Every day, health and human service non-profits provide essential support to local households, including food, shelter, healthcare and more. These services are funded by donations from individuals and businesses, corporate and foundation grants, and state and governmental funding. This array of funding supports direct services and agency operations.
Non-profits fill the gaps when other services are unavailable or unaffordable. However, these organizations do not have the financial resources to provide the full range of assistance necessary to meet all a household’s needs. That requires a variety of resources, including jobs, private benefits, public benefits, and government-funded programs. When some or all of those cease to exist, it strains the safety net supported by the non-profit sector.
When communities shut down because of COVID, people lost jobs, and the non-profit safety net kicked in. Households received assistance from non-profits, which had enough funds and resources for a while. As the pandemic continued, the federal government provided important funding, which many non-profits used to provide food, rent, utilities, and other assistance to households in need…