Media Release
July 29, 2020
Windsor, ON – As a trusted partner of the Government of Canada, United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County is allocating $1.34 million in funding to support the needs of vulnerable community members affected by COVID-19 in Windsor and Essex County.
The Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF) provides financial support to charities and other qualified donees so they can adapt their frontline services to support vulnerable Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ECSF is funded by the Government of Canada and is being administered in collaboration with the United Way Centraide movement, Community Foundations of Canada and the Canadian Red Cross.
United Way was selected by the government to distribute the funding based on its ability to respond quickly to the emerging needs on the ground and get the money out into the community promptly. United Way is responsible for administering and tracking the use of these funds and ensuring taxpayer dollars are well spent in support of the COVID-19 local response and reporting back to the federal government.
In May 2020, United Way launched a call for applications. Over the past two months, it received 57 applications totaling $3,552,453 in funding requests from charitable organizations in Windsor and Essex County.
“The pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on vulnerable people across Canada, including Windsor and Essex County. United Way wants to help local service organizations adapt to increasing need and the effects on service delivery due to COVID-19,” says Lorraine Goddard, CEO of United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County. “The fact that United Way received almost three times the number of applications for funding than it can support, demonstrates the impact COVID-19 is having on vulnerable individuals, children and families.”
United Way is pleased to share an update on the recipients of $1,339,890 in federal funding. United Way and its volunteer Impact Council Committee approved 35 programs and services based on criteria agreed upon with United Way Centraide Canada and the government:
- After School Program Collaborative (Big Brothers Big Sisters, CommUnity Partnership, Housing Information Services, South Essex Community Council, United Way Windsor-Essex) – Virtual Learning Program
- Assisted Living Southwestern Ontario – ALSO Connex Project
- Big Brothers Big Sisters Windsor Essex - Waiting List Summer Campy Program
- Brain Injurt Association of Windsor Essex - Brain Connect Project
- CommUnity Partnership - Safe at Home Project
- Community Refugee Fund - Angela Rose House - Shelter Modification Project
- Community Refugee Fund - Access to Technology Project
- Community Support Centre of Essex County - Wellness Wednesdays
- Diocese of London Refugee Ministries - Settlement Services
- Downtown Mission (Windsor Youth Centre) - System Navigation for Youth
- Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative - LIFT RE:ACT Online Program
- Essex County Chinese Canadian Association - Personal Protective Equipment
- Family Services Windsor-Essex - COVID-19 Counselling Support Line
- Global Resource Centre & Justice for Migrant Workers - Supports for Migrant Workers
- Legal Assistance of Windsor - Access to Technology Project
- Legal Assistance of Windsor - Migrant Worker Women and Gender Based Violence Workers
- Legal Assistance of Windsor - Migrant Worker Group
- Mathhew House Refugee Centre - Safe Transportation Project
- National Zakat Foundation - Nisa Homes Program
- Newcomer Collaborative (Multicultural Council of Windsor-Essex County, Women's Enterprise Skills Training, College Boreal, Unemployed Help Centre, Greater Essex County District School Board, New Canadians' Centre of Excellence Inc., South Essex Community Counsil, YMCA Southwestern Ontario) - Newcomer Education: Technology, Access and Support
- Seniors Collaborative (Alzheimer Society, Amherstburg Community Services, Community Support Centre of Essex County, Life After Fifty, South Essex Community Council, VON Windsor-Essex, Windsor Essex Compassionate Care Community, Windsor Essex Community Health Centre) – Windsor Essex Senior Call Assurance Program
- South Asian Centre of Windsor – Health Information Services
- Unemployed Help Centre – Food Assistance Helpline Support
- Victorian Order of Nurses Ontario Branch – Visiting Nursing Project
- Windsor Essex Children’s Aid Society – COVID Relief Resource Room
- Windsor Essex Child/Youth Advocacy Centre – WECYAC Advocate Services
- Windsor-Essex Transgender and Allied Support – Harm Reduction Chemical Dependency Program
- Windsor Islamic Association – Islamic Social and Welfare Assistance
- Windsor Public Library – Technology Home Delivery Project
- Windsor Women Working with Immigrant Women – Technology for Social Inclusion and Learning
- Workforce Windsor-Essex (in partnership with South Essex Community Council) – Taking Your Job Search Online
- YMCA of Southwestern Ontario – Summer Educational Toolkits
- YMCA of Southwestern Ontario – Virtual Babysitting and Home Alone Course
- YMCA Southwestern Ontario – Day Camp for At-Risk Kids
- Youth Connection Association – COVID-19 Counselling & Mentorship Project
“Our federal government stands with these terrific community organizations, and with this investment boosts their ability to do the important work of supporting our most vulnerable residents across Windsor-Essex. We know there is a tremendous need and our community is stepping up as it always does to ensure that no neighbour is left behind,” says Irek Kusmierczyk, MP, Windsor-Tecumseh.
For a final list of funded programs and services, visit www.weareunited.com/funding.
Funded by the Government of Canada
Media Contact: Angela Kharboutli, Interim Marketing & Communications Manager
akharboutli@weareunited.com | W: 519-259-6169 | M : 519-562-7841
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