CaringWorks Earns National Grant to Expand Deaf and Hard of Hearing Support Services During COVID-19 Crisis
CaringWorks, a non-profit agency working to end homelessness by providing access to safe, affordable housing and support services, today announced it received a micro-grant from Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) to help expand health resources for its homeless and deaf clients during COVID-19.
Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), the largest deaf-led social impact organization in the world, selected six recipients for the micro-grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. CaringWorks is the only non-profit organization from the Southeast selected to receive one of these grants. The CSD Unites Foundation, a program developed to help non-profits struggling with resources and adapting services during COVID-19, administered the grants.
CaringWorks provides the only deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) program in the Southeast. The program includes residential treatment and recovery services for homeless men recovering from substance addiction who are also D/HH. The program is offered at Hope House, a 70-bed residential facility operated by CaringWorks for adult men who are homeless and in recovery from substance addiction. Twelve of the beds are designated for men who are D/HH.
Strict quarantine procedures during COVID-19 made it difficult for CaringWorks to provide mental health services and regular monitoring for the uninsured, homeless and deaf men who reside at Hope House. As a result of the micro-grant, CaringWorks will now able to provide virtual mental health support for its DHH clients.
“We are thrilled to receive this grant from Communication Services for the Deaf,” said Carol Collard, Ph.D., president, and CEO, CaringWorks. “As a result of COVID-19, there is an urgent need for telehealth services throughout our organization. Through this micro-grant, we can now meet that need for the homeless and deaf men in our care.”
“The pandemic has disrupted the lives of so many, especially underserved communities like ours and the organizations that serve them,” said Sasha Ponapp, CSD Unites Director. “We are very pleased to offer these micro-grants during such a difficult time and help deliver funding where it can have a significant and positive impact on the deaf and hard of hearing community.”