Trends Challenges and Needs of Loveland s Non Profit Community

Trends, Challenges and Needs of Loveland’s Non-Profit Community October 2008 Women's Resource Center • Gaps in breast cancer care due to McKee's loss of Komen Foundation funding • WRC is seeking to forge new partnerships in breast health care services for their patients Catholic Charities Nothern - Mission • Increase in physically disabled • Increase in number of veterans seen Catholic Charities Northern - Seniors • Increase in the aging population ("senior tsunami") • Anticipate less funding for elderly given United Way's poverty focus with top priorities being families • 10% increase in food assistance • Increase in attendance at the weekend soup kitchen offered by CCN Northern Colorado AIDS Project • Fort Collins seeing a 3% [of general population] testing rate vs. 1% rate elsewhere in the State • Speaks to their outreach efforts • Transportation continues to be an issue due to fuel costs and nearest AIDS care clinic being in Boulder • Working with Salud to bring HIV health services to Larimer County • Only AIDS service center with an in-house mental health/substance abuse program • Increase in demand for services in the NE Colorado counties that NCAP services Alternatives to Violence • Increase in extensive services as well as the short-term services offered to women in domestic violence crises • Increased need for comprehensive life skills for these clients so that returns to abuser are decreased Early Childhood Coalition of Larimer County • 5 child care centers have closed in last 18 months - many of which were Child-Care Assistance Program (CCAP) providers • During this time, only 1 center accepting CCAP has opened; however it is located in an affluent neighborhood and is not geographically located where the need is • Cliff effect - when people previously utilizing CCAP are just over the income guidelines there is no help beyond sliding fee scale programs which are often on a wait list • Need for affordable, quality child care, particularly infant and toddler care, is up Senior Alternatives in Transportation (SAINT) • Anticipates United Way funding to drastically fall or be eliminated • Fuel crisis is being masked by election; gas will continue to rise and SAINT will struggle to pay volunteer mileage reimbursement which could impact volunteerism Project Self-Sufficiency • Recently caught up with waitlist but have been outreaching more and are back to a waitlist • Need for gas and utility assistance has increased • County recently awarded $500K to Women Give/United Way to grant out as childcare assistance for parents in school (which CCAP does not cover) • County has given PSS some short-term funds to help purchase cars for clients • Mental health needs are big and yet not popular to fund - looking at putting in an in-house MH component to the PSS program Loveland Youth Gardeners • Increased number of Thompson School District students served by LYG • Thompson Schools one of the lowest funded districts in the state, thus there is a need for programs like LYG that serves special needs and at-risk kids • Size constraints of the organization is a catch 22 - good one on one ratios; however limits the number of students receiving services • Transportation is an issue • Difficulty for graduating participants to find gainful employment after leaving the program • Due to economy, increased demand for donated fresh produce Rehabilitation Visiting Nurse Association (RVNA) • Increase in requests for services - both skilled and unskilled • Many insurances do not cover homecare and for clients under 65 they are ineligible for Medicare • Also worried that United Way will cut/eliminate funding with new funding protocols • Increases in basic living costs tends to equate to an increase in need for services and decrease in client donations Audio Information Network • All receivers must go from analog to digital by February 2009 • Creation of digital receivers will cost upwards of $300k - AIN's average annual budget is $400k • State of Colorado has provided some assistance via a one-time grant • Change in technology will be difficult for many seniors [listeners and volunteers] to grasp United Way 211 • More middle class families falling into poverty due to job loss, loss of benefits, etc. • Increase in 211 calls since May, 2008 tornadoes - have not decreased since Coalition of Loveland for Education Awareness and Resources (CLEAR) • January 7, 2009 CLEAR and partner Crystal Darkness will air a documentary about meth use state-wide • Plans to deliver resource tool kits to all Loveland households Habitat for Humanity • Increase in applicant families • Rental market is tightening up • HFH looking to purchase foreclosed homes and rent to hh earning less than 30% AMI • HFH will increase their hh eligibility for homeownership to those earning up to 60% AMI Larimer Center for Mental Health-PATH • 6.5 hours of PATH services dedicated to Loveland each week this year • Have reached out to 4 women who are working homeless with mental health needs • Seeing homeless women with grown children - this group is ineligible for services like Project Self-Sufficiency or Interfaith Hospitality Network Neighbor to Neighbor • Middle class more and more "squeezed" - lower incomes struggling even more • Increase in need for foreclosure counseling • Seeing increase in investment property foreclosures even when tenants are paying rent to their landlords • Homeowners who have been foreclosed on are going to rental market decreases available affordable housing to lower incomes • Increase in need for emergency rental assistance Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) • Economy = one more stressor for at-risk families - more difficult to work on family stability • Increased