Naperville CARES helps local families weather financial storms
Save for a rainy day.
We've all heard this simple financial advice and would like to think we could weather a sudden burst of medical bills or car expenses that aren't part of our monthly budget.
But for some families, the financial skies are always overcast as they struggle to stretch a paycheck to cover a rent or mortgage payment, a car loan, food, child care, school expenses and other necessities of life.
In those households, even when it drizzles just a single unexpected bill, it might as well be the storm of the century. A trip to the emergency room or a fender bender can disrupt their budget enough that paying the bill would mean something else has to go - the rent is skipped, the car goes without repairs.
When that happens, Naperville CARES is there to hold the umbrella.
Naperville CARES provides emergency financial assistance to help families when surprise bills pour in. The goal is to keep families from losing their homes if they can't pay the rent for a month, from going without food or without electricity or water if they can't pay the utility bills, from losing their jobs (and ultimately their homes) if they lose their transportation to work.
Beyond the Emergency Assistance Program and the Car Program that provides donated cars or vehicle repairs, CARES works to connect clients with organizations that offer ongoing help and helps qualified clients pay the upfront rental deposit that can be an obstacle to affording housing.
To help keep families afloat financially, Naperville CARES will host its largest annual fundraiser, Cuisine for a Cause, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at Navistar Corporate Headquarters, 2701 Navistar Drive, Lisle.
Organizers anticipate about 500 guests will attend to sample signature dishes from about 20 area chefs and, in the process, raise about $176,000 for CARES' cause.
Today, Angela Bender, Naperville CARES' marketing and communications associate, tells us more about the organization and the need in the Naperville area.
Q. What is the organization's mission? Whom do you aim to help?
A. The mission of Naperville CARES is to prevent homelessness by helping local families in financial crisis meet their essential needs by providing emergency financial support and resources.
Q. What do you do?
A. We provide services directly to clients in need, whether it is a loss of income, an unexpected expense like a medical bill or car repair, or lack of reliable transportation to get to work.
Q. Are there other local organizations with a similar mission? What sets you apart? How do you collaborate with them?
A. Through our strong community partnerships, Naperville CARES collaborates with area congregations, government and social service organizations so that services are coordinated and not duplicated.
Q. What changes have you seen in the community and the need for your services in the past three years? What specific changes has Naperville CARES made in response?
A. For 15 years, Naperville CARES has been where the community comes together to ensure all our neighbors have access to resources to meet their essential needs. The CARES Emergency Assistance Program, which provides emergency financial assistance to pay for basic needs like rent and utilities, is a very effective model for preventing homelessness in our community. The goal of the CARES Car Program is to help individuals maintain employment by providing reliable transportation by either providing a client with a donated vehicle or repairing client-owned vehicles.
The low-income families and individuals served by CARES are still feeling the effects of the recession. Janet Yellen, the Federal Reserve Board chair, recently made comments about the Fed's 2013 Survey of Consumer Finances. Yellen noted that 25 million low-income households, which represent the bottom fifth of households by income, have no wealth or negative wealth.
Yellen went on to note that when these families experience an unexpected $400 bill, they will either have to borrow money, sell a possession or simply not pay the bill. These are the families that Naperville CARES serves, because if a family is $400 short on their rent, they are at risk of losing their home. The work of CARES prevents that potential outcome from becoming a reality.
The lagging economy also has impacted our car program because the vehicles that are being donated are older and more money is required to repair the vehicles to make them road worthy for individuals who lack transportation to get to work.
Four years ago, CARES developed a partnership with the Continental Motors Group, which has donated eight vehicles a year for a total of 32 vehicles, so CARES has been able to provide working individuals with reliable transportation. We also added the provision of repairing vehicles owned by working families to help them maintain their employment.
Q. What major accomplishments has your organization achieved in the past three years?
A. Even in a difficult economic environment we were able to grow our donor base, which allowed us to continue to increase the amount of money available for our emergency assistance and car programs. The CARES detailed application and documentation process, coupled with the collaboration and coordination of financial assistance with community partners, has resulted in excellent program outcomes.
In our last fiscal year, we exceeded the program goal of 80 percent of households remaining housed three months after assistance, with an actual outcome of 93 percent of clients remaining housed three months after emergency assistance had been provided.
For the car program, CARES also exceeded the program goal of 75 percent of individuals maintaining their employment six months after receiving a donated vehicle or having their vehicle repaired, with 80 percent maintaining their employment.
CARES also provides leadership in the community by hosting quarterly luncheons to educate our local partners about available community services in an effort to maximize assistance for the clients we serve and foster collaboration between agencies to prevent the duplication of services.
A volunteer also developed a computer-based application system that has streamlined the application, documentation and discernment process, saving volunteer time and money spent on office supplies like paper and toner.
Outside recognitions included: 2012 Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award, Glancer Magazine Not-for-Profit of the Year, and our volunteers also have been recognized by the Exchange Club of Naperville, the Rotary Club of Naperville and the West Suburban Philanthropic Network.
Q. What goals have you set for the coming year? What are your long-term goals for the next five years? Ten years?
A. CARES will continue to work with our community partners to provide effective programming for our neighbors in need and work with our funders to provide the money necessary to serve those clients. CARES is at the end of its three-year strategic plan and will begin working on a new strategic plan in June.
Q. Describe your upcoming event for someone who has never attended or participated. What is your favorite element of the event?
A. Cuisine for a Cause is a fun, lively evening where 500 guests gather with their friends to enjoy one of Naperville's largest cocktail parties. More than 20 popular Naperville-area restaurants feature samples of their signature dishes along with wine and beer tastings from local merchants. Guests also enjoy live and silent auctions for fabulous items donated by local businesses.
Q. How long have you been doing this? How many people attended last year? How much money was raised last year? How was the money used last year? What are your goals for this year?
A. There were 500 guests who attended Cuisine last year and, thanks to our sponsors, participating restaurants, auction donors and guests, Cuisine raised $167,000. The goal is to raise $176,000 at the 12th annual Cuisine for a Cause from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at Navistar Corporate Headquarters.
If you go
What: Cuisine for a Cause
When: 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, April 25
Where: Navistar, 2601 Navistar Drive, Lisle
Cost: $100 per person
Details: Guest are encouraged to wear black and/or white for the Black-and-White theme
Info: (630) 369-0200, <a href="http://www.NapervilleCARES.org">NapervilleCARES.org</a>, events@NapervilleCARES.org