News & Events | IRCF - Indian River Community Foundation

Community Foundation Philanthropy Rises as COVID-19 Spreads

June 29, 2020 Leave a Comment

Give Together, Get Better. COVID-19 Relief.

A recent article in the New York Times details the increase of donors using their donor advised funds to help charities and individuals affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. The article quotes several studies that have found a monumental increase in donations from community foundations in response to the recent pandemic.

Indian River Community Foundation has also increased funds distributed to local nonprofit organizations in a similar fashion. While most of these funds are sent directly to local charitable organizations serving vulnerable families and individuals, other funds are being sent to the United Way of IRC’s COVID-19 Community Response Fund.

The COVID-19 Community Response Fund has raised almost $1.5 million dollars, reached 27,000 households, and provided almost 2 million pounds of food. As of June 26th, the fund has distributed $1,139,500 to the following local nonprofits:

211
The Buggy Bunch
Camp Haven
CareBag
CareNet Pregnancy Center
ChildCare Scholarships
Children’s Home Society
Economic Opportunities Council
Food Pantry of IRC
For the Love of Paws
Freedom Journey
Gifford Youth Orchestra
Gift Cards
Halo No-Kill Rescue
Heal the Healers
Health Mart and Whole Family Pharmacy
Healthy Start Coalition
Hibiscus Children’s Center
Hope for Families Center
Humane Society of IRC
Moonshot Moment
Prescriptions (TCCH, VNA, Whole Family, CCIRC)
RCMA
Salvation Army of IRC
Senior Resource Association
St. Helens/ UP
The Source
TC Food Bank
TC Homeless Services Council
Treasure Coast Food Bank
Tykes and Teens
United Against Poverty
Veteran’s Council of IRC

If You Have Not Done So Already, Here’s How You Can Help

Make 2020 charitable distributions from donor advised funds to local charities now.
Make a gift to the United Way’s COVID-19 Community Response Fund now.
Make a significant gift to save or sustain a specific charitable organization, especially one serving vulnerable individuals and families.

Please click here to read the entire New York Times article (PDF version)

Comprehensive study details challenges faced by needy residents of Indian River County

June 25, 2020 Leave a Comment

Leaders from Indian River County’s philanthropic organizations, county government, and nonprofit agencies serving the area’s aging and impoverished residents recently completed a comprehensive study of the socio-economic realities in the county.

The Indian River County Community Needs Assessment (CNA) focuses on five main areas: children, economic opportunity, health, housing, and seniors.

Among the main findings in the CNA:

The population of Indian River County is growing fast, particularly its elderly population.
The population is becoming much more racially and ethnically diverse – with the Hispanic/Latino population growing the fastest.
The gap between the very rich and the very poor is very wide. Although Indian River is one of the top-10 richest counties in Florida, more than half of residents are severely financially stressed – either living in poverty, or one or two paychecks away from poverty.
In fact, Indian River County has the 10th largest income gap between the top 1% and the bottom 99% of earners out of 3,061 counties nationwide, according to the study.
Wages are low. The average income is $43,373, yet the cost of living for a family of four locally is $63,145. Many of the county’s 3,000 teachers earn less than the average wage. Wage increases often substantially lag behind cost-of-living increases.
Many people cannot afford safe, quality housing. One-third of the county’s households – more than 20,000 – pay more than 30% of total income on housing. Another 2% are homeless or on waiting lists for government-supported housing.
Many children do not finish high school.
Many residents lack affordable medical and dental care. Almost half of all residents lack dental insurance.
About 25% of senior citizens live alone or are isolated from essential social interaction and rich emotional experiences.
Smoking and heavy drinking among seniors are at rates nearly double the state average, complicating many of the health, social, and emotional challenges that come with age.

The wealth gap in Indian River County continues to widen, “and that is a continuing challenge,” says Jeff Pickering, CEO of the Indian River Community Foundation.

Click here to read the full article on knowherenews.com

Community Needs Assessment says some IRC residents’ lives can be improved through private, public resources

June 23, 2020 Leave a Comment

Indian River County Community Needs Assessment

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — June 22, 2020, written by Janet Begley.

One-half of the county’s residents are living in poverty or at least one paycheck away from it.

And at least 1% of the county’s total population in 2019 was homeless, with more than 150 children not having a permanent residence.

These statistics are identified in a year-long Community Needs Assessment that brought together government, community, philanthropic and nonprofit leaders to identify ways to improve the lives of residents.

The 80-page report points out the need to devote long-term investment of private and public resources if lasting change is expected.

The document points out current and anticipated conditions that need urgent attention in the county, and serves as a starting point for conversations about equity, said Jeff Pickering, president and CEO of the Indian River Community Foundation that helped coordinate the survey.

“Too many of our neighbors work in jobs that do not pay enough to afford safe, quality housing,” said Pickering. “Too many of our children are not prepared for kindergarten, fail to read on grade level by 3rd grade and do not finish high school.”

He said too many county teens engage in risky behaviors like drinking alcohol and vaping; and too many residents lack affordable medical, dental and mental health care.

“Too many of our community’s low-income seniors live alone, in substandard housing without adequate social interaction,” he said.

