Community Foundation of Halton North funds the Bob Rumball Foundation for the Deaf, Milton Transitional Housing and Sensity.
The Community Foundation of Halton North is pleased to announce three additional grant recipients for the Emergency Community Support Fund.
Bob Rumball Foundation for the Deaf
The Bob Rumball Foundation for the Deaf will provide support for virtual and in-person communication for Deaf persons with Developmental disabilities. Currently, many Deaf people with an Intellectual Developmental Disability (IDD) are extremely isolated due to COVID-19. Online platforms are difficult to navigate, and friends and family are unable to visit or communicate clearly. With this funding, the Bob Rumball Foundation for the Deaf will adapt existing online platforms to accommodate the special needs of our Deaf clients who live in group homes. Many of these clients have limited skills for both expressive and receptive communication. The grant will also provide special adaptations which will facilitate communication between residents and their families. To accomplish this, additional staff is required who can provide the extra support to the residents during their communication activities. It is a priority to hire Deaf personnel and/or personnel with extensive experience working with Deaf persons.
Milton Transitional Housing
Milton Transitional Housing’s mission is to help families and individuals facing a housing crisis to rebuild and reshape their lives, moving them from HOPE to HOME in partnership with other community organizations and regional agencies. The grant from CFHN will be used to help cover staffing costs related to increased need for case management support during a pandemic. Many of MTH’s clients struggle with mental health and/or addiction recovery and as such, self-isolation within their homes has led to an increased need for case management support beyond the usual weekly meetings. MTH staff have made themselves available 24/7 as client needs and anxieties often manifest at all hours of the day. As well, some money will be used for minor repairs and upgrades in housing units to reflect the needs of clients who are now at home or working from home. Funding will also be used to deliver fresh food boxes/grocery gift cards to clients. Many stores will not accept cash and those living in reduced means often do not have credit or debit cards and struggle to access groceries. Two much needed laptops will be purchased as well to help stay on top of communications between clients and staff. This project helps the community as it keeps the clients housed and supported in a time of great need. Milton Transitional Housing’s goal is to make sure that clients do not relapse into former addictions, are housed and fed.
Sensity
Sensity envisions a world embracing human connections and diversity. Sensity provides Intervenor Services, residential services, programs and supports to people who are deafblind or with sensory loss. Intervenor Services provide people with accurate information in an appropriate manner to enable them to make choices, plan future actions, communicate, navigate their environment and achieve as much independence as possible. Sensity also provides intervenor training to ensure our standards meet the needs of the deafblind community, a unique funding program to support families with a deafblind child and comprehensive education, training and consultation opportunities. Sensity is a founding member of the Deafblind Network of Ontario and a member of Deafblind International. The grant from CFHN will purchase an iPad and accessories will help Halton Hills resident (name withheld for privacy reasons), who is deafblind and relies on a wheelchair for mobility, to connect with the community and alleviate isolation during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The Community Foundation of Halton North is non-profit charitable organization. CFHN is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of representatives from across the communities that make up Halton North. CFHN is one of 191 Community Foundations in cities, towns and rural areas across the nation. Community Foundations will be celebrating 100 years in Canada in 2021. These locally run, public foundations play a critical role in supporting community causes. More information about CFHN is available at www.cfhn.ca or by contacting Executive Director Sue Lawrenson at 905-864-9211.