Two fewer programs are getting United Way funding this year after the Sarnia-Lambton agency’s campaign fell short of its $1.65-million needs target.
“It’s always a difficult choice, even if we do achieve the target,” executive director Dave Brown said after the campaign finished with $1.426 million, about 87 per cent of its goal.
“There’s always more requests than money available,” Brown said.
Ultimately, 28 programs will be funded in 2023 across 16 recipient agencies, including the Canadian Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Inn of the Good Shepherd and Walpole Island First Nation.
An extra $8,600 is going to the YMCA Resource Houses program that gives youngsters in need before- and after-school snacks and sometimes lunches, officials said in a news release.
That boost was necessary because the need had grown in recent months as food costs increase, Brown said.
Twenty-five of the programs receiving funding also were funded in 2022, the executive director said.
The John Howard Society withdrew its application for Youth Life Skills program funding, as it was being duplicated through the opening of a youth wellness hub and other drop-in centers in the community, officials said in the release.
About $50,000 for a transitions facilitator at Community Living was unfortunately cut, despite doing “amazing work”, officials said.
The ask didn’t fit as well with the United Way’s current focuses on poverty reduction, mental-health initiatives, and youth and seniors, Brown said.
“We felt that we really had to focus on what our priorities were,” he said.
There were new applications this year too that looked good but didn’t get funding, he added.
“Just because we cut them, it’s not a reflection on the quality of service. … We just ran out of money.”
A $15,000 Critical Services Grant was also approved for River City Vineyard to pay for mattresses for a shelter expansion.
The critical services fund – held in reserve for critical service needs throughout the year – usually receives two to three per cent of campaign funding, but didn’t get a top-up this year, Brown said.
About $30,000 to $40,000 remain in that account, he said. The United Way typically awards two to three grants from the account per year.
Another $170,000 from the campaign went to administrative costs, he said.
There was another $90,000 from donors that was not counted in the campaign since the funds went to donor-specified agencies and programs that aren’t United Way-targeted agencies.
“That $90,000 we do not count in our campaign because it can’t be used for our agencies,” Brown said.
Applications, meanwhile, are open until Feb. 21 for nearly $333,000 in a separate federal Community Services Recovery Fund, aimed at supporting non-profits and charities in adapting and modernizing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said in the release.
Information about applying for that money is available at theunitedway.on.ca.
The United Way is grateful for the funding, Brown said.
“I still believe we’re going to get far more requests than the money that’s available,” he said.
UNITED WAY SPENDING
Big Brothers Big Sisters: Matching Program-$80,000; Big Bunch-$20,000; Go Girls & Game On – $30,000
Boys & Girls Club: Out of School Programs-$81,667; Summer Program – $12,000
Canadian Red Cross: Meals on Wheels-$31,000; Transportation-$58,000; Homeward Bound – $30,000
County of Lambton: COVID-19 School Food Delivery – $16,650
Family Counseling Center: Counseling-$87,000; Distress Line/Tel Check – $50,782; Suicide Prevention – $20,000
Habitat for Humanity: Handyman Program – $15,000
Inn of the Good Shepherd: Income Tax Clinics – $28,000
John Howard Society: Rapid Housing – $70,000
Lambton Elderly Outreach: Transportation-$55,000; Meals on Wheels – $16,600
New Beginnings, ABI & Stroke Recovery: Community Integration – $20,000
North Lambton CHC: Opening Doors (Sarnia & Forest) – $60,000
Rebound: Early Intervention & Prevention – $50,000
Salvation Army: Rent/Utility Assistance – $40,000; Dental Assistance – $17,000; Medical & RX Assistance – $10,000; Hearing Aid Assistance – $10,000
YMCA: Resource Houses – $93,600; Autism Summer Camp – $30,000
Walpole Island First Nation: Warming Shelter – $55,000