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United Way of Northern Arizona, Coconino County Launch COVID-19 Safety-Net Services Coalition

by Community Contributor • May 19, 2020 • Comments Off

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UWNA and Coconino County Launch

COVID-19 Safety-Net Services Coalition

Hello!

We hope this email finds you and your family healthy and feeling strong during this uncertain time.

Coconino County has suffered greatly from the coronavirus pandemic. Our residents only make up about 2% of the state, but we have 6% of the COVID-19 cases and 10% of the fatalities attributed to the disease – the highest death rate in Arizona.

Add to that the economic impact of the disease. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the four industries that have been hardest hit in terms of unemployment during this time are hospitality, retail, education/health care services, and government. Those also are the sectors that make up the bulk of our jobs in northern Arizona.

The demands on our nonprofits are unprecedented. Which is why United Way of Northern Arizona established the COVID-19 Fund two months ago, and why we are teaming up with Coconino County to lead the COVID-19 Social Safety-Net Services Coalition.

Together, this new coalition is working together to lead, support and coordinate efforts to meet the ever-evolving needs of our citizens as we respond to this public health and economic crisis. No one has a crystal ball: we don’t know precisely what will happen as economies re-open; we don’t know if – or how severe – a second wave of infections could be; we don’t know when an effective vaccine or treatment will be developed.

What we do know is that many of our friends and neighbors will need short- and long-term help in the coming months to keep their families afloat.

The Coalition will:

Fortify existing service providers to meet rapidly expanding demands for housing, food and emergency cash assistance;
Attract and align resources to maximize impact through a coordinated and collaborative effort;
Communicate information to promote open, inclusive and timely information sharing among social safety-net providers in order to develop assistance strategies, involve funders and inform policy makers regarding the service demands and responses; and
Mobilize the delivery of emergency resources through a strategic framework that identifies service gaps and emerging issues.

One of the first achievements of our new coalition is the creation of resource guide, which you can see here .

Coalition leadership includes the Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff; Catholic Charities; Department of Economic Security; First Things First; Flagstaff Family Food Center; Flagstaff Shelter Services; the Flagstaff Housing Authority; Housing Solutions of Northern Arizona; Native Americans for Community Action; Northern Arizona Council of Governments; St. Mary’s Food Bank; the Salvation Army; The NARBHA Institute; and Volunteers Organizations Active in Disaster.

It is my honor to co-chair this coalition alongside Michele Axlund of Coconino County Health and Human Services and Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Liz Archuleta, whose office is sponsoring the effort.

Have a good weekend,

Carol Dykes

President & CEO, United Way of Arizona

Co-Chair, COVID-19 Safety-Net Services Coalition