motion this morning at its April meeting, ensuring annual funding for the program. The big news for investors is that they now have the opportunity to designate their annual United Way pledges to The Salvation Army through the annual fund raising campaign. The big news for those on the verge of losing their housing is that The Salvation Army will have additional funds available to help make ends meet. Rent and utility assistance are available. “It’s definitely been a success,” said Kara Murphy, Director of Housing for The Salvation Army. Since mid-January, 55 Union County families in housing crisis have been assisted. A case-manager works with clients to connect them with other resources, such as employment services or child care assistance, and serves as an advocate with a landlord to help them maintain their housing. “Salvation Army has a wonderful track record of providing needed programming and accountability to the community and the consumers they serve,” said Barb Nicol, one of the United Way Trustees who reviewed The Salvation Army’s request for membership. “In addition, I have been personally impressed with the staff people who are here in Union County. They are very responsive to needs identified by the folks they serve as well as the agencies involved. I’m very impressed with their will to build collaborative efforts utilizing all of the agencies and funding sources that have been available.” Additional funding for the program is being sought from the Ohio Department of Development and the local Emergency Food and Shelter Program. This, in addition to annual United Way support, will enable the program to become a full-time operation (it currently operates part-time out of a cubicle in the Department of Job and Family Services) and include a direct housing component for homeless households while providing more thorough case-management elements. Through its involvement on the Union County Housing Coalition, your United Way was instrumental in bringing this program to Union County last year. The United Way was the first local entity to financially support the program, granting The Salvation Army $11,500 last October to get the program off the ground. “I think those working with housing issues in our community have been surprised at how great the need was,” Nicol said. “I think we all knew that families were having difficulty finding affordable housing, but the need was so much greater than any of us could have imagined and just reinforces our belief that The Salvation Army can help us address the issue.” With The Salvation Army on board, the United Way of Union County now has 24 Member Agencies. It is the first added since February 2003 when the Marysville Victory Center became a Member Agency. For more information, please contact Shari Marsh, Executive Director of the United Way of Union County, at 937-644-8381. |