07/17/2019 (3) - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

B. Organizational Capability 1. Provide the mission statement and vision of your organization: Mission Statement: To serve those in poverty by providing crisis care, case management, transformative education, food and household subsidy, employment training and placement, personal empowerment training and active referrals to other collaborative social service providers. Vision: Our vision is to improve income levels of those that are living below poverty to provide the necessary job coaching and mentoring to help participants progress on a career path that results in them reaching economic self-sufficiency. Our goal is to increase the number of families lifted to self-sufficiency each year. Over the last five years we have experienced steady growth and demonstrated success affecting change in the lives of those living in poverty. United Against Poverty continues to identify and develop transformational programming using evidence -based curriculums and innovative methods to meet the needs of those we serve. In 2013, work readiness and employment became the primary focus within our continuum of services to assist in lifting individuals and their families out of poverty. 2. Provide a brief summary of your organization, including areas of expertise, accomplishments and population served. United Against Poverty, Inc., formerly Harvest Food & Outreach Center, was founded 13 years ago in Indian River County by Austin and Ginny Hunt. Both had experienced the realities of living in homes that struggled financially and it was this journey that gave them the passion to help those in need. began with an innovative food assistance program to help the working poor retain valuable household resources. The first "Member Share Grocery Program" opened in 2003 in South Vero and since then, thousands of families have received an empowering hand up to support themselves with dignity. This program is open to members whose household annual income is below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. It offers access to shelf -stable foods, fresh protein items and produce and household items. Members of this program are required to pay a nominal fee and share of the cost to bring these goods to the program (i.e. shipping and handling). The member share is typically a fraction of what an item might cost at a traditional grocery market (on average members pay approximately 35% of what items would typically cost in a traditional grocery store setting.). This program is a self-sustaining social enterprise model. Approximately 70% of the products available through this program are donated and would have otherwise been destroyed by our procurement partners or sent to landfills. Approximately 30% of products available are purchased either on the secondary food market. Net revenues from the Member Share Grocery Program are used to purchase nutritionally dense protein products. Based on the success of this model, in 2006 we opened a second facility in St. Lucie County. This campus currently serves over 489 families per day. The location and size of this campus provided the opportunity to develop support programs that broadened the scope of the mission beyond hunger relief. Collaborating with existing expert social service providers, our staff were able to help those facing homelessness stay off the streets, those needing crisis intervention get their basic needs met, help children and families who are uninsured and need medical assistance, give families the skills and information they need to find employment opportunities, and most importantly give people hope to break free from the cycle of poverty. 2009 brought new economic challenges to area children and families struggling, so in October we opened Phase I of the North Vero Beach campus. This location also houses the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) Access Florida Program and a Life Enrichment Center staffed with caseworkers that assist families with educational opportunities for emergency food boxes, crisis counseling, and intervention. Phase II, included the addition of a new Member Share Grocery program which opened in January of 2010. Our Life Enrichment Center also opened at that time and began teaching Life Skills Education to our participants. Coursework included "Money Management", "Support Systems", "Goal Setting", "Preparing for the Workplace and Stress Management". In May of 2011 we added the "Passport to Prosperity" Program. In partnership with Workforce Solutions, Inc. this program combined Life Skills Education with On -the -Job Training to families receiving Public Assistance Benefits with the goal of transitioning those receiving assistance to self-sufficiency. And in June 2013, we expanded our Life Enrichment Center from 500 to 5,000 ft. and have since increased the numbers served through transformational educati-i 5 -/-ams by over 85% from 2012 to 2018.