Resiliency Grants

“A father came to us after the devastating loss of his wife and son. He had lost his job and was struggling with basic necessities and unfortunately became homeless. On his path to securing housing again for himself and his daughter after finding a new job, he was faced with a significant deposit that was just out of reach for their monthly budget. With United Way’s help, he was able to afford the deposit and move into the apartment. United Way is the trusted partner we can turn to. This kind of programming works.”

“We had a family who had been chronically unhoused for some time. They came to Transition House during a particularly intense period in their lives: unemployed, with a new baby, and struggling to find stability. From the start, they were enthusiastic participants in our program. Both found new jobs and began building a hopeful path toward financial security. But one major obstacle remained, transportation. Ceasar, in particular, struggled to get to work reliably. With everything else the family was juggling, an affordable and consistent mode of transportation was the missing piece to maintaining employment and moving forward. This was a challenge our program alone could not resolve. The cost of a vehicle would have pushed their budget past its limit. That’s when we turned to United Way’s Resiliency Grants program. After a careful review of the family’s budget and resources, the program provided funding for an e-bike, a cost-effective and reliable solution that allowed Ceasar to keep his job.”

“Our client Michael* works in construction, a position often impacted by long periods of severe weather. After the rains in Santa Barbara in 2023, Michael’s hours at work were drastically cut, as projects were postponed or canceled. On top of the temporary reduction in hours, Michael was also hospitalized in January with a severe case of pneumonia. As the months passed, with the reduction in hours and increasing medical bills, Michael’s family began to fall behind on their rental payments, as they struggled to cover other essential needs. With the assistance of the Resiliency Grants program, the family received an award to help cover one month of rental debt owed to their landlord, avoiding eviction and placing them back on track.”

“Since the award letter, me and my family have been blessed with secured housing. [We’re] one step closer to being able to provide the constant stability in all aspects of our goal for self-sufficiency.”

“Sheila* and her granddaughter had been living in a hotel for several weeks after being unexpectedly evicted from their home. The out-of-pocket expenses were difficult for Sheila to cover, despite working full-time at a local restaurant. These additional and unexpected expenses also interfered with the possibility of saving for future move-in costs. While staying at the hotel, Sheila was placed on a waitlist for a transitional housing program, a future solution that still left Sheila and her granddaughter with mounting fees as they awaited placement. Through her family’s case manager Sheila was referred to United Way’s Resiliency Grans Program and was approved for two weeks of hotel assistance, bridging the gap until they were accepted to transitional housing.”

“We were working with a senior with ongoing medical conditions was referred to us from this organization works with individuals who are experiencing homelessness, they help individuals find permanent housing solutions and continue case management and support to ensure they don’t fall back into becoming homeless again. This individual lives on a fixed social security income and had various medical needs that his insurance could not cover. His medical conditions ((hip, leg, back issues, unable to regulate heat, prone to heat strokes, growths on back of his head), make mobility a challenge and create physical limitations and impairments. We were able to assist him in purchasing three items to help him do his daily tasks and help him maintain a healthier lifestyle, items that he would not have otherwise been able to afford on his limited income (recliner chair for elderly, cooling foam mattress, two portable air conditioning units to help regulate his heat.”