Greenville Health Authority awards more than $20 million in community grants

GREENVILLE, SC—Following a unanimous vote today, (Wednesday, July 29), the Greenville Health Authority (GHA) Board of Trustees awarded 15 new grants through its Healthy Greenville program, bringing the total amount of its community health-focused grants to more than $20 million since the program launched four years ago.

Just-awarded grants benefit a range of projects, including homes for those with severe disabilities who are also experiencing chronic homelessness, a program to expand virtual services to those with Parkinson’s disease and repurposing a school bus into a mobile café to reach children and senior citizens at risk for hunger.

“The Greenville Health Authority Board of Trustees is very excited to award a $500,000 grant over the next three years to United Housing Connections toward the building of its innovative Church Street Place,” said Mike Ellison, the GHA grant committee chairman. “This award aligns with the Community Health Needs Assessment for Greenville County and with the GHA vision to help make Greenville County the healthiest county in America.”

“Housing and healthcare go hand in hand,” said Lorain Crowl, executive director of United Housing Connections. “We are so proud to partner with Prisma Health to create 36 homes for some of the most vulnerable citizens in our Greenville Community – those with severe mental or physical disabilities who are experiencing chronic homelessness. On behalf of those who will call Church Street Place at Poe Mill home, thank you!”

Construction is scheduled to begin by the summer of 2021, with the project projected to be ready for occupancy by winter 2022. The development will provide housing stability for individuals with chronic complex needs that are challenging to serve in other housing models, as well as a stable and harm-reducing housing platform that provides wellness opportunities and access to quality healthcare.

“With the United Housing Connections award and the other 14 Healthy Greenville and Healthy Greenville, Too awards made this year, Greenville Health Authority has now pledged more than $20 million in grants through 2020. Of that $20 million, almost $16 million has already been distributed to organizations making a difference in the health and well-being of the communities where we live and serve,” said Ellison. “My fellow trustees and I continue to be proud and excited to be a part of this organization and these grant initiatives that will make a difference for generations to come.”

This year’s recipients include a one-year $25,662 grant and 13 one-year micro-grants under $8,000. By 2052, the program is expected to invest more than $136 million into health programs directly benefitting Greenville County; the health benefits are expected to be felt outside of the county as well.

The other macro-grant awarded this year is to the Greenville Area Parkinson Society, which received a $25,662 one-year grant to support technology initiatives to expand its virtual services. The support, which includes iPads for members and an online platform, will allow homebound members and those with transportation obstacles to gain social, educational and physical support

In addition, 13 programs will receive micro-grants of $7,692 for one-year support:

• Center for Educational Equity will receive support for outreach and support targeting at-risk students. The program features a structured after-school environment that advocates academics and fitness.
• Upstate Circle of Friends Neighborhood Mobile Café will receive a grant to repurpose a school bus into a mobile café to reach up to 200 children at risk for hunger. The project will maintain the program’s focus on youth residing in low-income housing areas but also will benefit senior citizens identified through a just-completed COVID-19 feeding program.
• The Greenville Tech Foundation received support for its Greenville Technical College Education & Prevention to Improve Community Dental Care (GTC EPIC Dental Care). The clinic plans to serve more than 1,500 people in 2020.
• International Ballet will receive support for its innovative accessibility dance classes. The group hopes to restart the classes in mid-August, with conditioning mats designated personally to each participant and disinfected after each use.
• Jasmine Road Inc. will receive support for its transformational two-year “housing-first” residential program. The project will provide access to mental and behavioral healthcare services for its residents.
• LEAD Collective Inc. will receive support to hire a part-time intern from the Nicholtown community to help with the Eleos After School program for middle school and high school students. The after-school program includes tutoring, creative arts, sports, healthy meals and free counseling through a new partnership with the Heritage Family Center.
• Meals on Wheels Greenville will receive additional support for specialty meals for patients facing physical limitations.
• North Greenville Crisis Ministry will use the additional support to provide rent or utility assistance for more families in need of crisis assistance.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas supports the efforts of Prisma Health Children’s Hospital in its work to care for medically fragile children, with the Ronald McDonald House ensuring that children’s families are close by and able to provide emotional support to them.
• Safe Harbor Inc. will use the grant to provide mental health counseling for victims of domestic violence.
• Sustaining Way will use this grant to improve the health and well-being of Greenville’s Nicholtown community through its youth stewardship, home energy efficiency outreach and gardening programs.
• SWITCH’s Restoration Program will provide comprehensive support services for up to 20 women in Greenville County who are survivors of human trafficking or sexual exploitation. Assistance can include short-term crisis management and long-term integrated care using an individualized case management approach focused on targeted interventions.
• YouthBASE, a free afterschool and summer program, equips children in kindergarten through second grade – and their families – with additional support to overcome behavioral, academic, social and emotional difficulties.

As part of a lease agreement with Prisma Health–Upstate, Greenville Health Authority oversees the Healthy Greenville grants program. Prisma Health-Upstate provides Greenville Health Authority an annual commitment of $4 million for the Healthy Greenville program to support health-related care, health research and health education initiatives benefiting the residents of Greenville County.

For more information about GHA’s grants program, visit https://greenvillehealthauthority.org/