Cleveland, OH - The MetroHealth System is making grants totaling $180,000 to three Cleveland nonprofits.
Two of the organizations – FrontLine Service and the Journey Center for Safety and Healing – share MetroHealth’s mission to care for under-resourced or often-ignored populations. FrontLine delivers behavioral health assistance to clients in crisis, many of whom are without permanent homes or have had their lives disrupted by violence. The Journey Center, formerly known as the Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center, works with victims of domestic violence and child abuse and their families.
The already difficult work of both organizations has been made even harder by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Journey Center, for example, traditionally received many referrals through schools, but that has been disrupted because of remote learning. FrontLine’s clients have added the burdens of COVID to problems that already can seem overwhelming.
FrontLine and the Journey Center will each receive $50,000.
MetroHealth is also giving $80,000 over the next two years to the Metro West Development Organization to support beautification projects along the West 25thStreet Corridor that borders the health system’s main campus. These efforts will complement on-going partnerships between MetroHealth and Metro West, including master planning and EcoDistrict planning in the community around the main hospital, all with a goal of enhancing the neighborhood and improving opportunities for its residents.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, MetroHealth has continued to help those in need by providing both health care and assistance with non-medical issues such as food insecurity and social isolation. Partnering with community organizations to help those in need is key to MetroHealth’s mission.
“Both FrontLine and Journey have worked hard to overcome challenges to provide services that are desperately needed,” said MetroHealth CEO and President Akram Boutros, MD, FACHE. “Metro West is a vital partner as we continue to build our new hospital campus and make sure inclusive development happens in our neighborhood.”
“We know unreported cases of abuse are even higher than usual because of the pandemic,” said Melissa Graves, Executive Director of The Journey Center. “With MetroHealth’s assistance, we will educate new partners to spot abuse and redouble our efforts to help vulnerable families.”
“COVID has made the lives of our clients even more dangerous and uncertain,” said Susan Neth, CEO of Frontline Service. “By using this money from MetroHealth to help them with basic needs including healthy food and transportation to their appointments, we hope to restore some stability and dignity to their lives.”
“Even in the midst of the pandemic, our neighborhood has continued to move forward in 2020,” said Ricardo León, Executive Director of Metro West Development Organization. “This money from MetroHealth will help us celebrate that progress and create a more pleasing, positive environment along the West 25th Street Corridor.”
For more information, please follow the links to Frontline Service, the Journey for Safety and Healing and MetroWest. Read more about MetroHealth’s mission here:https://news.metrohealth.org/.
Photo courtesy of MetroHealth
(Copyright, iHeartMedia, 2020)
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