The Open Door Shelter is pleased to announce that it has received a $3,000 grant from Fairfield County’s Community Foundation as part of their Fund for Women & Girls Small Grants program for Fall 2017. These funds will help homeless mothers achieve economic independence.
This grant will make it possible for The Open Door Shelter to provide child care for homeless single mothers so that they can attend workforce development programs and develop the job skills needed to obtain and maintain employment, leading to economic independence and permanent housing. As part of the program, transitional coaches will work with each woman to develop a strength-based goal plan, enabling her to address the issues that led to homelessness, receive job skills training, obtain employment and eventually obtain family housing.
“This gift of support from Fairfield County’s Community Foundation helps fill a crucial need in our community. The Open Door Shelter is working with single mothers every day to help them on the path to success, and those successes have been inspiring. Child care is a huge barrier for moms getting job training, and this gift can mean the difference between a survival job and a living wage job,” said Jeannette Archer-Simons, Executive Director of The Open Door Shelter.
Fairfield County’s Community Foundation promotes philanthropy as a means to create change in Fairfield County, focusing on innovative and collaborative solutions to critical issues impacting the community. Individuals, families, corporations, and organizations can establish charitable funds or contribute to existing funds. The Community Foundation is in compliance with the Council on Foundations’ national standards, and has awarded over $207 million in grants to nonprofits in Fairfield County and beyond. For more information, visit www.fccfoundation.org.
