12/16/2013
Citizens Bank Foundation grants $72,500 to help individuals and families facing homelessness
Initiative provides grants for homelessness prevention, emergency shelters and transitional housing
Manchester, N.H. (December 16, 2013)– As part of its Citizens Helping Citizens Provide Shelter initiative, the Citizens Bank Foundation today announced it is providing $72,500 in contributions to seven organizations serving the homeless across New Hampshire. These grants will support individuals and families who need housing, food and social services..
“At a time when they are experiencing a significant increase in demand, homeless shelters remain committed to assisting the many individuals and families requiring guidance, help and support,” said Joe Carelli, President of Citizens Bank and RBS Citizens, New Hampshire. “We recognize the challenges these shelters face and hope these grants will ensure safety and stability, warm meals and other essential services for those in need.”
According to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and the Bureau of Homeless and Housing Services, the state’s total homeless population was 2,576 as of January 2013, a 5.4 percent increase over 2012. This included 1,243 sheltered and 442 unsheltered homeless, and 891 who were temporarily residing with family or friends. 418 families are currently homeless in New Hampshire.
The organizations that received grants from the Citizens Bank Foundation are:
Manchester
- Families in Transition: $20,000 to support the construction of the Family Place Resource Center and Shelter, a facility that will house a new family shelter and a comprehensive resource center specifically designed to meet the needs of homeless families and children in the Greater Manchester area.
- Child & Family Services of New Hampshire:: $15,000 for the Street Outreach Program (SOP), which provides survival aids, hunger relief and outreach services to homeless, runaway and street youth ages 12-21 in the Greater Manchester and seacoast communities of New Hampshire. The program will serve approximately 3,200 youth in 2014.
- New Horizons for New Hampshire: $10,000 to support the Shelter Tier System, which helps residents develop and follow a personal plan toward self-sufficiency. Last year, New Horizons sheltered 900 individuals; this year’s volume is expected to be similar.
Nashua
- Front Door Agency: $10,000 for the Prevention and Intervention of Homelessness Program, which helps clients who are at risk of homelessness retain their housing or obtain a new permanent residence if homelessness occurs.
Portsmouth
- Cross Roads House: $10,000 for the Transitional Shelter Program, which offers homeless individuals and families with basic needs such as food, shelter and personalized support to address the issues that led to their being homeless.
Laconia
- New Beginnings Without Violence and Abuse: $2,500 for the Changing Patterns, Changing Lives program, which works with victims to increase financial literacy, food security and overall well-being so they can lead a more self-sufficient life.
Western Region
- Upper Valley Haven: $5,000 to support the Community Services Program, which offers direct assistance to people struggling with homelessness or a housing crisis and are not currently staying at the organization’s shelter. The program assists with living expenses, transportation and medical costs as well as referrals for longer-term assistance and support to regain self-sufficiency.
About the Citizens Helpin Citizens
Grounded in the belief that a good bank gives back to its community and to the people who live there, Citizens Helping Citizens is a program embracing the community goals of RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc. – the commercial bank holding company serving consumer and small business customers as
Citizens Bank and
Charter One and commercial banking customers as RBS Citizens. The Citizens Helping Citizens program is composed of five key initiatives supported directly by RBSCFG and its nonprofit charitable foundations, the Citizens Charitable Foundation, the Citizens Bank Foundation and the Charter One Foundation: Citizens Helping Citizens Fight Hunger, Citizens Helping Citizens Provide Shelter, Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities (economic development), Citizens Helping Citizens Teach Money Management (financial education) and Citizens Helping Citizens Give (volunteerism and colleague charitable donations). Across all of these initiatives, Citizens Helping Citizens strives to enhance quality of life and economic vitality in local communities
