NPCHF commits $1.2 million to improving safety net systems
Colmar, PA – The North Penn Community Health Foundation’s board of directors has committed $1.2 million over the next three years to improve the safety net of services for the homeless and the hungry in Montgomery County.
The foundation will invest up to $600,000 in funding over the next three years in support of Your Way Home Montgomery County, a public-private partnership that seeks to end homelessness in the county in the next decade. Your Way Home Montgomery County is the result of six years of intensive work with organizations that serve the homeless and domestic violence victims, foundations and county government officials.
As the implementation of the Your Way Home Montgomery County strategy unfolds, a substantial portion of the foundation’s funds will support two major activities: an evaluation of both the process and structural aspects of this transformative work and the outcomes achieved. The foundation and its partners intend to publish an annual report on the lessons learned and the progress made in achieving the goals of this broad-based effort to help homeless individuals secure permanent housing. The foundation is also supporting a provider learning collaborative facilitated by an expert in organizational development and change process. The county has nearly a dozen providers who have committed to the Your Way Home Montgomery County initiative, yet each one will need to plan for and implement changes in their organizational, staffing and financial structures. Stipends from the foundation to assist in this work will also be available.
“Homelessness and housing instability are intricately linked to an individual’s and family’s health and wellbeing. People experiencing homelessness have much higher incidence rates of illness and chronic disease. The foundation is taking a holistic approach to health through its systems change work and believes problems are best solved when philanthropy, government, health and human service providers, law enforcement, housing developers, landlords, consumer advocates and community partners strive to address this complex social problem as one,” stated Russell Johnson, president and CEO of the North Penn Community Health Foundation. “Your Way Home Montgomery County is focused on enhancing consumer, service provider and funder efficiencies - coordinating services, eliminating duplicative efforts, building capacity and resiliency in a comprehensive and coordinated effort.”
The foundation’s board has also committed up to $600,000 in funding over the next three years to strengthen the food safety net in Montgomery County. Tomorrow the foundation will formally launch its new initiative that seeks to alter or transform how major parts of the food safety net are linked, function and influence one another. The foundation will partner with local neighborhood and community-based providers to undertake a multi-pronged approach designed to strengthen the food safety net and to reduce hunger in Montgomery County.
“Montgomery County is among the healthiest and wealthiest regions in the Commonwealth, yet an estimated 10.5% of county residents, and 14.5% of children, have difficulty getting enough food,” continued Johnson. “Food insecurity has serious health consequences such as hypertension, diabetes and depression.”
Funding will be offered through the foundation’s Food Security & Nutrition Fund. To begin this work, the foundation is offering up to 12 planning grants of up to $5,000 each. Planning grant recipients will spend four months convening a diverse group of key stakeholders from various sectors that may include the business, faith and education communities; identifying pressing food security needs in their community and developing strategies to address those needs. At the end of the planning period, collaborations will have an opportunity to apply for one of three implementation grants of up to $50,000 each year for up to three years.