OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — Upward Transitions, a neighborhood nonprofit providing companies to individuals experiencing poverty in our neighborhood, introduced Tuesday it had obtained a $20,000 grant from the Kirkpatrick Household Fund.
It’s a much-needed transfusion of assets into a company that helped hundreds prior to now yr with solely 5 case managers.
Upward Transitions
Upward Transitions was based in 1925 underneath the title of Vacationers Support. For over 95 years the nonprofit has labored to convey aid to individuals affected by poverty in our neighborhood. Their mission reads:
“To forestall generational poverty by neighborhood collaboration, emergency aid, and empowerment, subsequently inspiring hope with our neighbors experiencing housing instability.”
Upward Transitions pursues its mission by serving households and people who’re homeless, liable to changing into homeless, or stranded by offering case administration and stabilizing assets to assist meet fundamental social wants. Our final aim is to help households and people throughout occasions of monetary devastation, so they continue to be – or can return to being – productive contributors to their neighborhood.
One of many essential methods Upward Transitions serves its mission constituents is by serving to individuals who’ve misplaced any private ID to acquire a Social Safety Card, delivery certificates, and state ID, with out which most housing applications are unable to maneuver a shopper into secure housing.
Grant Assist
Upward Transitions is a non-profit group that depends on a number of sources of funding, together with public funding, personal donations, and assistance from philanthropic organizations just like the Kirkpatrick Household Fund.
The Kirkpatrick Household Fund has invested in Upward Transitions’ efforts in the neighborhood since 2006. Initially that help was particularly for Upward Transitions’ transitional housing program.
“Transitional housing” is a generally used phrase in social companies that refers particularly to non permanent supportive housing. On this mannequin, a shopper experiencing homelessness is helped to maneuver into a house the place they are going to be assisted in attaining some stability by case administration companies starting from psychological well being care, bodily well being care, substance use help, and employment readiness.
In more moderen years, the Kirkpatrick Household Fund has unrestricted the grants given to the group in order that they might use the cash the place most wanted to finest serve their clientele.
The COVID-19 emergency has taken a tough toll on the group and strained its assets. However, loyal donors have stepped up.
“We’ve skilled unimaginable generosity from donors this yr,” Pulliam mentioned.
Final yr an essential funding supply disappeared, however Pulliam and crew have pulled collectively to work on rebuilding that funding.
Prior to now yr, Upward Transitions has served 2,200 households in Oklahoma Metropolis. They’ve completed this work with solely 5 case managers.
Shift in mission
Free Press was capable of converse through phone to Upward Transitions CEO Periann Pulliam. Pulliam has been CEO since 2009.
Pulliam defined that the group was based in 1925 as “Vacationers Support.” The group was typically targeted on aiding stranded vacationers on the time.
However through the years, their mission modified to give attention to the prevention of homelessness and transition out of that tough state of affairs. In 2007, the group, with the help of Management OKC, rebranded as Upward Transitions.
“We’ve to alter with the occasions to satisfy wants,” Pulliam advised Free Press. “Vacationers are available in all varieties.”
Whereas Neighborhood Cares Companions administer many of the funds in Oklahoma County allotted for rental and utility help, Upward Transitions additionally affords a few of that help primarily for people who find themselves seniors.
Along with aiding individuals experiencing homelessness take away the obstacles to housing, just like the above-mentioned help procuring identification papers, they’re additionally endeavoring to assist individuals get forward of conditions that always lead to homelessness.
For extra details about Upward Transitions, please go to their web site at upwardtransitions.org.
Kirkpatrick Household Fund
The Kirkpatrick Household Fund was based in 1989 by John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick. Since then the philanthropic group has constructed a robust fame as a neighborhood accomplice and funder of Oklahoma Metropolis’s cultural, creative, and academic establishments.
The Fund distributes roughly $3 million yearly in grants and charitable actions, and to this point has given greater than $67 million.
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