Over the past few years, RCRC and its affiliates, Golden State Finance Authority (GSFA) and National Homebuyers Fund, Inc. (NHF), have contributed nearly $4 million in financial support to California’s rural counties and residents. Aligning community giving with the organizations’ missions has led to funding a human trafficking education program, renovating an apartment complex for homeless veterans, providing disaster assistance to Californians impacted by wildfires, and providing a laptop computer to every eligible foster youth and former foster youth within RCRC’s member counties.
PROTECT
In 2015, the Prevention Organized to Educate Children on Trafficking (PROTECT) program was founded by three anti-human trafficking organizations – 3Strands Global, Love Never Fails, and Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives – with the goal to reduce the vulnerability of the state's children to human trafficking.
PROTECT uses a three-pronged approach to fight human trafficking by providing educational curriculum modules for school-aged children in grades 5,7,9, and 11, and training for educators and professionals. The modules provide a comprehensive understanding of the dangers, signs and historical roots of human trafficking. The goals are to identify victims at the earliest possible stage, reduce the vulnerability of all children to human trafficking, and empower children to conquer these kinds of challenges in their own lives.
RCRC and its affiliate, National Homebuyers Fund (NHF), partnered with PROTECT to provide nearly $500,000 in grant funding to launch a statewide educational program in RCRC’s 35 member counties. The program rollout will take place over the course of three years.
Volunteers of America - Veterans Housing Project
As part of its commitment to support veteran housing projects, RCRC affiliate National Homebuyers Fund, Inc. (NHF) joined Volunteers of America, HomeAid Sacramento, and several other public and private donors to fund the Dealynn Street Veterans Housing project in Sacramento.
NHF donated $320,000 towards the renovation project – approximately 40 percent of the project’s total cost of $800,000, to bridge the gap in funding needed to bring the project to completion. The Dealynn Street project consists of three separate buildings, with 12, two -bedroom, one-bath apartment units. The project will provide an additional 23 beds for local homeless veterans and their families from surrounding counties: Sacramento, Placer, Yolo and El Dorado.
Emergency Disaster Assistance – Calaveras and Lake Counties
On September 9, 2015, the Butte Fire in Calaveras County destroyed nearly 71,000 acres and 921 structures, including 549 homes, 368 outbuildings, four commercial properties, and damaged 44 other structures. The fire also resulted in two fatalities.
On September 12, 2015, the Valley Fire in Lake County destroyed more than 76,000 acres and destroying nearly 2,000 structures. The fire also resulted in four fatalities.
RCRC affiliate Golden State Finance Authority (GSFA) provided more than $1 million to Lake County, and $450,000 to Calaveras County to assist residents displaced by the Butte and Valley fires with temporary housing/shelter, or with the rebuilding of homes that were destroyed.
Emergency Disaster Assistance – Mariposa County
On July 16, 2017, the Detwlier Fire rapidly burned thousands of acres of land, and destroyed a number of residences and other structures in Mariposa County. In August 2017, RCRC affiliate Golden State Finance Authority (GSFA) allocated $163,000 to the Mariposa Community Foundation to assist residents displaced by the Detwiler Fire with temporary housing/shelter, or with the rebuilding of homes that were destroyed. The funding included up to $2,500 for each of the 63 households displaced and impacted by the fire.
Emergency Disaster Assistance – Butte, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada and Yuba Counties
In December 2017, RCRC affiliate Golden State Finance Authority (GSFA) allocated $837,000 to assist county residents displaced by the various northern California fires due to destroyed or damaged residences, or those that suffered loss of income or similar financial loss that impairs the residents’ ability to obtain or maintain housing as a direct result of the various fires. The funds were allocated on a pro-rata basis, by county, based upon the number of residences destroyed.
iFoster – 1 Laptop Program
In December 2017, RCRC and its affiliate, National Homebuyers Fund, Inc. (NHF), allocated a total of $400,000 to support the iFoster 1 Laptop Program in RCRC’s 35 member counties. The one-time contribution will provide a laptop to every eligible foster youth and former foster youth aged 16-21 in care within RCRC’s 35 member counties (1,139 individuals). Each laptop will be loaded with iFoster’s TAY Assistant and Digital Locker.
iFoster is a national non-profit serving the child welfare community, including formal foster care, guardianship, informal kinship care, transition-age youth (ages 16-24) and probation. iFoster’s mission is to ensure that every child growing up outside of their biological home has the resources they need to become independent adults and have access to the opportunities to reach their full potential.
iFoster’s 1 Laptop Program provides laptops to eligible foster youth and former foster youth ages 16-21. iFoster works with local agencies on determining youth eligibility, and requires that referrals for laptops come directly from either a youth’s county child welfare social worker, or the local agency responsible for case managing and providing independent living programming for the youth. Research shows that having access to a computer at home impacts three key measures: academic performance; social connectiveness; and life satisfaction. A 2016 report reflects that foster youth and former foster youth that received laptops experienced significant improvements in all three measures.