Emergency Aid Helps Struggling Broward Residents Face Coronavirus Hardships

May 28, 2020

The Community Foundation of Broward's emergency grant to Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida provides financial assistance to help keep 69 low-income Broward families from getting evicted and becoming homeless.

For Broward families already struggling to get by, economic hardships from the coronavirus have quickly become too much to bear.

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Before the coronavirus found its way to Broward, nearly half of local workers were already living paycheck to paycheck – at risk of a car repair, medical emergency or another unexpected expense pushing them into economic despair.

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Now low-income families – trying to make it in one of the country’s costliest housing markets – don’t have the savings to endure layoffs or even reduced pay amid a crisis that has shuttered businesses.

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The pandemic that threatens their lives could also push them into homelessness.

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But thanks to new crisis relief from the Community Foundation of Broward, families in dire need are getting a hand up to help them move closer to achieving Economic Independence – one of the Issues That Matter most to Broward’s residents, which the Foundation has long supported.

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A new $50,000 emergency grant to Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida provides financial assistance to help keep 69 low-income Broward families from getting evicted and becoming homeless.

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This one-time assistance will help families pay rent, mortgages or other housing fees as well as provide counseling for those in need. It’s a chance to help Broward residents focus on regaining employment and getting back on their feet, without the fear of losing the roof over their heads.

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“COVID-19 has devastated South Florida in terms of employment and housing. It is critical that we keep families housed,” said Kimberly T. Henderson, President and CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida, which serves 1,500 South Florida low-income residents with home ownership and rental programs. “This short-term assistance is a lifeline for families as the country begins to work on more permanent solutions.”

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This critical support for Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida is one of seven new emergency grants the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors recently approved to help Broward residents face the coronavirus. This includes relief for seniors, the disabled, victims of domestic violence, residents who recently lost jobs and others at risk of missing out on aid.

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These emergency grants are part of the nearly $2 million the Community Foundation has already provided in immediate coronavirus response. That includes new grants as well as easing restrictions on existing grants so local nonprofits can pivot to tackle residents’ most pressing needs.

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Visionary local philanthropists who have established endowed charitable Funds at the Community Foundation are making it possible to provide this critical, immediate relief. And this is just the beginning.

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As the far-reaching consequences of the coronavirus continue to unfold, the power of endowment will enable the Community Foundation to fuel solutions every step of the way. Because endowed Funds last forever, the Community Foundation will be here to tackle the Issues That Matter – during this crisis and beyond.

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