IMPACT 211 Crisis Contact Center Increases Staff to Serve Wisconsin with $100,000 Grant from Bader Philanthropies
Grant is part of more than $1 Million Local COVID-19 Emergency Effort
MILWAUKEE – April 27, 2020 – IMPACT Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse Services, Inc. (IMPACT); a Milwaukee-based nonprofit with 60 years of experience helping those in personal crises access resources to achieve stability; today announced it is adding three employees, two full-time and one part-time, to its 211 crisis contact center staff with a grant of $100,000 from Bader Philanthropies, Inc. IMPACT 211 Community Resource Specialists connect callers to critical lifesaving services, such as food pantries, income assistance, health and mental health care, substance use disorder treatment; as well as coordinate access to emergency shelter and other housing resources for those facing homelessness in Milwaukee during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the COVID-19 emergency, crisis calls to the IMPACT 211 contact center have more than doubled. Milwaukee County Emergency Management, City of Milwaukee Health Department and United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County are all promoting IMPACT as the place for up-to-date resources, including COVID-19 information and assistance.
“The additional staff members will help keep those vulnerable community members safe and healthy by accessing their basic needs such as food and shelter,” said John Hyatt, president and CEO of IMPACT. “The staff will also help people in need of acute mental health crisis assistance and domestic violence services. We are thankful to Bader Philanthropies for providing this grant at a critical time when our community needs us the most.”
IMPACT’s role in southeastern Wisconsin’s response to COVID-19 is built on 60 years of experience helping those in personal crises access resources to achieve stability, as well as collaborating with community partners to foster system improvement. The organization serves the most vulnerable, including the elderly, those with health conditions, those that are living in poverty, those that are recently unemployed and who are in desperate need of the most basic, life-sustaining needs.
“Those in our community who have been marginalized and are suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic are our primary concern with these emergency funds,” said Daniel J. Bader, president and CEO of Bader Philanthropies. “IMPACT’s long-standing expertise in helping those in personal crises access resources to achieve stability and its ability to collaborate with community partners will help those most vulnerable. We recognize that this is a time when we can make a real difference in the lives of people who need many things, including someone who is ready to listen and help alleviate the pressure of today’s reality.”
The IMPACT grant is a part of a larger effort by Bader Philanthropies to quickly help southeastern Wisconsin organizations continue to provide services on the ground in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bader Philanthropies has funded 35 local organizations for a total of more than $1 million dollars to date. The majority of the grants were paid to the organizations in need within ten days of the request. These grants are additional funds and do not impact the rest of the organization’s ongoing grantmaking. The Foundation will continue to support organizations throughout the greater Milwaukee area and Wisconsin at its current funding level.
Since March 26, Bader Philanthropies has also provided emergency grants to the following organizations in Wisconsin: 4th Dimension Sobriety, Inc.; Alma Center, Inc.; Arts at Large, Inc.; City On a Hill, Inc.; Elmbrook Senior Taxi, Inc.; Faith in Action of Marathon County, Inc.; Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Inc.; Fresh Start Learning Inc.; Imagine MKE, Inc.; Islands of Brilliance, Inc.; Jewish Family Services, Inc.; Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, Inc.; Meals On Wheels of Sheboygan County, Inc.; Milwaukee Center for Independence, Inc.; Milwaukee Rescue Mission; Muslim Community and Health Center of Wisconsin Inc.; Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, Inc. (2 grants); Prism Economic Development Corporation (Prism EDC); Riverwest Artists Association, Incorporated; Saint Francis Children’s Center, Inc.; Saukville Community Food Pantry, Inc.; Shalem Healing, Inc.; Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, Inc.; Sojourner Foundation, Inc.; St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care, Inc.; The Gathering of Southeast Wisconsin, Inc.; The Milwaukee Jewish Federation, Inc.; The Parenting Network, Inc.; The Pastime Club, Inc.; TRUE Skool, Inc.; United Methodist Children’s Services of Wisconsin, Inc.; Variety – The Children’s Charity of Wisconsin, Inc.; Westcare Wisconsin, Inc.; and Wis Hope, Inc.
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About IMPACT Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse Services, Inc.
IMPACT Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse Services, Inc. is a private non-profit organization that has served southeastern Wisconsin for 60 years. IMPACT helps people take the first step toward changing their life, for good. It assesses and guides those experiencing personal crisis toward resources to achieve stability; and collaborates with community partners to foster system improvement. It does this through comprehensive assessment of complex problems; expert navigation and connection to appropriate resources, collection, analysis and interpretation of data, and implementation of research-based planning and process evaluation. For more information on IMPACT, visit impactinc.org.
About Bader Philanthropies, Inc.
Milwaukee-based Bader Philanthropies, Inc. is a philanthropic leader in improving the quality of life of the diverse communities in which it works. The organization funds innovative projects and programs, convenes partners, and shares knowledge to affect emerging issues in key areas. Since its founding in 1992 as the Helen Bader Foundation, the organization has committed more than $300 million in grants and program-related investments, such as loans and equity investments that advance its charitable mission. For more information on Bader Philanthropies, visit www.bader.org.
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