While Indian River County is one of the top 10 richest counties in Florida, it also has the 10th largest income gap between the top 1% and the bottom 99% of earners out of 3,061 counties nationwide, according to the document.

Annually, the top 1% earn an average of $2.9 million and the bottom 99% earn $43,373, far below the $63,145 a family of four needs to live in the county.

In 2019, typical jobs for low-income individuals and families were service-oriented and paid lower than other communities in Florida. This includes housekeepers, waiters, landscapers and laborers. It also includes many of the county’s 3,000 teachers who earn an average annual salary of $43,094.

“I believe the Community Needs Assessment provides confirmation of some important facts about our community’s population,” said Picketing. “We have a rapidly growing senior population, which includes a large percentage of low-income seniors who live alone with limited access to social and other services. We have a rapidly diversifying population, which includes a growing number of Hispanic and African-American households. And we have a persistent wealth gap that is continuing to widen.”

But the news is not all bad.

The needs assessment points out ways the county made progress over the past decade, particularly before the recent pandemic, according to United Way of Indian River County CEO Michael Kint.

“Since much of the work was completed prior to any widespread awareness of COVID-19, the report’s findings are likely to be overly optimistic, at least for the immediate future,” said Kint. “That said, we are proud of the progress that is being made in certain areas. Infant mortality has decreased, early childhood education is improving and access to mental health and substance abuse recovery services has increased as a direct result of community collaborations.”

Over the next year, the community needs assessment will be used to identify areas where time and money could benefit organizations and projects that are already proving to make a difference.

Community leaders and philanthropists will use the report to develop collaborative efforts that can address some of the more persistent challenges.

For more information about the Community Needs Assessment, contact Indian River Community Foundation at 772-492-1407 or the United Way of Indian River County at 772-567-8900. Digital copies of the executive summary and full report may also be found at www.ircommunityfoundation.org and www.unitedwayirc.org.

Click here for published article in the TCPalm.

Community Needs Assessment Reports Some Progress, Still More Needs

June 1, 2020 Leave a Comment

For the first time in a decade, major funding organizations, donor groups, County government and community leaders came together to assess the needs of Indian River County residents on a comprehensive basis. More than $130,000 in funding for the project was provided by Indian River County, the Florida Department of Health, Indian River Community Foundation, United Way of Indian River County, John’s Island Community Service League, John’s Island Foundation and Head Heart Hands of Indian River Club. The result of this significant collective effort is the Indian River County Community Needs Assessment.

“We believe this report will serve as an important resource that can help stakeholders work toward effective solutions that improve the quality of life in our community,” said Jason Brown, Indian River County Administrator.

Over the span of one year, an advisory committee worked together with the independent Q-Q Consultants to gather, review and analyze information from recent studies, along with input from subject matter experts and the leadership, staff and clients of more than 50 local nonprofit agencies. Residents from across the County, representing some of the most economically challenged neighborhoods, also participated directly by sharing their needs through written surveys in English, Spanish and Creole and by speaking up at focus groups. Overall, the five main areas reviewed in the assessment were children, economic opportunity and employment, health, housing and seniors.

“Since much of the work was completed prior to any widespread awareness of COVID-19, the report’s findings are likely to be overly optimistic, at least for the immediate future,” said Michael Kint, CEO of United Way of Indian River County. “That said, we are proud of the progress that is being made in certain areas. Infant mortality has decreased, early childhood education is improving and access to mental health and substance abuse recovery services has increased as a direct result of community collaborations.”

However, bigger problems persist. “There are some stubborn issues that will require significant long-term investments of both private and public resources if lasting change is expected,” said Jeff Pickering, President and CEO of Indian River Community Foundation. “Too many of our neighbors work in jobs that do not pay enough to afford safe, quality housing. Too many of our children are not prepared for kindergarten, fail to read on grade level by 3^rd grade and do not finish high school. Too many of our teens engage in risky behaviors like drinking alcohol and vaping. Too many of our County’s residents lack affordable medical, dental and mental health care. Too many of our community’s low-income seniors live alone, in substandard housing without adequate social interaction.”

“Philanthropy can help bring new ideas to the table or build promising practices,” Pickering continued. “Someday, however, this community is going to have to dedicate substantial public funding to move the needle in areas like education, healthcare and housing for the most vulnerable if we want to overcome these persistent challenges.”

Volunteers and donors may use the Community Needs Assessment to identify areas where time and money could benefit organizations and projects that are already proving to make a difference. Community leaders and philanthropists may use the report to develop collaborative efforts that can address some of the more persistent challenges. Advocates may use the findings of the Community Needs Assessment to help educate local employers about the benefits of paying their employees a living wage, or to educate taxpayers about the benefits of increasing support for children’s services and education. Government officials can use the report to determine where additional public tax dollars might generate greater impact.

For more information about the Community Needs Assessment, please contact Indian River Community Foundation at 772.492.1407 or the United Way of Indian River County at 772.567.8900. Digital copies of the executive summary and full report may also be found at www.ircommunityfoundation.org and www.unitedwayirc.org.

Originally published in Your Newsweekly, please click here to see the original article.