Throughout the current campaign, we continue to learn how great things happen when we live united. United Way of Story County (UWSC) focuses on education, income and health – the building blocks for a good quality of life – and the community is coming together to help advance the common good in these areas.
In addition to investing in core programs through partner agencies, UWSC offers the opportunity for human service agencies in Story County to apply for grant funding. When funding is available (which may come from such sources as campaign donations directed to education, income or health, income from the UWSC Endowment or the annual budget, or from Golf Fore Kids), the UWSC Allocations Committee will review applications before presenting recommendations to the UWSC Board of Directors. The awarded grants must support unanticipated, emerging or other under-funded needs.
Earlier this summer, UWSC awarded Community Impact Grants to support projects on a larger scale than the monthly grant applications. Applicants were asked to demonstrate how their programs impact the community and people served in the areas of education, income and health. In July, the UWSC Board of Directors voted to allocate more than $114,000 total to seven programs.
For the next few weeks, this column is highlighting all Community Impact Grant recipients as a way to share the good work of local agencies and, at the same time, fill you in on other opportunities UWSC provides beyond the traditional campaign and funding model.
The Board voted to allocate a $20,600 grant to Mainstream Living to help make two properties, which are part of the Home and Community Based Services program (HCBS), safe and accessible for residents.
Mainstream Living provides services daily to an approximate 530 individuals with disabilities, half of which are served in Story County. The HCBS program is the largest and provides supportive community living services to persons on the Intellectual Disability Waiver and the Brain Injury Waiver. Services may be provided in an individual's home or in one of 40 sites that Mainstream Living owns or operates. Those served in the HCBS Program receive supports which are tailored to meet the abilities, needs and goals of each person served.
Mainstream Living offers a wide variety of homes, apartments, and facilities to those needing services. General operational costs for each home are covered through approved Medicaid rates and approved payments from an individual's social security disability income. However, repairs and significant maintenance projects are not typically considered an allowable Medicaid cost.
This year, Mainstream needs to complete some projects that are necessary for the physical safety, accessibility, and quality of life for residents in the HCBS Program. The United Way impact grant will specifically fund a new roof in one property and an accessible path in another.
First, the roof at the oldest home owned by Mainstream (built in 1925) will be replaced. The home, located in Historic Old District Ames, serves five individuals with disabilities who are also some of Mainstream’s longest-served clients.
Next, an installation of a sidewalk which leads from the back of a Mainstream home in West Ames to the front of the home is planned. This house serves four individuals who require higher support and utilize wheelchairs. There is currently a wheelchair ramp at the back of the home, but it leads directly into the grassy area in the backyard. Wheelchairs are very difficult to move on grass or soft surfaces. Adding a concrete walkway that connects the ramp to the driveway is important in promoting independent mobility and also addresses ease of access in the case of an evacuation during an emergency.
In order for Mainstream Living to continually meet the needs of those served, routine repairs, upgrades, and renovations are necessary. These projects not only help assure continued affordable housing for persons with disabilities, but also address both their physical and mental health.
The momentum is building, and we’re excited to share the collective good work. We invite you join us and see that great things happen when we live united. You can give, you can advocate and you can volunteer.