PHI has been awarded two major grants from longtime supporters The Robin Hood Foundation and The Atlantic Philanthropies.
Robin Hood’s one-year commitment, totaling $1,175,000, supports efforts by PHI and its home care affiliate, Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA), to train more than 440 people for quality jobs as home health aides. The award targets primarily unemployed women, helping them make the often-difficult transition to long-term employment in a challenging economy.
The Atlantic grant will strengthen PHI’s overall capacity, and support federal and state policy work to improve the quality of eldercare and disability services. This will include direct policy advocacy on behalf of direct-care workers and the people they serve, as the nation’s political landscape evolves over the next three years. The award totals $1.4 million over a 38-month period.
In response to these grant awards, PHI President Steven L. Dawson said, “The strained economy is posing huge challenges for nonprofits, and more importantly for low-income workers and their families, elders, and individuals with disabilities. At this difficult time, it is particularly critical that we secure new funding for PHI’s work to support vulnerable populations.”
Intersection of Two Critical Fields
“PHI’s work is unique in that it operates at the intersection of two fields that are critical to the future of the United States, and to the lives of some of its poorest residents: low-income workforce development, and the nation’s eldercare and disability services system,” Dawson said.
Each grant provides targeted support for PHI’s work in one of these fields. Robin Hood’s grant supports workforce development — specifically, PHI’s work with CHCA to train and support low-income individuals for quality home health aide jobs in New York City.
The Atlantic grant, meanwhile, strengthens PHI’s national efforts to help direct-care workers provide better health care and long-term care for frail older adults, particularly for those who live in poverty.
“PHI and its affiliates help hundreds of women each year to secure quality jobs in the home care industry,” said Suzi Epstein, managing director of jobs and economic security for Robin Hood. “Many face significant barriers to employment, and these jobs provide women and their families with essential resources and supports to face a difficult recession.”
– by Brian DiPaolo
