Royal Oak Nonprofit Awarded $100,000 to Help Former Inmates Reintegrate Into Society
Royal Oak, MI – The Here to Help Foundation, a Royal Oak, Mich.-based, nonprofit organization that provides direct assistance to Wayne and Oakland County residents faced with emergency situations, today announced it has received a $240,000 grant from the Sunshine Lady Foundation. The announcement was made by Here to Help Foundation Co-Founder and CEO Bob Schwartz.
This is the second grant in less than six months that Here to Help has received from the Sunshine Lady Foundation to support its Returning Hope to Returning Citizens program. The Returning Hope to Returning Citizens initiative was launched in August 2020 and provides grants to individuals who have exited the criminal justice system and are working to successfully reintegrate into society. The Sunshine Lady Foundation awarded Here to Help with a $100,000 grant shortly after the program launched last year, recognizing the tremendous need for supportive services for this population.
In the first seven months of the Returning Hope to Returning Citizens program, Here to Help provided 796 emergency grants, costing $310,984, to individuals seeking support from the nonprofit. Those grants included rental assistance, furniture, car repairs, equipment/tools for employment, used cars, clothing, home furnishings and other essential items to enable returning citizens to get back on their feet.
“Returning citizens have always struggled with finding footing due to lack of employment opportunities, resources and support, but presently they are reentering a much-changed and more challenging society.” Said Schwartz. “The COVID-19 pandemic has further limited opportunities. We felt it was incumbent upon us to launch this program and help in areas that no one else was providing assistance with, and to do so in a very personal manner. The results have been incredibly successful and the determination of these individuals is outstanding.”
The Returning Hope to Returning Citizens program provides grants for clothing, home furnishings, appliances, among other items as well as assistance through Here to Help’s additional programs, including used vehicles for full-time employees, furniture, security deposits, and other types of support. Additionally, the program assists with job placement, locates housing, negotiates with landlords and offers financial literacy help and mentoring. Here to Help also serves as a referral source to other organizations and agencies that assist returning citizens with additional needs such as job training, record expungement and mental health care.
The Sunshine Lady Foundation, which was founded in 1996, by “retail philanthropist” Doris Buffett, sister of Warren Buffett, invests in organizations and programs dedicated to providing opportunities for advancement. This includes education, teaching in prisons, well-being and new life choices for disadvantaged people with special empathy for the working poor and families in crisis.
As stated throughout her 2010 biography, “Giving It All Away: The Doris Buffett Story,” Doris’ goal was to give her entire fortune away during her lifetime according to the Sunshine Lady Foundation mission: to provide opportunities for advancement in education, well-being and new life choices for disadvantaged people. On August 4, 2020, Buffett died at her home in Rockport, Maine. She was 92.
“Doris’s legacy is that she made the world a better place for many individuals who needed help the most,” said Schwartz. “Her legacy to support organizations such as ours that directly help those with nowhere else to turn, is an inspiration to all.”
Here to Help is a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt charitable organization. Those interested in supporting the Here to Help Foundation may visit www.heretohelpfoundation.org. Every single dollar donated by the public goes directly to individuals facing an emergency situation and no donations go toward administrative or other expenses.
Donors, if they so desire, may earmark donations to a particular type of program and the Foundation can also work to connect donors with the individual they are helping if interested. Donations can be made via credit card or bank transfer via PayPal or Venmo or mailed to Here to Help Foundation, P. O. Box 480, Royal Oak, MI 48068.
About Here to Help Foundation
Established in 2007, the Here to Help Foundation is a nonprofit that directly supports the needs of individuals facing an emergency situation. It offers grant awards to Wayne and Oakland County, Michigan residents who are addressing issues such as eviction, past due utility bills, unexpected car repairs, loss of home furnishings because of fire, and much more. The foundation’s guiding mission is to help those with limited means continue self-sufficiency with a one-time hand-up in their moment of need. For more information, please visit www.heretohelpfoundation.org.