need for and difficulty paying sliding scale fees Community Kitchen • Operating on a 7 days/wk basis now • Food Bank being in town and offering Food Link to agencies have helped keep CK's operating costs low • No formal director - only volunteers - looking to change possibly as funding grows tighter United Day Care Center • Pathways Past Poverty has placed access to affordable child care as top priority for families in poverty • Closure of several childcare centers has increased the need for affordable child care • Some families have resorted to unlicensed care situations Colorado Legal Services • Economic pressures have resulted in increase in Domestic Violence cases • Demand for Consumer Classes have increased • Warrant of Habitability passed in the CO legislature = increased tenant rights • Decreased funding in time of increased needs Partners • 25-30 more youth were served this year over last year's numbers • Number of adult volunteers has decreased due to many taking on second jobs as a result of the economy • Children on the waitlist have special program until partnered with a mentor there is now a waitlist for the waitlist program • Partners will be adding a marketing position this year • The agency is collaborating with Boys and Girls Club, Turning Point and VOA to address needs Suicide Resource Center • 90% of all suicides attributable to some mental health concern - remaining 10% are situational • Anticipate an increase in situational deaths/attempts due to economy Inclement Weather Shelter • October 7th City Council agreed to let the Pulliam Building serve as coldweather daytime shelter this season • It is difficult to get the homeless, particularly chronic homeless, to seek out the services they may need. Shelter coordinator is interested in finding out more about agencies and resources available Larimer Center for Mental Health • LCMH has 4 programs funded by Loveland: Counseling Connections, Namaqua Center, PATH and Substance Abuse Programs • Increased prevalence of mental health/substance abuse/domestic violence issues in times of economic hardship • 60% of Namaqua kids are orphans - and yet funding for residential treatment is down Respite Care • 39% of Respite Care's families are single parent families [dealing with a special needs child] • Increase in emergency/crisis care stays • Increased number of babies with special needs at Respite Center for Adult Learning - Loveland • Expected decrease in enrollment due to economic factors -actually got an increase • Education takes time - it is not a quick fix to go from [functionally] illiterate to literate • Only 93% of the students are poverty level - usually it is 94-95% House of Neighborly Service • In 2007 HNS served an avg of 1,500 people/mo - currently it is 2,100 people/mo • Funding remained stable in 2007, despite decreases in City and United Way funding - for 2008 community/church donations are down • 22% increase in new clients from Sept. 07 - Sept. 08 • Food Baskets have increased in demand 5% in July, 15% in August, and 34% in September over last year comparisons • Emergency shelter for families has increased in need 28% compared to last year - October funds for shelter were already spent as of Oct. 8 • Rx and special medical assistance both increased 12% over last year Food Bank for Larimer County • Food Share demand has increased 12% • Before Food Share opened in Loveland, (2006) 7,200 unduplicated persons were served in September; Last year (2007) 9,300 were served in September; this September 10,500 unduplicated persons were served • In the first 4 days of Oct. - 5000 people were served • More people accessing more frequently • FB may have to decrease level of service - fuel costs rising while donated food is decreasing Elderhaus • The funding landscape is changing focus in many areas. Many funders are now funding coalitions. • Elderhaus is currently involved with a coalition which is very labor intensive in reference to monthly meetings, documentation and reports. • Some foundations are refining the definition of health to no longer include overall health and well-being but strictly medical based. • In addition, primary focus seems to be on children and homelessness which is very important however excludes our population. • Due to a county wide and state wide shortage of secure beds in long-term care unit, Elderhaus is keeping folks in the program longer than we did previously in order to help the client and their caregiver. • Elderhaus has stepped up to the task to help these people because of no other options. Keeping clients in the program longer puts a strain on Elderhaus due to staffing issues. Hearts and Horses • The biggest challenge H&H faces right now is the shift in funding trends towards poverty. While we can justify how our program helps those with disabilities who are a number of times more likely to be in poverty, our services are not a direct link to helping that population move immediately from poverty. Grant makers and funders alike are not as likely to funnel monies our direction because of this and coupled with the state of the economy, we are finding ourselves less funded and do not see an immediate change on the horizon. • Community trends that we see in regard to needs...We piloted a Horses for Heroes program this fall for disabled veterans. There is a great need in our community to provide therapeutic riding to this population and we are working to implement a permanent program for this sub-community. We are also working to start an Equine Facilitated Mental Health Program targeting at-risk youth as well as adults facing serious life challenges brought on by circumstance and/or emotional/mental disabilities. As of today, we should have a program started by the end of this year if not early in '09.