| Organization information | |
|---|---|
| Organization Name | Arbor Circle |
| Please tell us the amount of funding you are requesting Aware to raise for your organization from the Aware annual fundraising event. | $10,000 |
| If your organization received Aware funding in the previous years, how many clients were serviced and/or how many services were provided with those funds. If you receive Aware funding this current year, how many clients will be serviced and/or how many services will be provided with these funds? | Last year, Arbor Circle received a grant of $10,000. These funds supported and sustained counseling/therapy services for youth working with and staying at The Bridge, bolstering staffing resources specific to these services while providing an initial connection to engage these young people with the potential for long-term support when needed. The Bridge, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serves youth in both Kent and Ottawa counties. When paired with other funding support, this grant helped Arbor Circle 60 youth thus far this year. This year, Arbor Circle respectfully requests funds to serve youth/young adults seeking supportive housing solutions while removing barriers disproportionately impacting LGBTQIA+ youth and youth of color. By giving youth direct financial and rental assistance, this project seeks to prevent, solve or resolve episodes of homelessness. Services provided will include, but are not limited to: assistance addressing or clearing criminal backgrounds, connection to education/training resources (including financial assistance), connection to employment, and connection to community activities and groups. |
| Please provide a listing of the Officers and Board members of your organization. | Mark Nettleton - Chair |
| Your Contact Information | Taylor Greenfield |
| Phone | 616.745.6325 |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Scoring Criteria | |
| 1. Description of the Organization (maximum 5 points, please limit to ½ pages) | Arbor Circle began in 1996, the result of six non-profit organizations joining together to better serve the community. Today, it has services in 12 counties in West Michigan. The operating budget of over 22 million supports the work of 300 social workers, psychologists and other employees who annually serve over 12,000 children, youth, adults and families. The organization is accredited by the Joint Commission, a nationally recognized accrediting body and undergoes an annual independent financial audit. Arbor Circle services include mental health, substance use counseling and prevention services, foster care and adoption, shelter and supportive services to runaway/homeless youth and a continuum of early childhood and family services that offer seamless care to families with young children. Arbor Circle is well established in the West Michigan area with deep roots in our community. In addition to our five physical locations in five counties (Allegan, Kent, Muskegon, Newaygo, and Ottawa), we serve an additional seven counties through the Great Start to Quality Program (Ionia, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Oceana, and Osceola counties). Across our 50 programs, Arbor Circle continues to put our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at the forefront of our work. |
| 2. Funding Request (maximum 35 points, total, please limit to 1 page) | The goal of this project is to provide youth with supportive housing solutions and address barriers to accessing stable housing and securing their future. These funds, when paired with other resources, would support Arbor Circle in serving up to 10 youth over the course of the granting period. In addition to receiving direct financial support to remove barriers resulting in housing insecurity, youth will have access to mental health support and direct connections to other resources. Arbor Circle’s Youth Services seek to provide youth with comprehensive services that address not only immediate and basic needs but help build the foundation for ongoing wellness and stability. The following outcomes are projected for youth supported by this project: • Up to 10 youth would be served through direct financial assistance. The target population for this project is youth experiencing homelessness ages 18-24, often from demographics who face higher risks of homelessness. This includes youth who identify as LGBTQIA+, pregnant and parenting youth, youth with systems-involvement or a history of systems involvement including foster care, juvenile justice, and mental and behavioral health, survivors of trafficking and exploitation, and youth with disabling conditions. These funds would support youth in receiving critically needed resources at a particularly vulnerable point in their lives. Each youth served will be eligible for up to $1,500 in direct funding to support removing barriers to housing such as fines, overdue bill payments, and/or rental assistance on the deposit for an apartment. These barriers impact youth identifying as LGBTQIA+ and youth of color at a higher rate than other demographic groups. The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) notes that youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, or queer-questioning (LGBTQ) often experience severe family conflict stemming from their sexual orientation or gender identity. Recent estimates provided by NAEH state that LGBTQ youth represent almost 40% of homeless youth. Local data within Kent County shows that nearly 27% of all Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) identify within the LGBTQ community; their identity often a contributing factor to their episode of homelessness due to a lack of family acceptance. |
