Revised from 11/02/18
Economic Independence grants totaling $150,000 were announced today by the Community Foundation of Broward, which awarded grants to two community organizations that will impact 150 Broward residents who are struggling financially and face becoming homeless without any intervention.
More than two dozen organizations applied for the Economic Independence grants, which were awarded to:
- Hope South Florida for its “LIVE Hope” program to recruit employers to hire individuals from 50 families, who are residents of an affordable housing program. The program provides additional support to further stabilize program participant families. With a $50,000 grant from the Foundation, the LIVE Hope program is expected to result in participants obtaining a job or increasing their income.
- House of Hope & Stepping Stones, which was awarded $100,000 for its “Road to Independence” program, which will allow 100 individuals overcoming substance abuse and on the verge of homelessness to work closely with two job coaches to secure employment, enter vocational training or complete their GED and obtain stable housing.
To qualify for support, the Community Foundation required grant applicants to target heads of households by extending a helping hand through steady employment, access to higher education, career advancement pathways, stable and affordable housing and access to community resources for other basic needs, such as quality childcare, transportation and healthcare.
“Broward’s high cost of housing, coupled with too many low-wage jobs, means nearly 300,000 Broward families can’t afford even basic needs,” said Linda Carter, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Broward. “A minimum wage earner must work nearly 100 hours per week to afford the average Broward apartment. We must act now to keep thousands of our neighbors from falling into poverty.”
The Community Foundation of Broward has identified Economic Independence as one of ten “Issues That Matter” in Broward. The ongoing goal of the program is to stabilize families in crisis and move them toward economic independence so they don’t end up homeless.
About Community Foundation of Broward:
Founded in 1984, the Community Foundation of Broward helps families, individuals, and corporations create personalized charitable Funds that deliver game-changing philanthropic impact. 453 charitable Funds represent more than $197 million in assets, distributing $100 million in grants over the past 34 years. The Community Foundation provides bold leadership on community solutions and fosters philanthropy that connects people who care with causes that matter - which empowers visionaries, innovators and doers to BE BOLD and create the change they want to see in the community. www.cfbroward.org
For more information about the Economic Independence grants, please email Kirk Englehardt, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the Community Foundation (kenglehardt@cfbroward.org) or call 954-761-9503.
