Grant to Create York Rental Stability Network
York, PA — Beginning in March 2020, York County Community Foundation and United Way of York County joined together to create the York County COVID-19 Response Fund, and through the generosity of the community, raised more than $1,195,000. Over the past 18 months, the fund has awarded more than $831,000. We are pleased to announce the Fund’s final grant, awarded to Tenfold to create the York Rental Stability Network.
The $376,000 grant supports the critical work of helping to stabilize households currently in rental housing by providing landlord/tenant information, mediation services, and access to legal services as needed. It will also help households who have been displaced from rental housing to regain housing through targeted outreach to landlords, education, mediation, and accountability, and risk mitigation funds to encourage landlords to rent to tenants who may experience barriers to housing.
“Eviction and displacement have been shown to lead to long-term impacts on health and housing stability,” shared Brittany Mellinger, Tenfold’s Director of the Housing Equality and Equity Institute. “By keeping people in stable housing, or transitioned to new housing, this program seeks to combat the challenges that have escalated during the pandemic — few available housing opportunities and challenges with current landlords and housing situations.”
The York Rental Stability Network is a pilot program that seeks to provide stabilization services to at least 100 households and help them regain stable housing throughout the first two years of operation. Tenfold will work with key local partners for referrals and will coordinate with those partners to ensure households can access needed supports to ensure housing stability.
In 2021 Tabor Community Services merged with LHOP to create Tenfold, a single organization committed to sparking the power in all people to achieve equitable housing and financial security. Tenfold’s broad continuum of services are set up to empower clients to unlock solutions to achieve housing stability, understand their rights under the Fair Housing Act, prevent eviction or foreclosure, and prepare for the purchase of a first home.
With this grant to Tenfold, the York County Community Foundation and United Way of York County will close out the grantmaking capabilities from the COVID-19 Response Fund.
“When we created the York County COVID-19 Response Fund, our goals were to provide funding for the immediate needs of nonprofits keeping York Countians fed and sheltered, but also to think about how to support the evolving needs of nonprofit organizations that serve individuals disproportionally impacted by the pandemic,” said Lise Levin, Vice President of Community Investment for York County Community Foundation. “Now, more than 18 months into the pandemic, we are truly grateful for the outpouring of community support that allowed us to tackle the needs of so many!”
“The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been greater and more sustained than anyone had expected, and we know that this crisis is not over,” said Anne Druck, President, United Way of York County. “Throughout our 100 years, United Way has a long history of convening partners, providers, and resources to address the needs of communities in crisis. With the support of our generous community, we are committed to continuing to support our nonprofit partners and our neighbors so that every person in our community has the resources they need to thrive.”
The York County COVID-19 Response Fund responded to immediate, mid-term, and long-term needs as community needs shifted and emerged since March 2020.
Early in the pandemic, local charitable food sources saw as much as a 300% increase in the need for their services. Through grants from the COVID-19 Response Fund, 12 local organizations were able to distribute 5.4 million pounds of food to more than 93,000 households in York County. Nearly 700 families received rental assistance, allowing them to stay in their homes.
The fund also provided initial funding for Code Blue Emergency Shelter, a ‘cold weather only’ shelter for the homeless during the harsh winter months.
The advisory committees of nonprofits then helped YCCF and United Way identify mid-term education needs for students learning virtually. Four nonprofit organizations received grants to expand care for school-aged children who participated in virtual learning, which allowed their parents to return to work.
Another grant allowed Community Progress Council (CPC) to distribute up to $13 million in CARES Rent Relief Program funding, leveraging local support to disseminate critical federal funds to keep families in their homes. CPC was identified by York County and the Pennsylvania Housing & Finance Agency (PHFA) to process applications for Rent Relief Assistance in York County.
The pandemic raised awareness of some long-term needs in our community, including the childcare staffing crisis exacerbated by the pandemic, and housing stability. The fund awarded an $80,000 grant to Child Care Consultants to provide support to York County early childhood education centers with recruitment and onboarding of staff to address the staffing crisis.
The grant to Tenfold will create a network of support to stabilize households currently in rental housing.
The health and human services helpline 211 continues to be a powerful resource to be shared with individuals who may need additional resources for childcare, food, housing, and other needs in this challenging time. Anyone can dial 211 or text your zip code to #898-211 to talk with a resource specialist for free.
The COVID-19 Response Fund was seeded by a $100,000 lead gift from YCCF’s Fund for York County, the foundation’s most flexible fund designed to address the county’s greatest needs. Additional major contributions have come from the W. Dale Brougher Foundation, Arthur J. & Lee R. Glatfelter Foundation, Powder Mill Foundation, J William Warehime Foundation, Kinsley Foundation, Memorial Health Fund, Women’s Giving Circle, Harley-Davidson Foundation, the Donley Foundation, PECO, Wells Fargo, the Wolf Inaugural Fund and Carol D. Wagman.
For more information about the fund, please visit https://yccf.org/covid-19responsefund/.
To continue to support the work that the York County Community Foundation and United Way of York County lead in our community, please visit donatenow.networkforgood.org/yorkcountycommunityfoundation or www.unitedway-york.org/donate.
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About York County Community Foundation
York County Community Foundation creates a vibrant York County by engaging donors, providing community leadership, and investing in high-impact initiatives while building endowment for future generations. York County Community Foundation holds more than 575 endowed funds and assists donors and nonprofits in reaching their charitable goals. The Community Foundation granted $6.7 million in 2019 throughout York County and beyond, and stewards approximately $165 million in assets.
About United Way of York County
For 100 years, United Way of York County has worked in the York County community to improve people’s lives. It began as The York Welfare Federation, an organization that raised funds on behalf of 17 member agencies. Today, as United Way of York County, the mission of raising community funds remains the same, but the strategies have evolved in order to meet the growing and changing needs of people living in York County.
United Way has adapted over the years and now collaborates with other public and private organizations to engage the community in addressing the complex issues facing York County. By developing initiatives that get at the root causes of these issues, United Way and its partners find solutions and fund programs that improve the lives of nearly 60,000 people annually in York County. Through gifts to the Impact Fund, United Way is able to invest those dollars into 64 programs supported by 34 Partner Agencies. These programs address human services needs across three Focus Areas: Education, Health, and Economic Mobility. This enables United Way to tackle the immediate and continuing needs of York County families and individuals and to create real, lasting change that matters to you and our community.
