Family Resource Center Marks Anniversary of COVID Relief Efforts

Worcester MA

03 March, 2021

2:00 PM

Description

With Strong Support from Area Partners, Nonprofit Has Helped More Than 4,600 Individuals and Families in Need During COVID-19 Pandemic  WORCESTER, Mass. (March 3, 2021) – The Worcester Family Resource Center of YOU, Inc., an affiliate of Seven Hills Foundation, this month marks its first anniversary as a central family resource and referral hub helping families weather the health and economic impacts of the pandemic. The Family Resource Center has served as a one-stop resource and referral center that has busily guided families in need to the appropriate supports, including behavioral health options and employment services. It is part of Worcester Together, and often makes specific service referrals for families to other Worcester Together partners. To date, 4,645 individuals and families in need have been served, including 450 families that have gained access to hot meals and roughly 1,000 that have received free Lyft rides to work or essential services. “The formidable team at the Family Resource Center has performed an outsized service to thousands of families in our region who didn’t know where to turn for help as schools shifted to virtual learning, parents lost jobs and many struggled with food insecurity,” said Kathleen M. Jordan, Executive Vice President and CEO of Seven Hills Foundation. “The Center’s success in helping guide families to critical resources is due in part to the incredible infrastructure put in place by local business, philanthropic and community leaders.” The Family Resource Center’s deployment of services was modeled on its earlier efforts as part of the community’s response to Hurricane Maria in 2017, which sent hundreds of evacuee families to Worcester from Puerto Rico. This activation of intense referral services for the duration of the pandemic is in addition to the nonprofit’s ongoing behavioral health access program that provides case management, clinical assessments, bridge support for youth at risk of court involvement, and evidence-based parenting classes, support groups and activities for teens. Many pandemic-related referrals, especially for youth behavioral health supports, have been made within YOU, Inc. and Seven Hills Foundation, which are providing more services, often through telehealth, to keep families safe and healthy. “While it’s never easy to hear from a mother or father worried about how they will pay their bills or put food on the table, it’s very gratifying knowing how to get them to the right resource for help,” said Emily Swalec, Program Director of Worcester Family Resource Center of YOU, Inc., an affiliate of Seven Hills Foundation. “I’m not only proud of the Worcester Family Resource Center team, but of all our community partners and donors that have stepped up in Worcester’s moment of need.” About Seven Hills Foundation Headquartered in Worcester, the Seven Hills Foundation currently offers program sites at 160 locations throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island employing over 4,500 professionals. It offers a continuum of support and services to 45,000 children, adults and seniors with disabilities and other life challenges. Seven Hills Foundation stands as one of the most dynamic and comprehensive health and human services agencies in the country and is widely recognized as a premier provider of comprehensive supports. For more information, visit www.sevenhills.org.