Spring Headlines at Humanim

News . Events . Impact

Dear Clients, Families, Partners and Supporters,

As we navigate this new world together, we continue to be inspired by the generosity and commitment we see every day. We are reminded that our community is strong, and that we are all in this together.

At this time, Humanim is planning for the reopening of our facility-based programs  -  when it is safe to do so, and in line with the Governor's Maryland Strong: Road to Recovery Plan, as well as directives from local jurisdictions. Though many of our day and workforce development programs remain suspended, we are continuing to provide essential services through our residential programs, telehealth and support services, and social enterprises.

We are also pivoting to provide additional services to populations that have been hit especially hard during the pandemic.  We wanted to share some of those initiatives with you.

HEADLINES

During the collective distress that we have all been experiencing as a community, Humanim's frontline and healthcare heroes have continued to fearlessly provide essential services for our clients, many of whom are among our most vulnerable populations hit by the pandemic. We want to thank our direct care staff for being everyday heroes, and for their commitment and service to Humanim’s mission. #HumanPurpose #HumanImpact #HumanimHeroes

We would also like to thank the Horizon Foundation for the critical support they have provided for our essential staff and programs, including funding for essential medical equipment, telehealth technologies, and hazard pay. 

Humanim’s Behavioral Health division has partnered with The Coordinated System of Homeless Services (CSHS) to provide shelter and food to Howard County’s unsheltered homeless residents  during the COVID-19 crisis, especially high-risk individuals, including older adults and individuals with serious underlying medical conditions, people with disabilities and mobility issues, and parents who are pregnant or with young children.

In late April, at-risk individuals experiencing homelessness began sheltering at a Howard County hotel, where Humanim’s behavioral health division is running the staffing and providing daily case management services, in partnership with Grassroots Day Resource Center and the Howard County Department of Corrections. Services include identifying and addressing barriers to housing, mental health, addiction and trauma treatment, and connecting people with the supports and resources they need. In addition to shelter and services, Humanim social enterprise City Seeds is delivering over 500 individually prepared, healthy, nutritious and ready to eat meals a week, to individuals served throughout their stay, while providing much needed jobs for individuals experiencing barriers to employment.

Under the purview of the Howard County Department of Community Resources and Services, CSHS partners include: Humanim; the county’s Department  of Corrections, Housing Commission, and Health Department; Grassroots Crisis Intervention; CAC; and others.

To mitigate the anxiety-producing and isolating effects of social distancing, Humanim’s Developmental Disability Services division acquired tablets, games, bean bags, playing cards, and art supplies for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in our Howard County residential programs. These items have helped encourage individuals to maintain social ties and interaction, by participating in organized games and activities with peers, and allowing them to continue engaging with friends and family during the social distancing restrictions. They also help to create a more comfortable environment at home, while promoting continued learning and development. This initiative was made possible by a grant from The Arc Maryland and the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council.

Humanim supported Maryland Association of Community Services (MACS) in being a distribution Center for its provider members and coordinating the receipt and distribution of thousands of critically needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE's) to local service providers, including KN 95 masks, hospital masks, gloves, face shields, and goggles. PPE supplies and no-touch thermometers for Humanim staff and clients were made possible by the Horizon Foundation and the Community Foundation of Howard County.

Start On Success - Delaware is on its fourth of 6 weeks of “virtual” programming, which provides 11 students online learning to gain work-readiness skills during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lessons are completed via video calls facilitated by Youth Transition Services Program Manager Taralauryn Porter (in photo above). Students are joined by guest business leaders and employers to learn about various industries, workplace expectations, and employment opportunities.  The SOS DE program recently welcomed its first virtual presenter from CLIA, Lance Porter, Global Web Development Manager, who spoke about his job and how time management plays a critical part to his success.

Planted in East Baltimore, the City Seeds headquarters has become a hub for connecting our neighbors and community members with resources like fresh food, during the pandemic. Mayor Young and his team, Councilman Stokes, the Broadway East and Oliver Community Associations, and many other incredible volunteers recently came together at City Seeds HQ to distribute food to community members experiencing food insecurity, in partnership with Maryland Food Bank. The food, provided by Maryland Food Bank, was picked up by local community members in a safe and socially distant environment. A big thank you to MD Food Bank for their dedication to feeding Marylanders, and to Feesers Food for the equipment to keep things moving smoothly all day. We are proud to be a part of the essential work happening in Baltimore to keep families safe and fed.

The COVID-19 crisis has increased food insecurity, especially for low-income and at-risk individuals, and access to healthy, nutritious food remains a critical need. Humanim Social Enterprise City Seeds’ response has been to pivot from its catering business lines to provide high-volume food production and delivery for individuals and communities experiencing food insecurity. During the last month, City Seeds: 