| 3. Funding Justification (maximum 40 points, please limit to 1 page) | This request for funding is part of a larger effort to secure funds that can be delivered directly to the youth being served. The majority of our funding for Arbor Circle Youth Services is through larger State and Federal grants; these dollars are dedicated to staffing and program costs and do not allow for flexibility when addressing specific youth needs in this way. This request would provide flexible support up to $1,500 per youth served to address barriers for which no other similar support exists. $1,500 is the average amount of support needed by youth seeking housing support to address various challenges including fines, bill payments, rental assistance or a deposit on a living space. Organizational operating funds are split as follows: |
| 4. Summary | This request is to support Arbor Circle, a West Michigan focused organization serving children, youth, adults, and families through programs designed to advance their mental wellbeing. A generous grant of $10,000 from West Shore Aware would support Arbor Circle’s Youth Services in serving youth/young adults seeking supportive housing solutions while removing barriers disproportionately impacting LGBTQIA+ youth and youth of color. By giving youth direct financial and rental assistance, this project seeks to prevent, solve or resolve episodes of homelessness. These funds, when paired with other resources, would support Arbor Circle in serving up to 10 youth over the course of the granting period. Each youth served will be eligible for up to $1,500 in direct funding to support removing barriers to housing such as fines, overdue bill payments, and/or rental assistance on the deposit for an apartment. The target population for this project is youth experiencing homelessness ages 18-24, often from demographics who face higher risks of homelessness. This includes youth who identify as LGBTQIA+, pregnant and parenting youth, youth with systems-involvement or a history of systems involvement including foster care, juvenile justice, and mental and behavioral health, survivors of trafficking and exploitation, and youth with disabling conditions. These funds would support youth in receiving critically needed resources at a particularly vulnerable point in their lives and assist them in building a foundation for success. |
| Application Agreement | This is an application, otherwise known as a Request for Funding (RFF), from
West Shore Aware. This RFF is a request from your organization to Aware, for Aware to host a
Fundraising Event for your organization. By completing this RFF, your organization is requesting to be considered by Aware’s membership for an Aware fundraising event to be held during the summer of this year, also known as the White Party.
If your organization is chosen for a fundraising event by the Aware membership, your organization will agree to the following terms and conditions for the said fundraising event. 1. Aware will be given and provided full credit for the fundraising event in all of you organization’s publicity and advertising for said event, to include but not limited to event posters, newspaper advertising, handouts, radio and television advertising for the event, and organizational announcements concerning the event. 2. Your organization will only use the funds raised by Aware from said event for the purpose described in the RFF submitted to Aware. 3. Your organization understands that West Shore Aware is a philanthropic organization of LBGTQ+ individuals and their supporters, and that the funds your organization receives from Aware will be coming from the West Michigan lakeshore community. 4. The funds received from Aware as a result of the fundraising event will be net, after expenses for said fundraising event are paid. 5. Aware may use the name of your organization in its own advertising and publicity as a recipient of funds.. 6. Your organization will supply Aware with written approval to hold, or be part of a fundraising event held by Aware. 7. West Shore Aware reserves the right to audit any organization that receives funding to determine whether the funds were used as described in its RFF. 8. Your organization will allow West Shore Aware to use you organization’s name on the West Shore Aware website. In addition, if your organization has a website, you will link that website to the West Shore Aware website and allow West Shore Aware to link to your organization’s site. West Shore Aware’s web site link must remain on your web site for a full year from the date of the monetary disbursement. Failure to do so will disqualify you from requesting future funding. Once you have completed the RFF and agreed to the aforementioned, please submit it. Please sign this document below, indicating acceptance of the aforementioned terms and conditions. By signing the document, you acknowledge your organization is a registered 501(C) 3 Charitable organization. |
| Signature | |
| Date | 04/12/2024 |
| Ready to Submit |
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