Thursday’s Child Goals for Fiscal Year 2006-2007 (Grant year 3/1/06 to 2/28/07).

Measuring Agency Effectiveness: Goals, Accomplishments and Future Goals.

RYAN WHITE TITLE 1 SERVICES

While Under Ryan White Title 1 Funded Programs, which expired on 2/28/07, Thursday’s Child successfully managed and distributed monies from three contracts to support people living with HIV/AIDS on Long Island. We were able to assist people with Housing Assistance, Emergency Financial Assistance, and Personal Hygiene Care packages.

- Housing Assistance

Program Activities – Under this program, money was used to assist clients in paying their current months rent, to pay a first months rent in order to move into a new apartment, or to pay for moving expenses with-in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The goal of this program is to provide access to maintain their medical care. The clients served were representative of the HIV/AIDS population in both Counties. To apply for the services, consumers were required to complete an intake application and perform a needs assessment. Many of the people who were helped came from the Department of Social Services and were denied assistance for various reasons. We maintain that without stable housing, access to medical care is difficult and maintenance of medical care is extremely hindered.

Fiscal year 2006-2007 goal – Provide assistance to 110 persons.

Actual Number of consumers served: 164 (Male – 78, Female – 86)

Assessment: We were able to surpass our planned objectives. We were grateful to have received increased funding in this program which allowed to us assist more individuals maintain their housing.

The Need Going Forward: Due the high cost of living on Long Island, housing assistance continues to be a pressing need to those who are living on a fixed income and living with HIV/AIDS. According to Long Island Index: 2007 Report & Key Findings, “21% of the population reports having a hard time paying their rent or mortgage- up 7% from 2003” (http://www.longislandindex.org/fileadmin/pdf/LIINDEX_Highlight.pdf). Eighty percent of those who received the assistance in fiscal year 2006-2007 reported their sole income as Social Security Disability (SSD), Social Security Income (SSI), or Department of Social Services Public Assistance (PA). Housing Assistance will continue to be a primary need for those living with HIV/AIDS on Long Island.

- Emergency Financial Assistance

Program Actives – The Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA) program allowed to us to provide emergency payments for our consumers to avoid disruption of utility services such as LIPA (electricity) or KeySpan (heat). We maintain that no individual should live without heat or without lights. We were also able to provide food cards to our consumers so that they could purchase fresh food and nutritious meals to maintain their health and the health of their families, with our Food Voucher Program. Our consumers were provided with food gift cards to local supermarkets and the amount varied according to the amount of people in the family. The gift cards allowed our consumers to maintain a sense of dignity when purchasing food. The clients served were representative of the HIV/AIDS population in both Counties. To apply for the services, consumers were required to complete an intake application and perform a needs assessment, allowing for food in an already strained budget.

Fiscal year 2006-2007 goal – To provide assistance to 583 persons.

Actual Number of consumers served – 676 (Male – 295, Female – 381)

Food Voucher Program - 613 Utility Assistance – 63

Assessment – We surpassed our service goals to the community during 2006-2007. Due to the increasing cost of rent and utility payments, the number of food vouchers needed to maintain basic health nutrition greatly. The program was well received by the clients because it allowed them to purchase food for themselves and feed their families in a dignified manner. The Utility Assistance program served less people that in previous years due to an increased budget in the “Heat Energy Assistance Program” (HEAP), sponsored by Department of Social Services. Also our clients strived to maintain their utilities, which left a gap in their resources, such as money needed for purchasing food.

The Need Going Forward – According to The Long Island Index, “More Long Islanders need food stamps.” The need for utility assistance and fresh food to maintain nutrition continues to be a major issue to those living with HIV/AIDS on Long Island. The majority of our clients are living on a limited income and payment of monthly rent uses up to 75% of a person’s monthly income. With little money left over, many people are eating unhealthy processed foods or are eating only one to two meals a day. Proper nutrition is necessary for a person living with HIV/AIDS, since the disease and the medications takes a major toll on the body. Utility assistance also continues to be a pressing need in the community. From March 1, 2007 to March 14, 2007, Thursday’s Child has had six consumers state that they are in ‘Termination Notice’ with a utility and will have their power terminated without payment or they are out of oil to heat their house. These people were denied services from Department of Social Services for a various list of reasons. This sudden increase in need is alarming to the staff of Thursday’s Child and shows that the need did not go away.

