2017-2018 Funded Collaborations
The following partners are receiving funds through the Community Impact Fund for the UWCC fiscal year 2017-2018.
Financial Stability*
Mentoring for Financial Success
Lead: Children’s Network of Southwest Florida
Partners: Drug Free Charlotte County Charlotte County Healthy Start Healthy Families
Program will serve unemployed or underemployed families living in Charlotte County by providing case management and mentoring services. Strengthened families who achieve financial stability and self-reliance is the goal. Families will work with their Project Coordinator and Mentor to develop a Family Support Plan with individualized financial stability goals that identify concrete steps to achieving those goals.
*Additional UWCC programs include the Season of Sharing grant which helps families with rent and utilities & VITA, which provides free tax preparation services to Charlotte County folks.
Education
Charlotte County Reads
Lead: Early Learning Coalition
Partners: Big Brothers Big Sisters Boys & Girls Club Sky Family YMCA Charlotte YMCA
This multi-agency collaborative is focused on streamlining existing reading support services for children age preschool through third grade, with emphasis on those living in poverty. The group is addressing all levels of reading from pre-literacy skill development (reading readiness) to school-age reading support and intervention.
Health and Wellness
Ending Chronic Homelessness
Lead: Virginia B. Andes Volunteer Community Clinic
Partners: Charlotte County Homeless Coalition Charlotte Behavioral Healthcare
Program will serve the chronically homeless individuals in Charlotte County who have complex medical and psychiatric illnesses and who currently share services between the collaborative grant partners. The three agencies will provide an Integrated Care Model to coordinate holistic, wraparound services among chronically homeless clients, including rapid re-housing assistance, physical health care, mental health care, and ongoing case management to ensure client access to federally available benefits.
Building Successful Futures Together
Lead: New Operation Cooper Street
Partners: Charlotte Local Education Foundation Charlotte County Imagination Library
Program reduces poverty and promotes health and wellness of citizens of all ages in Charlotte County by increasing multigenerational educational opportunities, particularly for low income residents living in the Punta Gorda, Charlotte Harbor, and other areas of Charlotte County. Components of the program include expansion of CLEF’s GED program by opening a new site at NOCS; increasing Imagination Library’s delivery of books for pre-school age children; and increasing literacy skills among K-8 students attending the NOCS afterschool program.
Senior Nutrition and Care (SNAC)
Lead: Senior Friendship Centers
Partner: Alzheimer’s Association
The SNAC program comprehensively provides seniors in Charlotte County with congregate and home-delivered meals, EHEAP (utility assistance), and SHINE (Medicare/Medicaid assistance and counseling), while providing additional focus on the unique needs of people living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia, and family caregivers.
Eat Well Live Well: Healthy Choices for Families
Lead: Early Learning Coalition
Partners: Center for Abuse and Rape Emergencies Charlotte County Healthy Start
Drug Free Charlotte County Healthy Families
This collaborative is promoting healthy habits with low income Charlotte County families. Meal planning and preparation will be the focus with facilitation of family workshops (in partnership with the UF Extension Office Family nutrition Program), a community event and training for child care providers and agency staff. The community event will highlight an exciting resource entitled a Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day by Leanne Brown.