We know many of you have lost your jobs and may be struggling to make ends meet. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are still millions of people unemployed and affected by the pandemic.
“We in our Community Care Plan saw the number of people who now qualify for Medicaid because of a loss of income. We saw the increase over 20% since March,” said Jessica Lerner, CEO of Community Care Plan.
Community Care Plan donated $75,000 to seven South Florida community organizations to help provide the essentials for families including food, baby formula, diapers and more.
“There’s two million people [in Broward County]. 20% of them might have more needs than they had previously, that’s a lot of people. [That’s] 400,000 people that could utilize resources from these organizations that didn’t need to before,” said Jessica. Organizations that received funding include the Broward Healthy Start Coalition, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Diaper Bank and Jack and Jill. “I was unemployed for about four months and then my life spiraled out of control. My then husband and I decided to separate, my car broke down and I was facing eviction,” said Nikinnia Lee. When Nikinnia Lee, mother of three, found herself in despair, she reached out to Jack and Jill. A non profit dedicated to improving the qualify of life of families and children.
“I didn’t know what to do. I was scouting out places to live and to sleep in the car for as long as I could or to get enough money to get a hotel. I was telling one of my children’s teacher at the time my situation and she told me [to reach out to resources] and that’s what I did,” said Nikinnia. Nikinnia says without the help of Jack & Jill, she’d still be struggling to find a place to sleep for her and her kids. But she says she’s grateful for staying strong. “There [were] times catching the bus I got drenched and the kids got drenched just coming home. I’m so happy to be in the place I am now and to share my story and let anybody know that if you’re going through a hardship, there are resources out there that will help you,” added Nikinnia.
If you or someone you know is in need, here's a list of organizations providing resources during this difficult time:
- Jack and Jill Center
- The Broward Healthy Coalition
- Families Nurturing Centers of South Florida
- Greater Fort Lauderdale Diaper Bank
- Healthy Families Broward
- Miami-Dade County Public Schools - Foundation for New Education Initiatives
- The Village South
For more information on Community Care Plan, click here.
