CSH has selected New Mexico Appleseed and the Memphis-based Community Alliance for the Homeless (CAFTH) to receive two separate grants that will determine if Pay For Success (PFS) financing can help create supportive housing for families without homes who also experience high instances of open child welfare cases.
CSH anticipates Appleseed and CAFTH will receive approximately six months of technical guidance to determine if PFS is a realistic supportive housing funding option for them to pursue.
“We are incredibly honored to be recipients of this important award, but the real beneficiaries are the children in New Mexico at risk of abuse and neglect because their housing is not healthy, stable, or safe,” said Jennifer Ramo, Executive Director of New Mexico Appleseed. “The end result of all this work is that those children will live in a home where they can focus on studying and playing, as every child should.”
The Center for Healthcare Strategies will assist CSH in providing guidance to Appleseed and CAFTH during their grant awards.
“As a leader in the fight to end homelessness in Memphis/Shelby County, Community Alliance for the Homeless believes that our community is equipped with resources to impact positive change,” said Cheré Bradshaw, Executive Director of CAFTH. “The technical assistance provided by CSH will significantly broaden our organizational capacity to promote the well-being of child welfare-involved families experiencing homelessness through the Pay-for-Success initiative. The technical assistance from CSH will significantly enhance our ability to end family homelessness in our community.”
A third grant has been awarded to the Community Service Council (CSC) in Tulsa for technical assistance to further advance a PFS initiative undertaken by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS), which is designed to help youth ages 17-25 transitioning out of foster care or the criminal justice system who lack stable housing or have experienced homelessness or are chronically homeless.
CSH anticipates CSC will receive approximately 12-18 months of technical guidance from its experts as well as the Nonprofit Finance Fund. The goals are for CSC and partners to build capacity and services to actively participate in the ODMHSAS’ effort to create supportive housing for transitioning youth through PFS financing.
“CSC and other key leaders from across the state have been working on the Oklahoma Opportunity Youth PFS project under the leadership of the ODMHSAS since 2014” said Patrice Pratt, Community Service Council division director for housing and homelessness. “CSC and our partners are honored to be selected for this opportunity. This grant will assist Oklahoma in taking the next step, developing the quality infrastructure and capacity for providers to achieve successful outcomes through the Oklahoma Opportunity Youth PFS project.”
All three of the awards announced on March 19 are made possible because of funding received from the Corporation for National and Community Service combined with additional financial support from CSH’s philanthropic foundation partners.
