COVID-19 Grantee Relief Fund

Atlanta Habitat for Humanity focuses on neighborhood revitalization in low-income neighborhoods and leveraging each successful first-time low-income home purchase by incorporating lower cost investments around the new homeowner to bring added neighborhood stability. Funding from AWF will assist 40 women homeowners with full relief funding of their mortgages with Atlanta Habitat for 3 months. This need is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in the loss of personal income for 64 women homeowners so far.

Since Atlanta Habitat’s inception, they have impacted over 6,000 family members and continue to provide over 1,000 disadvantaged families a mortgage at 0% interest. The majority of Atlanta Habitat homeowners do not qualify for conventional mortgages because their income is extremely low. As a result, the CARES Act while supporting commercial banks with options for mortgage relief for their impacted customers does not give financial support to help Atlanta Habitat homeowners obtain similar relief.

The Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS) is the first, largest, and longest standing organization in the Southeast focused on issues concerning Asian Americans and other underserved populations. Since its inception, CPACS’s goal has been to deliver comprehensive and family centered social and health services.

With AWF’s support, CPACS will be able to provide rental assistance to 15 women led households, weekly food assistance for 25 individuals (women and children), and 6 counseling sessions 15 women in need. Xenophobic coverage and attitudes have led to more discriminatory encounters against Asian Americans and other minority groups. Experiencing an increase in this kind of prejudice, as well as a decrease in personal connections with their community, and other pandemic stressors, have had a detrimental effect on mental health.

The mission of Community Advanced Practice Nurses, Inc. (CAPN) is to strengthen the lives of persons who are medically underserved and to help interrupt the cycle of poverty and homelessness for these individuals. The main clinic is in a women and children’s emergency shelter in Northeast Atlanta in the Old Fourth Ward with outreach sites at eight other shelters across metro Atlanta.

Funding from AWF will ensure that CAPN staff are protecting their own health and the health of their patients and their loved ones. CAPN devised a COVID-19 plan that was effective immediately. This plan includes best practices to upkeep a disinfected environment, protective equipment to conduct exams and treatment and educational resources to prepare staff, inform patients and assist community partners.

While many agencies have transitioned to screening patients via telephone, CAPN continues to keep their doors open. As a result, their patient in-take has increased as patients are now losing access to care for other pressing medical needs. This pandemic has caused a multi-layered problem that may result in long-term effects that directly impact CAPN’s daily operations. These challenges include lack of availability of COVID-19 testing in the community, shortages of clinic staff and volunteers, influx of prescription orders from other healthcare facilities, lack of childcare assistance, and overcrowding in their shelters.

The mission of the Latin American Association (LAA) is to empower Latinos to adapt, integrate, and thrive. Their vision is opportunity for all. Founded in 1972, LAA has grown over the past four decades to become the region's leading agency representing Latino issues. In pre-COVID-19 times, LAA had wrap around services designed to empower clients with resources needed to increase their long-term stability. LAA is a trusted service provider for those at risk of losing shelter, particularly among Latino communities.

Support from AWF will allow LAA to maintain its case management to individuals negatively impacted by COVID-19 across metro Atlanta. LAA is adapting to safe service delivery through increased mobile service delivery, which resulted in unexpected costs. Some of LAA’s clients do have access to reliable technology, but others do not. Mobile service delivery involves increased use of technology but also meeting clients where they are. Additionally, LAA has seen huge increases in client requests for rental assistance. Funding from AWF will also allow LAA to increase housing-centered services provided to women and girls affected by COVID-19 in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties.

Mercy Care began operating in the mid-1980's when a group of volunteer clinicians and Saint Joseph’s Hospital staff began providing immediate medical response to metro Atlanta’s homeless population. What started almost 30 years ago has evolved into a “medical home” for the most vulnerable. Through a combination of fourteen fixed and mobile clinic sites, Mercy Care provides a comprehensive, patient-centered continuum of care that includes primary and preventive healthcare, dental care, health education, integrated behavioral health services, HIV/AIDS programming, and supportive services to thousands each year.

Funds from AWF will support Mercy Care's Recuperative Care for the Homeless Program (RCP) targeting women. The RCP for women is operated in partnership with the City of Refuge - a transitional housing and supportive services organization, targeting women and children in crisis. The program is post-acute medical care for homeless women who are too ill or frail to recover from a physical illness or injury on the streets but not ill enough to be in a hospital. These are medically fragile homeless women, aged 18 years and older, who have been referred by Grady Memorial Hospital and other area hospitals. Targeted health care services are provided by a Nurse Coordinator and personal support aides and includes training in activities of daily living, medication administration counseling, self-care skills relative to chronic and acute illnesses and wound management. Upon referral to the 14-bed program, each client meets with a nurse coordinator who completes an initial assessment and explains the purpose and expectations of the program

The mission of Nicholas House is to help homeless families achieve self-sufficiency by providing a temporary place to live while identifying and addressing the root causes of a family's homelessness, so they may never become homeless again. Nicholas House is responding to the COVID-19 impact for both their current clients and new families seeking their services in numerous ways.

The first priority has been education and prevention about the virus to keep families healthy or quickly identify cases for isolation and treatment. Within the shelter, COVID-19 has increased immediate costs for greater infection control protocols based on CDC guidance for shelter facilities. For the children, Nicholas House has ensured that they all have computers needed to continue remote school learning, provide additional educational support as needed, and ensure fun engagement options to mitigate boredom or discipline issues during stay at home orders. Case managers continue to offer guidance to families on the self-sufficiency plans, community resources and updates on issues such as accessing the internet free, cellphone access for free, reduced price options for utilities, and online mental health support webinars.

Funding from AWF will be for general operating expenses. General operating funds will provide Nicholas House the flexibility to respond to a rapidly changing environment of needs and funding sources to address whatever funding gap exists to address needs at any given moment.