The nonprofit Calistoga Family Center, along with several other Napa Valley organizations, will continue to receive “Safety Net” funding from the Napa Valley Community Foundation, according to a report issued late last week.

The Safety Net grant program will continue for an additional two years, providing critically needed financial support to a core group of charities that meet the basic needs of Napa County’s struggling families.

“We began this effort in 2008, because we saw a sharp increase in demand from local families for food, shelter and emergency assistance as the economy faltered,” said NVCF President Terence Mulligan. “Since then, we have distributed more than $500,000 to a group of carefully selected nonprofits, which they have used to help thousands of people in our community.” 

While the economy may be improving, it continues to test area households, Mulligan said, citing persistently high unemployment rates and ongoing home foreclosures as two reasons for the Foundation’s long-term approach to bolstering the social safety net.

“We are committing resources through the end of 2011 because the challenges we face are not temporary, particularly in housing, where it’s predicted that 1,200 Napa County families both this year and next may face foreclosure,” Mulligan said. “Our job is to think about the current and future needs of this community, and to encourage others to do so as well.”

Even as funding continues, Mulligan said the Foundation doesn’t have all the money to meet all the demands of the so-called safety net — “and we hope that by announcing our plans, others might feel inspired to join us,” he said.

Two dozen local donors have come together through the Foundation to provide financial backing for Safety Net grants in 2010 and 2011.

The donors responded, in part, to the results seen so far, according to Mulligan, who noted a program that helps families avoid foreclosure had been particularly effective.

For example, through NVCF’s first slate of Safety Net grants, the Napa Valley Foreclosure Collaborative has provided 400 households with education about the foreclosure process, bankruptcy and foreclosure rescue scams; served 109 families to date with intensive mortgage counseling; applied for loan modifications on behalf of 29 of these families; and completed 19 loan modifications so far, with 10 still pending.

Other organizations receiving Safety Net grants totaling $286,000 include:          

• Housing and Economic Rights Advocates (HERA)/Napa Valley Foreclosure Collaborative: $75,000 in 2010 and $75,000 in 2011 for foreclosure prevention and intervention services

• Calistoga Family Center: $15,000 in general support

• Community Action Napa Valley: $15,000 for Meals on Wheels programs

• Community Resources for Children: $2,500 for emergency childcare assistance

• Napa Emergency Women’s Services: $5,000 in general support

• Legal Aid of Napa Valley: $15,000 for housing services

• Greater Napa Valley Fair Housing Center: $10,000 in general support

• ParentsCAN, Inc.:: $7,500 in general support and many others.

To learn more about the Safety Net grants program or make a contribution, visit www.napavalley

cf.org or call 254-9565.      

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