Vermont Business MagazineThe Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS), Vermont’s largest service provider for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, today announced receipt of a $150,000 grant from KeyBank Foundation to help them expand a project entitledEnding Family Homelessness: Helping Parents and Children by Keeping Them Home.Support from KeyBank is targeted to help reduce by 50 percent the number of families falling into homelessness for the first time in Burlington/Chittenden County – the largest population center in Vermont. This three-year goal will be achieved by combining financial assistance with customized housing retention services to households at imminent risk of homelessness, stopping evictions and foreclosures.
Donald Baker (left), KeyBank’s Vermont Market President and Brigitte Ritchie, KeyBank’s Corporate Responsibility Office – New England Region present COTS Executive Director Rita Markley and COTS Housing Resource Center Coordinator Nicole Kubon with $150,000 for a three-year grant agreement to reduce the number of families from becoming homeless in Chittenden County, Vermont.
The project will streamline access to prevention resources, housing subsidies and support services by integrating two vital programs – COTS’ Housing Resource Center and the Housing Retention team at the Burlington Housing Authority (BHA). The goal is to bring together two separate, but complementary organizations to address families’ needs through an integrated team approach. COTS will provide a mix of financial tools and assistance to families, including customized budget evaluations, guidance, and connections with appropriate community resources; the BHA team will work with families to address underlying behavioral issues that require longer-term interventions or, in some cases, rental subsidies to stabilize housing.
“We are thrilled that KeyBank is investing so significantly to expand our initiatives to prevent homelessness from occurring in the first place for many families living right on the edge,” said Rita Markley, COTS executive director. “This grant will take prevention to a whole new level in our community.”
KeyBank Foundation, the nonprofit charitable foundation of KeyBank, serves to fulfill KeyBank’s purpose to help clients and communities thrive by providing meaningful philanthropic investments that transform lives. The Foundation’s mission is advanced through three funding priorities – neighbors, education, and workforce – and through community service.
KeyBank has 11 branch offices serving individuals, families and businesses throughout Vermont, including six in Burlington/Chittenden County.
About COTS
The Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) is the largest service provider for the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless in Vermont. COTS provides emergency shelter, services, and housing for people who are homeless or marginally housed in Vermont. COTS advocates for long-term solutions to end homelessness. For more information, visitwww.cotsonline.org.
Source:Burlington, VT, April 30, 2018— KeyBank