Personal Hygiene Care Packages –

Program Activities- Personal hygiene and a clean living space are necessary components of a healthy lifestyle and in maintaining HIV/AIDS medical care. With basic cleanliness a person can maintain self-respect, dignity, independent housing and honor. The Hygiene Care Package (PHP) program provided basic household and personal cleaning supplies. This included, but was not limited to, toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant, soaps, laundry items, and household cleaning solutions. Packages were preset to a dollar amount, per person. The clients served were representative of the HIV/AIDS population in both Counties. To apply for the services, consumers were required to complete an intake application and perform a needs assessment. This program had great success and was popular with our consumers. Many consumers, living on a fixed income and on food stamps, cannot purchase these supplies with their food stamp money; and cleaning supplies often did not have a high priority when rent, food, and utilities were and continue to be difficult to pay.

Fiscal year 2006-2007 goal – To provide hygiene packages to 165 persons, ranging

in value from $15 to $30.

Actual Number of consumers served – 318 (Male – 142, Female – 176)

Average Value per Hygiene care package - $30.00

Assessment: Thursday’s Child can proudly state we successfully exceeded our services goals for 2006-2007 for the Hygiene Packages. We gratefully received extra funding for this program which was used effectively and allowed for increased expansion. This program was effective because the results could be seen immediately and the consumers had to take an active role in attaining and utilizing the service.

The Need Going Forward – Providing basic hygiene and household cleaning products continues to be overlooked, yet a pertinent need in the HIV/AIDS community. With 80% of our consumers reporting that they live on a fixed income, cleaning supplies find themselves low on a person’s priority list, when all pennies are counted. Food stamps benefits not allowing basic cleaning supplies to be purchased; therefore an external source is needed to meet this need in the community. We maintain that self-respect, dignity, and self-efficacy are necessary in coping with HIV/AIDS, and personal cleanliness can assist in contributing or not-contributing to it.

* Total Units of Service for Grant Year 2005-2006 – 1,057

** Total Units of Service for Grant Year 2006-2007 – 1,158

(A Unit of Service is defined as the intake, assessment, and service fulfillment for one consumer for one grant contract.)

* Fiscal Year 2005-2006 -- March 1, 2005 - February 28, 2006

** Fiscal Year 2006-2007 -- March 1, 2006 - February 28, 2007

OTHER PROGRAMS

During the calendar year 2006-2007, Thursday’s Child also had the privilege to disperse other funding to our community, however on a much smaller scale. These grants were made possible by the generous donations of the community to our agency. These programs were our Holiday

Gift Program, Safety Net Project, and Beech House.

Holiday Gift Program

The Christmas Magic program has been in existence for over five years. With the amazing support of our donors, allowed us to adopt over 220 families living at or below poverty level, living with HIV/AIDS and assist in giving them a holiday to remember. Children of our consumers received a variety of gifts for Christmas, so that they too could enjoy the holiday season, when their parents’ incomes did not allow for the purchase of holiday gifts. We were proud to help put a smile on a child’s face on Christmas day! Thursday’s Child again sincerely thanks the donors that support the Holiday Gift program. Thursday’s Child looks forward to fulfilling this program again in 2007.

Safety Net Project

Our Safety Net Project is supported by the generous donations that are given to the agency throughout the year. Those living with HIV/AIDS in Nassau and Suffolk counties could access the program when funds allowed and depending on the type of the need. If assistance could not be obtained through our Ryan White Title 1 Programs or another funding source, and the need was required to maintain medical care and human dignity, Thursday’s Child would fulfill the request. This project was included, but was not limited to, public transportation vouchers, furniture, and medical needs that were not covered by other programs.

In 2006-2007, Thursday’s Child was able to purchase $737.00 in public transportation vouchers to assist approximately 980 consumers. This allowed our consumers to take public transportation to their medical appointments and to travel around Long Island to maintain a basic quality of life. We were able to fulfill various requests, such as bedding, appliances to assist in controlling other medical issues such as Asthma, and work clothes to go on successful job interviews. We are very proud to say that we were able to assist a young woman born with HIV to fund access to AP college credits, while she was still in High School. This program, although it was accessed on a as needed, limited basis; was greatly successful because it allowed our consumers access to a unique service.

The Need Going Forward – This program will continue to exist through the generosity of our donors. The social services and support infrastructure that has been created cannot meet every specific need of every individual, hence Thursday’s Child created Safety Net. Our consumers continue to call us on a daily basis asking for help, and Thursday’s Child will continue to meet the need.

Beech House

Thursday’s Child was willed a house by a gentleman that died from AIDS in 1991. The house is located in Central Suffolk County, has three apartments which house people with HIV/AIDS. We are able to provide stable, safe housing at low rental costs through grants and donations.

Published by: Thursday’s Child Inc.