Wells Fargo Foundation grants $25K to housing initiative
The Black Hills Area Community Foundation will receive $25,000 from the Wells Fargo Foundation to support efforts to keep people housed in the Rapid City area.
The money will go into the Rapid City Strategic Housing Trust Fund, established at BHACF earlier this year. Executive Director Liz Hamburg says the trust fund was created to support long-term goals of increasing workforce and low-income housing availability; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic hardships, the fund also is addressing more urgent housing issues.
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“This fund is now being utilized as a vehicle for needed rental retention through Pennington County Health and Human Services and its network of nonprofit agency partners,” Hamburg said. “This grant could not have come at a better time as we work to keep people housed.”
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Pennington County HHS Director Barry Tice says his office has provided economic assistance to more than 700 individuals and families since April.
“Many of the community members requesting assistance have never requested economic assistance prior to the pandemic,” Tice said. “These are families who had very good jobs, whose hours were reduced or businesses closed, utilizing any savings they had and are now in need of assistance while they try to sustain their households.”
Tice says the community has demonstrated over many years how to come together to problem solve and address needs together.
“Once again, we have an abundance of support from various organizations, businesses, and philanthropic foundations addressing the economic impact of COVID-19,” he said. “Without these funds and the flexibility they have provided, we would fail to address the needs of numerous community members.”
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Hamburg calls Wells Fargo Corporate Philanthropy a “significant partner” in local Collective Impact initiatives.
Last year, BHACF received a $150,000 High-Impact Grant from the Wells Fargo South Dakota Contribution Council. Two-thirds of that grant was allotted to the Strategic Housing Initiative, while the remainder was earmarked for Collective Impact Food Security efforts.
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David Lust, an attorney and BHACF’s Housing Consultant, says Rapid City’s ability to efficiently and effectively address the housing needs of its workforce will take a joint commitment from local governments, the private sector, and philanthropy.
“The Rapid City Strategic Housing Initiative was created to harness these three sectors and focus on the community's housing needs, and Wells Fargo’s confidence in the newly formed organization is demonstrated by their generous gift,” he said.
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RAPID CITY STRATEGIC HOUSING TRUST FUND
Community members are welcome to donate to the Rapid City Strategic Housing Trust Fund to help address critical housing needs in our area.
Through the Black Hills Area Community Foundation, individual tax-deductible contributions of appreciated stock and estate gifts and corporate and foundation dollars may be given to support the fund. Contact BHACF Executive Director Liz Hamburg at (605) 718-0112 for more information.
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In This Together
Pennington County Health and Human Services Director Barry Tice is quick to offer his appreciation for the property owners and managers who are willing to work with their tenants to keep them in housing.
"We are very grateful to the numerous landlords and property managers in our community who have remained flexible during this time to ensure evictions wouldn’t occur and have made payment arrangements to avoid an increase in our homeless population," Tice said.
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Thank You, Cave Collective!
A huge thanks goes out to Dexter Carman and The Cave Collective, as well as the performers and music lovers who attended the Black Hills Drive Aid Benefit Concert at Roy's Black Hills Drive-In on Aug. 1.
The Cave Collective describes itself as a non-profit, all ages, community arts organizations dedicated to bringing about societal change through cultural engagement. Beneficiaries of the event included the Black Hills Area Community Foundation's COVID-19 Response and Food Security funds.
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