COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund

To help bridge the technology gap that limits access to learning, we granted $54,000 to Savannah Chatham County Public School System and Effingham County School System to purchase Chromebooks for students in schools with the highest levels of poverty.

CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act)

• Through the management of $4,000,000 of CARES funds- UWCE, with the help of strong partner agencies helped more than 4,000 people remain in their homes through mortgage assistance, utility, and rental assistance distributed directly to utility companies, property managers, and mortgage companies, helping to fuel the local economy.  Countless families and individuals avoided imminent eviction, home foreclosure, and utility service disruption.

ERA (Emergency Rental Assistance)

• Through the management of the ERA project on behalf of Chatham County, to date, more than 2,000 people have been helped with $3,000,000 in assistance to address citizens at risk of eviction, utility disruption and to help those in need of internet access, allowing remote work, remote education, and remote job training.  These funds are distributed directly to utility companies, property management, and leasing companies, further fueling the local economy.

In our four-county region, many of our friends and neighbors are living paycheck to paycheck – with 23.7% of the total population in Bryan County, 25% in Chatham, 24.6% in Effingham, and almost 36% in Liberty County considered asset limited, income constrained, yet employed (ALICE). As governments, schools, and businesses responded to public health recommendations to close or limit operations, many people lost their jobs and experienced extreme financial challenges.