• Collaborated on a grant with Humanim’s Behavioral Health division to prepare and deliver 4,000 healthy, nutritious, heat-and-eat meals to individuals and families experiencing homelessness over the next 6 weeks, while providing jobs for individuals experiencing barriers to employment.
• Was awarded a contract to prepare and deliver more than 5,700 meals to over 350 high-need students experiencing food insecurity amid school closures, in coordination with Baltimore City Schools. This critical service will provide food to low-income students in families struggling to put meals on the table.
• Collaborated on a grant with BUILD and ReBuild Metro to prepare and deliver over 44,000 healthy, nutritious, ready to heat meals to at-risk, low-income individuals and families experiencing food insecurity in the East Baltimore community. This critical initiative is funded by the France-Merrick Foundation, Abell Foundation, The Rauch Foundation, The Bernard Family, United Way of Central Maryland, and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc., where Humanim leveraged its grant from the Baltimore Rotary to kick off food preparation and delivery.
• Is preparing and delivering 625 meals to Humanim-supported adults with disabilities residing in the community, which supports Humanim’s essential staff and protects consumers by reducing their trips into the community.
• Preparing and delivering over 300 meals to medical workers and first responders at several local health facilities, including FutureCare-Lochearn and the Respiratory ICU at Johns Hopkins, funded by donations, and in partnership with our local food truck partner, Spinning Cups.
• Preparing and delivering over 8,800 meals to senior citizens in the East Baltimore community, in partnership with the New Broadway East Community Association, and funded by the COVID-19 Food Stability Fund / Fund for Educational Excellence.

Humanim’s social enterprise iScan has been able to continue several contracts during the pandemic, including remote work with Maryland State Archives, as well as an X-ray scanning contract with SoCal and San Diego Gas companies, deemed essential work for supporting critical operations and/or infrastructure elsewhere in the country. The X-ray scanning team at iScan increased their production rate by 20% in April, to meet the increased demand.

Humanim President & CEO Henry Posko was invited to participate in the Governor’s Nonprofit Working Group along with 28 other Maryland nonprofit leaders, to discuss and generate recommendations for the phased reopening of nonprofit organizations in accordance with the Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery Plan. The culminating report provides recommendations, protocols and strategies for the safe and effective reopening of nonprofit programs and services throughout the state.

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS

For those interested in increasing their giving this year, the Charitable Contribution Provisions in the COVID-19 Stimulus Bill - Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) - provide additional incentives for giving in the 2020 tax year:

•    There is a new above-the-line deduction available for up to $300 in annual charitable contributions in cash to a qualified charity, for people who do NOT itemize their deductions (contribution is subtracted from gross income).
•    Prior to the CARES Act, an individual’s deduction for cash contributions to public charities generally was limited to 60% of the individual’s adjusted gross income. The CARES Act increases the deductible amount for an individual’s contribution in 2020 to a qualified public charity to 100% of the individual’s adjusted gross income.
•    The COVID-19 Stimulus Bill charitable contribution provisions apply only to cash donations to qualified public charities; they do not apply to private foundations or donor advised funds. To constitute a qualified contribution, the contribution must be made during the 2020 calendar year regardless of whether the taxpayer’s taxable year is the calendar year.
•    Corporations can deduct charitable contributions up to 25 percent of taxable income, up from 10 percent previously.

This information is not intended to provide legal or accounting advice, or to address specific situations. Please consult with your legal or tax advisor for specific advice and additional information.

EVENTS

Webinar: Practical Leadership Tools to Enable Productivity & Engagement during COVID-19

Join us for this free one-hour webinar on crisis leadership & management, presented by Humanim Board member and CEO of Delve Consulting, Blair Brennan Slaughter and Principal of Workforce Innovations, Bernie Bena. Participants will walk away with immediately applicable tools to diagnose and address your team’s concerns, so you can focus your attention on organizational activities with impact. This is a free virtual professional development event facilitated by Humanim's Impact Leaders Network and Delve Consulting. Learn more HERE.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month!

Mental Health Month is about raising awareness of mental health, fighting stigma, educating the broader public, and advocating to support people with mental illness and their families. During these challenging times of social distancing and isolation, it is especially important to nurture mental health in our communities, and remind ourselves and others that we are not alone. This month, we’re standing with NAMI's (National Alliance on Mental Illness) "You Are Not Alone" campaign – by sharing stories from our behavioral health department about what mental health awareness means to our clients and staff. Read the stories on our social media or blog!

HUMAN IMPACT

Meet Tasha

“If it wasn’t for the amazing providers that I had obtained throughout the years, I would have been lost. It was after my healing process that I decided I wanted to make that same difference in someone’s life and to show individuals that mental illness does not discriminate.”

Tasha is the Community Support Specialist in our McKinney supported housing Program and has been a part of #TeamHumanim for almost a year and a half. Tasha decided to work in the Human Services field after her own experience with mental health. “I am a domestic violence survivor, and I know first-hand how your life can change drastically from trauma. It took years for me to overcome the depression, anxiety, and PTSD that I have endured. If it wasn’t for the amazing providers that I had obtained throughout the years, I would have been lost. It was after my healing process that I decided I wanted to make that same difference in someone’s life and to show individuals that mental illness does not discriminate.”

Her favorite part of her role at Humanim is “witnessing the progress from the time they [clients] enter our program until the time they are discharged. To see how overjoyed they are when they realized they accomplished a goal that seems so unrealistic to them in the beginning – that is the most rewarding feeling.”

On the importance of #mentalhealthawareness, Tasha says, “Mental Health Awareness is important because there are so many people in the world that have a misconception of what mental illness looks like... Awareness is needed so that more people can begin to get the treatment that they need to function through life.”

Thanks to Tasha for being dedicated to showing others they are #NotAlone and embodying #HumanPurpose & #HumanImpact every day.