The Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness recently submitted its proposal to the Paul and Phyllis Fireman Foundation to develop an action plan around education and workforce development for homeless and at-risk families. Click here to read the proposal. We are very excited about the potential this planning grant offers to create a visionary and coordinated response to the employment and educational needs for this population.
This proposal’s completion reflects the Network at its finest: support letters from 35 organizations (click here for the summary list) , including state agencies, elected state offices, career centers, regional employment boards, employers, community colleges, health care institutions, housing, child care, and literacy programs – the true gamut of what it will take to create solutions that will make a lasting difference in our region. Thanks to the dozens of you who were at the ready to provide this support; thanks to our ad hoc committee who launched the brainstorm around this opportunity; thanks to United Way of Pioneer Valley and Lori Murphy for their fiscal and administrative support; and special thanks to Andrea Miller who provided her conceptual, writing and table-making partnership from start to finish.
We hope we are at the start of building the critical connections between sustainable housing and sustainable income. Thanks to the Fireman Foundation for the vision to make it possible.
We should hear back from Fireman Foundation around September 9, and we will be sure to let you know.
