5 minute read
United Methodist Community House
United Methodist Community House has been serving our community since 1902. Grand Rapids Community Foundation has supported UMCH’s work through various grants and donations, including support from our Donor Advised funds. Heather Gill Fox, Community Foundation strategic communications manager, recently talked with Carla Moore, chief executive officer, and Eric Williams, vice president of strategic initiatives, about the organization’s intergenerational model that begins with expanding childcare, as well as the organization's capital campaign.
HEATHER: How is UMCH responding to community needs?
UMCH: Part of UMCH's overall big vision is ensuring sustainability for the next 100 years. We do that in part by making sure that what we offer and engage in is relevant to actual documented community needs. UMCH is and has been committed to serving lower income populations. Data shows lower income populations are more diverse. This is what drives the demographics of who UMCH serves, which is predominantly communities of color. Understanding that the system of childcare in the country is broken and needs to be addressed and there is a great need to ensure older adults have access to the programs and services that increase their ability to age in place longer. What’s unfortunate is that— until a shortage of teachers and seats began to impact higher-income populations—there really wasn't a focus on how detrimental and huge childcare disparities really are.
HEATHER: Why is early childhood development support needed?
UMCH: In 2017/2018, we learned of an extreme need for care for children ages zero through two. There were 2,400 children residing within our UMCH direct service area, but only 189 licensed registered slots of care existed for that same demographic. That is crisis level. We immediately went to work with the help of some local foundations to transform two multipurpose program spaces into two new classrooms that would help us serve 24 more children in that age range.
The woman who got the last seat available in that entire program when we had opened literally burst out in tears when she found out that she was accepted. She was excited to be having a child, but she felt like it was a twoyear sentence to unemployment. She had been searching high and low, calling nearly every center in the community and was not finding any openings as her due date was quickly approaching. Her story was a validation and eye opener about why it's so important to create more seats. Data reports in recent years also reiterate the fact that this need is persistent. The system has to be strategically thought out so that sustainability can occur.
HEATHER: What about older adults and eldercare?
UMCH: West Michigan is extremely wealthy in the number of resources and things available to its older residents, but they are not equitably distributed in this community. When you talk about elders who are aging within the central city, they lack the ability to access these resources, let alone even know about them. Much of what we do is socialization and helping extend or create a sense of purpose for older adults. Most of what impacts an older adult's wellness is their physical and social environment. UMCH addresses both of those needs through programming and creating a place of communal belonging.
Aging in place is the number one desire of most aging citizens. But as you age, your ability to access the things that you need becomes increasingly difficult if you're not out in one of those retirement communities where everything is brought in and built around you. Unfortunately, this goes back to the reality that earning potential in communities of color is lower than in the dominant culture. We've not had or been afforded the same opportunities, so how do we ensure that older adults with lower incomes can access what they need?
HEATHER: What’s next for UMCH?
UMCH: UMCH has been reorganizing and re-envisioning who we are, what we want to become and how we can begin to answer community needs and create sustainability for the next 100 years. We’ve built upon the foundation of our intergenerational model, which is who we are.
Over the summer we are expanding our 904 Sheldon Avenue campus to include an open-to-the-public intergenerational park. It will feature equipment geared towards children ages three to five, as well as equipment for adults. We’re building a new Older Adult Activity Center and will eventually expand our infant and toddler classrooms. We will also launch alternative care services, which comprise of drop-in care for families experiencing homelessness and need care while they take care of appointments, interviews and other critical business. And we will be launching 2nd shift care to support families of shift workers, who need childcare beyond the regular business hours of most care facilities.
HEATHER: How can community support UMCH?
UMCH: It is important for this community to understand that this vision and our capital campaign to support it is probably one of the most ambitious, largest raises from a minority-led organization that this community has ever seen. It's historic. If we can all get behind this effort, then as a community we can realize what it means to be equitable, what it means to make room for all of us to work and to grow and improve this community. And every last member of our community has an opportunity to be a part of this. You can learn more about the campaign at UMCHouseGR. org/Campaign. There you can view our case for support, project drawings, photos, access a pledge card or even contribute online.
