Demand has been light for assistance under the Woolwich Residents Support Fund (WRSF), but that’s expected to change as the pandemic drags on and other supports start to fall off.
The fund was launched last April by Woolwich Community Services in conjunction with the township as officials looked to help those who were struggling during the first provincial lockdown.
In total, about $75,000 has been collected for the donation-driven fund over the past nine months. Despite all that has gone on since COVID-19 started, however, not many people have put in requests to access funding.
Kelly Christie, executive director of WCS, said she expects that to change over time.
“We’re very grateful that money is available to support residents in our community. The need for financial assistance due to the impact of COVID is going to be more long-term than absolutely immediate today. … Quite often, people don’t reach out for support until absolutely necessary – they tried to do it on their own, and then there was a lot of financial support from different levels of government. So, we’ve only had a couple requests for the funding. And, as I say, we anticipate that money will be well used later on this year and moving forward,” said Christie.
She says there are a few applications on her desk for review, but after being done with them, she expects only $1,500 will have been distributed at that point.
Christie cites the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and other government support programs that emerged last year as the reason so few requests were made.
Those eligible for the fund must be a resident of Woolwich Township, be experiencing a family crisis and/or have a family member experiencing a crisis, have no means of financial support to cover the cost of the service or unique needs, and be able to provide documentation on current financial situation.
Once an application is submitted, it is reviewed by WCS and Community Care Concepts (CCC), which then makes a decision.
For those who are able to help, Christie asks people to consider donating to the fund so more people can be supported as time goes on.
To donate, residents can click on the donate now button on the WCS website, mail a donation to 5 Memorial Ave. (citing the fund in the memo of the cheque), or by dropping off the cheque to WCS or CCC (making the cheque out to WCS and citing the fund in the memo).
Christie encourages residents to reach out if they need it and to reach out to them or partner organizations within the township.
“Please ask for assistance, whether it’s financial assistance or any kind of support during this pandemic, because we’re not sure what people’s needs are, and that if they can make that call –call one of the local agencies, ourselves, Community Care Concepts, or Woolwich Counselling, [or] the health care centre – we’re all there to support them. We can problem-solve with them and make sure that they have the resources they need,” she added.
The fund is administered by WCS, but can also be accessed by contacting CCC, the Woolwich Community Health Centre, or Woolwich Counselling Centre.
Demand has been light for assistance under the Woolwich Residents Support Fund (WRSF), but that’s expected to change as the pandemic drags on and other supports start to fall off.
The fund was launched last April by Woolwich Community Services in conjunction with the township as officials looked to help those who were struggling during the first provincial lockdown.
In total, about $75,000 has been collected for the donation-driven fund over the past nine months. Despite all that has gone on since COVID-19 started, however, not many people have put in requests to access funding.
Kelly Christie, executive director of WCS, said she expects that to change over time.
“We’re very grateful that money is available to support residents in our community. The need for financial assistance due to the impact of COVID is going to be more long-term than absolutely immediate today. … Quite often, people don’t reach out for support until absolutely necessary – they tried to do it on their own, and then there was a lot of financial support from different levels of government. So, we’ve only had a couple requests for the funding. And, as I say, we anticipate that money will be well used later on this year and moving forward,” said Christie.
She says there are a few applications on her desk for review, but after being done with them, she expects only $1,500 will have been distributed at that point.
Christie cites the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and other government support programs that emerged last year as the reason so few requests were made.
Those eligible for the fund must be a resident of Woolwich Township, be experiencing a family crisis and/or have a family member experiencing a crisis, have no means of financial support to cover the cost of the service or unique needs, and be able to provide documentation on current financial situation.
Once an application is submitted, it is reviewed by WCS and Community Care Concepts (CCC), which then makes a decision.
For those who are able to help, Christie asks people to consider donating to the fund so more people can be supported as time goes on.
To donate, residents can click on the donate now button on the WCS website, mail a donation to 5 Memorial Ave. (citing the fund in the memo of the cheque), or by dropping off the cheque to WCS or CCC (making the cheque out to WCS and citing the fund in the memo).
Christie encourages residents to reach out if they need it and to reach out to them or partner organizations within the township.
“Please ask for assistance, whether it’s financial assistance or any kind of support during this pandemic, because we’re not sure what people’s needs are, and that if they can make that call –call one of the local agencies, ourselves, Community Care Concepts, or Woolwich Counselling, [or] the health care centre – we’re all there to support them. We can problem-solve with them and make sure that they have the resources they need,” she added.
The fund is administered by WCS, but can also be accessed by contacting CCC, the Woolwich Community Health Centre, or Woolwich Counselling Centre.
Click here for more information.
