SJCPF Deploys Over $1M to Alleviate Homelessness and Hunger
Emergency Food and Shelter Initiative (EFSI) Grants Go to Service Providers
(IRVINE, CA, March 10, 2020) — January 2020 marked the eighth year that St. Joseph Community Partnership Fund (SJCPF) has funded nonprofits providing direct services in the areas of food, shelter, and care coordination through its Emergency Food and Shelter Initiative (EFSI). In 2020, SJCPF is granting $ 1.025 million to 46 nonprofit community partners engaged in these direct services for the hungry and homeless in the California communities that its health system serves. This is a reflection of the Providence St. Joseph Health System commitment and legacy to care for the most vulnerable. It is also one part of SJCPF’s larger comprehensive strategy to improve Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) through both services and building community power and capacity to change upstream conditions.
“The services that our EFSI partners provide are critical to the well-being of the most vulnerable in our communities. By funding programs that address hunger, provide shelter, and help those in need receive support services through case management and referrals, SJCPF is taking one of the necessary steps toward increasing individual and community health and well-being”, said Senior Program Officer, Jason Lacsamana.
As SDoH, homelessness and hunger are prominent barriers to community health and well-being for many in California and across the US. As a foundation of a prominent health system, SJCPF is committed to improving these conditions. In California alone, the homeless and hungry populations are large and face complex health concerns:
- According to the 2018 HUD Point in Time estimate, California had 129,972 homeless individuals – the highest number of any state in the United States. The actual count could be substantially higher.
- 7% or 4.6 million of California’s population is/are food insecure according to the California Association of Food Banks
- According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, the top causes of homelessness are: (1) lack of affordable housing, (2) unemployment, (3) poverty, (4) mental illness and the lack of needed services, and (5) substance abuse and the lack of needed services.
Community partners funded by EFSI are working to provide vulnerable individuals with the emergency services and resources that they need. These services are a part of the solution for keeping them as healthy as possible and on the road to better behavioral and physical health outcomes.
About St. Joseph Community Partnership Fund
St. Joseph Community Partnership Fund makes strategic investments in the health and well-being of communities served by of the Providence-St. Joseph Health System. SJCPF works to reduce health disparities and promote equity by investing in systems level impacts on community health issues, and strengthening partnerships and collaboration. Our investments fall into the following four categories: housing and homelessness, education, disaster preparedness, and capacity building of the nonprofit sector. Learn more at https://stjosephcpf.org.
If you would like more information about this topic, please call Jason Lacsamana at (714) 483-0248, or email at Jason.lacsamana@stjoe.org.
Resources
http://www.cafoodbanks.org/hunger-factsheet
https://www.usich.gov/homelessness-statistics/ca/
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-07/homeless-population-mental-illness-disability
Addressing Health Care Needs in the Homeless Population: A New Approach Using Participatory Action Research – https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244018789750