Salvation Army of Lake County Awarded $360,000 Grant for COVID-19 Assistance
The Salvation Army of Lake County is grateful to be selected as a recipient for a $360,000 grant from Lake Area United Way (LAUW). The funds will help The Salvation Army provide emergency assistance to Lake County residents who are impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The funds will go to individuals and families who seek assistance with rent and mortgage payments, and utility bills. The LAUW grant will also help The Salvation Army’s three corps community centers in Lake County increase capacity to help the growing numbers of residents requesting assistance during a time of unprecedented need.
“Many who had lost their jobs during the first two months of the COVID-19 pandemic are now out of resources to pay their rent and utilities,” said Captain Brian Clark, Lake County Coordinator for The Salvation Army. “We are seeing growing numbers of households whose rent hasn’t been paid in three months or more, and utility bills ranging from $2,000 to $3,000. We are so grateful to the Lake Area United Way for being outstanding partners in the fight to help people survive this pandemic.”
This new grant will specifically provide relief to Lake County residents who have lost their jobs and income because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and due to no fault of their own. The grant will also allow The Salvation Army Lake County to hire part-time caseworkers to assist in responding to the growing number of calls for emergency COVID-19 pandemic relief.
The $360,000 grant is in addition to the Basic Needs Funding LAUW awarded to The Salvation Army earlier in 2020 to aid low-income Lake County residents with getting enough food for their families and helping them to pay utility bills and rent.
“There will always be people and families with great needs. It is Lake Area United Way’s responsibility to help them survive the current crisis, and it’s our mission to help families thrive,” said Andrea Proulx Buinicki, vice president of community impact. “We are happy to partner with The Salvation Army Lake County in ‘Doing the Most Good’ for our community.”
In the Spring of 2020, The Salvation Army Lake County corps community centers in Munster, East Chicago, and Gary, Indiana, experienced a 500% increase in households requesting emergency assistance for food and other needs. As the state-mandated moratoriums on evictions, foreclosures and power shut-offs have ended, the numbers of households seeking assistance with rent, mortgage and utilities payments have skyrocketed. Lake County residents in need of emergency assistance are urged to contact their local Salvation Army corps community center by visiting www.SalArmyLakeCounty.org.
Learn about all the ways The Salvation Army is responding to the coronavirus – as well as how you can help – at salarmychicago.org/coronavirus.
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For tax purposes: The Salvation Army Metropolitan Division EIN is 36-2167910.