FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services, Inc. Receives $250,000 Housing for Everyone Grant from the TD Charitable Foundation
Support from the TD Charitable Foundation will help Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services, Inc. enhance and expand holistic care and wraparound services to seniors who have fallen behind on rent due to the pandemic
Brooklyn, New York – Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services, Inc., the social services arm of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, was recently awarded a $250,000 Housing for Everyone grant from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®. Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services, Inc. is one of 33 organizations selected from more than 357 applicants to receive a Housing for Everyone grant as part of the TD Charitable Foundation’s annual grant program helping to provide affordable housing since 2005.
The grant will support the expansion and enhancement of holistic care and wraparound services provided to seniors living within the Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens network of affordable housing. As part of this grant, funds have been earmarked to offset rental arrears for clients who have fallen behind on their rent due to the pandemic. Benefits Coordinators will assist tenants with issues related to entitlements, benefits, social determinants of health and quality of life issues.
The housing affordability crisis has worsened over the past two years impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and housing organizations have worked tirelessly to meet the increasing need for assistance from individuals and families. The growing need for assistance has strained affordable housing organizations and made it difficult to continue delivering critical resources and services.
Without resident services from affordable housing providers, like eviction assistance and housing search assistance, many individuals and families will struggle to find or risk losing a safe, affordable place to call home.
“Financial stability, socialization, and security are critical to the quality of life of seniors. The pandemic threatened to destabilize many of the older adults living in our affordable housing residences, and this grant will directly support those in need of help with living expenses and rent,” said Monsignor Alfred LoPinto, President and CEO of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens and affiliated agencies. “Benefit coordination plays a critical role in helping clients maintain stable housing. The grant will also enable us to provide education on money management and budgeting, thereby helping to increase their quality of life and stability by allowing them to age well. We are grateful to TD Charitable Foundation for entrusting us with the funds to allow Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens to continue to provide the services needed to allow these residents to live safely, comfortably, and independently for as long as possible.”
“More local seniors will be able to catch up on rent and gain knowledge and skills necessary to improve their quality of life and feel more confident about their finances through Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services with this meaningful Housing for Everyone grant,” said Andrew Bregenzer, Regional President for Metro New York at TD Bank. “Congratulations to Catholic Charities on this accomplishment and thank you for all you do for the community.”
The TD Charitable Foundation awarded $5.8 million through the 16th annual Housing for Everyone grant competition to a total of 33 organizations across TD Bank’s Maine-to-Florida footprint and Michigan to help support affordable housing organizations provide critical resident services. Since 2005, the TD Charitable Foundation has given more than $42 million dollars to non-profit and charitable organizations through the Housing for Everyone grant competition and helped support over 500 affordable housing projects and initiatives.
The Housing for Everyone grant competition supports TD’s longstanding commitment to community enrichment through TD’s corporate citizenship platform, The Ready Commitment, which actively promotes inclusivity, economic vitality and environmental wellbeing, enabling people of all backgrounds to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
To learn more about Housing for Everyone and for a full list of this year’s grant recipients, please visit https://www.td.com/us/en/about-us/communities/ready-commitment/funding-opportunities/housing-for-everyone/.
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About Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services, Inc.
For over 124 years, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, through its social services arm, Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services, Inc., has been providing quality social services to the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens and currently offers 160-plus programs and services for children, youth, adults, older adults, and those struggling with mental illness. Since 1975, Catholic Charities Progress of Peoples Development Corporation, the affordable housing developer of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, has been transforming vacant land and buildings into affordable housing units and transforming the lives of individuals and families, and completed more than 4,450 units with supportive services for seniors, families, veterans and the formerly homeless. Since the pandemic began, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has provided much-needed food packages and services at 52 Catholic Charities parish-based food pantries and has distributed $7.5 million in food assistance. Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens continues to deliver crucial mental health counseling, housing services, family services and early childhood education and COVID vaccines at a variety of locations. For more information, please visit www.ccbq.org.
About Housing for Everyone
Since its inception in 2005, the TD Charitable Foundation’s annual Housing for Everyone grant competition has awarded more than $42 million to over 500 affordable housing initiatives. The Housing for Everyone grant competition supports TD’s longstanding commitment to community enrichment through TD’s corporate citizenship platform, The Ready Commitment, which actively promotes inclusivity, economic vitality and environmental wellbeing, enabling people of all backgrounds to succeed in a rapidly changing world. As part of The Ready Commitment, TD targets US $775 million in total contributions toward community giving by 2030 in four critical areas: Financial Security, a more Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health.
Through this platform, TD aspires to create a more inclusive tomorrow — helping people of all backgrounds feel more confident, not just about their finances, but about their ability to achieve their goals. Visit: https://www.tdbank.com/corporate-responsibility/the-ready-commitment/
About the TD Charitable Foundation
The TD Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, one of the 10 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States. Since its inception in 2002, the Foundation has distributed over $282 million through donations to local nonprofits from Maine to Florida. More information on the TD Charitable Foundation is available at https://www.tdbank.com/corporate-responsibility/the-ready-commitment/funding-opportunities/.