Securing Food, Shelter, Safety & Transportation

The Food, Shelter, Safety and Transportation (FSST) Community Council is focused on meeting individuals' basic needs. The FSST Council develops programs that ensure people at risk have access to nutritious food and stable housing in a safe community. It creates opportunities for reasonably priced and timely transportation to employment and services and advances a community of self-sufficient citizens. Additionally, the Council is currently extending its role from safety net services to programs that allow people to build towards their futures. FSST Council will include strategies to promote financial stability and economic independence for hardworking individuals and families while still keeping the safety net in place.

The United Way has offered two rounds of competitive funding (2004 and 2005) for programs that target priorities in Facing Facts. Councils also work on a variety of Community Initiatives and projects to address the priorities of Facing Facts. To follow is a summary of the current work of the Food, Shelter, Safety and Transportation Community Council.

FSST Council Chair: Diane Frea, The State Newspaper

United Way of the Midlands Director: Jennifer Moore

Food, Shelter, Safety and Transportation Community Council
Grants and Initiatives by Priority

Priority I. Increase Access to Emergency Food and Promote Nutrition

Ability to afford food continues to be a significant problem in South Carolina. The state ranks first in the nation for hunger and food insecurity. The Food, Shelter, Safety and Transportation council awarded a 2007 grant of $50,000 to renew Harvest Hope Food Bank's successful program to establish emergency food pantries in rural areas in Lexington, Richland, Fairfield, and Newberry counties. The program assists local community organizations in rural areas to establish sustainable food pantries while following safe food handling practices. To date, the program has assisted 8,484 hungry people with more than 309,422 pounds of food. An additional $8,000 award, through the Edisto Council, will establish a pantry in Calhoun County.

Priority II. Ensure Individuals have Shelter and Improve Access to Affordable Housing

In 2005, MIRCI was awarded a United Way of the Midlands grant for its Home Base program to provide services to people who are homeless and mentally ill and who are in MIRCI permanent housing. The program provides not only housing, but the supportive services that the clients need to remain in housing. The United Way funding allowed the agency to access federal HUD funds for the housing components. The award was renewed in 2007 for $75,000.

The Family Shelter was awarded a United Way of the Midlands grant in 2005 to provide services and support to homeless families and to move them in to permanent housing as soon as possible. The 'PATH' program has a Housing Coordinator to help clients identify and address barriers to reentering housing such as credit or lack of security deposits and then helps the clients find a safe, affordable place to live. The award was renewed in 2007 for $37,500.

The United Way partnered with the City of Columbia to develop the Blueprint to Address Homelessness in the Midlands. The City of Columbia adopted the Blueprint as their ten-year plan to address homelessness. The Blueprint was developed over a ten month period by engaging community leaders, service providers, elected politicians, business leaders, the general public and persons experiencing homelessness. The goal of the Blueprint is to significantly reduce homelessness in the next ten years and return people who are homeless to meaningful lives. The Blueprint strives to achieve this goal in a manner that fully respects the dignity and quality of life for all our citizens. The Blueprint is based on ten key strategies to be pursued over a ten year period. Because the plan offers strategies for addressing immediate problems as well as those that require more long term and preventive efforts, the timeliness and resources required vary. What must remain constant is the community's resolve to implement them with fidelity. Over time, emergency shelter requests should decrease as affordable and supportive housing options increase and the community shifts its focus to prevention. To reduce homelessness and improve the quality of life for all members of our community will require a well developed continuum of services and housing to meet the diverse needs of people who are homeless. It also will require a willingness among all stakeholders to approach an old problem with new solutions.

The United Way of the Midlands administers the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP). EFSP is a federally funded program created to supplement and expand the work of local social service agencies. The funds are designated for food, shelter and rent/mortgage and utility assistance and are available to social service and governmental agencies in Richland, Lexington, Fairfield and Newberry counties. The deadline for funding applications is January 2008. Awards will be made in early February.

Priority III. Assure Timely and Affordable Transportation

The Cooperative Ministry was awarded a United Way of the Midlands grant in 2005 for a car repair program, E.A.R.P., to assist the working poor who depend on transportation for employment. The program works with clients to do a variety of car repairs such as transmission and engine work and provides information on basic car maintenance. Bus passes are also available to assist with transportation to medical appointments, work and school. This program ensures that clients have reliable transportation in order to retain or improve their employment. The award was renewed in 2007 for $75,000.

Priority IV. Increasing Financial Stability

The purpose of this 2007, $40,000, three-year grant for increasing access to benefits is to help individuals and families become more financially stable by increasing their access to mainstream entitlement benefits. The Cooperative Ministry will lead and train three human service agencies, Good Samaritan House in Winnsboro, We Care in Chapin, and Lexington Interfaith Community Services to implement the program and ensure that it reaches many people. The Cooperative Ministry expects to screen more than 10,000 people in Lexington, Richland, Fairfield, and Newberry counties through the program. These screenings will result in applications for assistance and recommendations for other case management. In addition, they expect to assist and track up to 2,600 eligible clients as they address barriers and increase participation in benefits programs, which help create opportunities for success.

For the upcoming 2007 tax year, the United Way of the Midlands seeks to increase the number of free tax preparation sites and launch an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) outreach campaign in coordination with the sites. EITC is a federal income tax credit available to working individuals and families. EITC is the nation's largest and most effective federal aid program to raise individuals and families to or above the poverty line while encouraging work. However, it is estimated that up to 15-20% of eligible EITC refunds go unclaimed each year. For the Midlands this is estimated to be over $20 million annually lost to the community. The United Way of the Midlands seeks to close this gap through the upcoming EITC and free tax preparation campaign.

Food, Shelter, Safety and Transportation Community Council Non-Competitive Grants

Agency	Program Name	Description	2007 Funding
American Red Cross-Central Chapter	Emergency Assistance	Disaster Relief to Citizens and Emergency Communications for Families with Military Members	$247,407
Family Service Center of South Carolina	Traveler's Aid	One-time Travel Assistance for Individuals and Families	$18,218
Salvation Army	Emergency Assistance	Shelter and Related Services to Individuals	$189,150
Sistercare, Inc.	Emergency Shelter	Shelter and Support Services for Women and Children Experiencing Domestic Violence	$20,865
The Family Shelter	Emergency Shelter	Shelter and Related Services for Families	$80,479