Orion Communities

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AFTER AN ASSESSMENT OF NEEDS AND RESOURCES, CRITICAL FUNDS MAY HELP STABILIZE INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES WHO ARE UNDER-RESOURCED. ORION HAS THREE POOLS OF FUNDS. 1 COMMUNITY EMERGENCY FUND PROVIDES FUNDS FOR CRITICAL SITUATIONS TO ASSIST WITH LIFES BASIC NEEDS OR TO KEEP A CLIENT FROM CATASTROPHIC LOSSES. IN 2023, ORION PROVIDED $143,000 IN DIRECT AID. 2 ROOFs(READILY OBTAINABLE OCCUPANCY FUNDS) PROVIDES TEMPORARY HOTEL STAYS AND SECURITY DEPOSIT ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES MOVING FROM HOMELESSNESS TO PERMANENT HOUSING. IN 2023, THIS FUND PROVIDED $223,000 IN SUPPORT. 3 GIFTS IN KIND AND RESTRICTED FUNDS PROVIDED AN ADDITIONAL $40,000 IN DIRECT SUPPORT.

Community outreach is an endeavor that assesses needs, develops strategies, and provides services that will fill the gaps to in-need and at risk populations. Community outreach also raises community awareness and develops a collaborative approach to meet the needs of the community as well as provide an understanding of the existing services. One example is offering bridges out of poverty and poverty simulation workshops to create a network of people with a common language and understanding of local poverty. The goal is to prevent and reduce poverty with all voices at the decision-making table.

Bridge case management is the temporary or interim provision of short-term case management services to assist in a period of transition, crisis or change. Orion's clients may be homeless, hungry, in danger of eviction or having their utilities turned off. In these situations, a permanent case manager may be unnecessary or difficult to engage on short notice. In 2023, Orion Communities assisted 1,900households with their immediate need for life's basic essentials, a number which has doubled over the past two years.