Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation recently approved grants for Hurricane Ian relief, including assistance to repair homes damaged by the storm and owned by low-income resident of DeSoto County and to support capacity-building efforts aimed at case management and financial support for clients of one of the region’s oldest community action agencies. Helping An Established Housing Provider in DeSoto County Repair Storm-Damaged Homes--Investment: A $50,000 grant to Arcadia-DeSoto County Habitat for Humanity to provide certified home repair services to residents impacted by Hurricane Ian. Since the hurricane struck, Habitat managers have been working to expand their existing Critical Home Repair (CHR) Program into a Disaster Recovery CHR Program to meet the increased needs DeSoto County, which saw an estimated 35% of its housing damaged by Ian. Helping A 50-year-old Agency Empowering Individuals and Families Boost Its Capacity for Aid--Investment: A $557,662 grant to Step Up Suncoast support capacity building efforts to assist with case management and financial support for clients. With the grant, StepUp plans to strategically expand staff capacity and modify existing job functions to meet the increased demand for its services. That effort will enable the agency to distribute available funds more efficiently, provide the wrap-around support its clients need, and strengthen families in the community.

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