COVID-19 Response by unitedwaygc

COVID-19 RESPONSE TO RECOVERY BUILDING A MORE RESILIENT GREENVILLE COUNT Y

E XECUTIVE SUMMARY The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in Greenville County tested our community and its systems in new ways and at a scale not experienced in many years, if ever before. The impact was immediate and widely felt, as our robust local economy was shaken by a sharp increase to near record levels of unemployment well before the virus made its impact on the community’s health. In turn, the social safety net of Greenville County’s nonprofit community was quickly called into action to address the dramatic increase in needs across the community. In this report, we seek to track and analyze that collective response beginning in March 2020, highlighting the successes, overall impact and opportunities for improvement as we continue to work toward recovery one year later. In partnership with the Greenville Partnership for Philanthropy and the Nonprofit Alliance, we take a deep dive into the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in three key areas of our response: Collaboration and Partnership; Process and Capacity; and Adaptability. Key findings include: • C onnection and access to resources, support of under-resourced communities, and the mobilization and distribution of resources were the primary focus areas of our collective response. Greenville County’s relative size and genuine spirit of collaboration among the nonprofit sector helped streamline our overall response, as evidenced by the creation of a single relief fund. • T he level of community need outweighed the available resources, while the capacity of the nonprofit sector to respond was severely hindered. • T he ability of Greenville County’s social service systems to quickly pivot operations, adapt, and find new ways to deliver services was critical to a successful response. • L everaging data to make informed decisions was essential to coordinating the response and deploying limited resources. By assessing our community’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be better equipped to respond appropriately to future challenges. The intent of this report is to provide an opportunity for our community to reflect on the past year, namely in the area of health and human services, to better position it as place of vibrancy and resilience.

INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND LIKE MANY COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD, THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC SHATTERED GREENVILLE COUNTY’S SENSE OF NORMALCY, VIRTUALLY OVERNIGHT.

DURING APRIL 2020

ramifications for the economy, education and public service systems that directly impacted community members. Local businesses had to initiate furloughs and layoffs due to halted operations. Schools pivoted to virtual learning to ensure the health and safety of students and staff. And key governmental and nonprofit organizations were working to identify and address the community’s most pressing needs.

UNEMPLOYMENT INCREASED FROM REPORTED IN MARCH TO 12.2%

SINCE THE MARCH 2020

In March 2020, shortly after COVID-19 was deemed a global pandemic and a declaration of a national emergency launched a series of restrictions on everything from social gatherings and business operations to school closures, Greenville County found itself adjusting to crisis. Though the onset of the epidemic had a steady and profound impact on public health, there were also immediate and significant

515,595 INITIAL CLAIMS FOR

2.5%

STATEWIDE, THE ESTIMATED LABOR FORCE DECREASED BY 27,260 PEOPLE

UNEMPLOYMENT HAVE BEEN RECEIVED

$1.35 BILLION HAVE BEEN PAID OUT

STATEWIDE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT

COVID-19 ONE YEAR LATER: I N T R O D U C T I O N & B AC KG R O U N D

TIMELINE MARCH 13, 2020 Gov. McMaster declares a state of emergency due to rising COVID-19 cases.

MARCH 15, 2020 Public schools closed statewide in effort to slow spread of COVID-19.

MARCH 15, 2020 COVID-19 Community Relief Fund launches to support local nonprofits responding to the pandemic.

M A R C H 2 7, 2 0 2 0 Federal CARES Act is signed into law.

M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 2 0 The Greenville County Community Resource Line (211) is expanded to enhance access to community resources.

WITHIN DAYS OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY BEING DECLARED IN SOUTH CAROLINA, THE FOLLOWING NEEDS PROVED TO BE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND ARE THE CORNERSTONES FOR THIS REPORT: CONNECTION AND ACCESS TO RESOURCES:

MOBILIZATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES:

Identification and centralization of community resources and services to provide immediate assistance to community members, namely food security and housing/utility assistance.

As federal and philanthropic dollars became available, the need to effectively and efficiently distribute dollars to support the nonprofit sector and directly aid community members became critically important.

SUPPORT OF UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES:

Over the past year, collectively our community has worked to address these immediate and long-term needs, identifying successes and challenges in four key learning areas that will frame this summary document: collaboration, processes and capacity, adaptability, and data-informed decision making.

Addressing the unique needs of populations that were already under-resourced and/or vulnerable prior to the onset of the pandemic, namely the Hispanic community and people in poverty.

M AY 4 , 2 0 2 0 Community partners collaborate to establish the Emergency Housing Assistance Fund.

APRIL 22, 2020 Greenville County receives $91 million in CARES Act funding.

O C T O B E R 2 0, 2 0 2 0 The Keep the Lights On Initiative is launched to help people struggling to keep up with utility payments.

J U LY 2 0 2 0 Greenville County CARES launches and focuses on Small Business/Nonprofit grants, Community Health and more.

Sources: Federal Emergency Management Agency, SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, SC Department of Employment and Workforce, Greenville County

Recovering from the economic impact of the pandemic will be an uphill challenge. We were already faced with dire needs in pockets of our Greenville County communities. The loss of jobs and income, interruption of life as our children knew it, and the long-term need for acute awareness of COVID-19 protocols in public, businesses, retailers, schools, etc., will impact what agencies can do and will do going forward. UPSTATE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

COVID-19 ONE YEAR LATER: T I M EL I N E

COLLABORATION & PARTNERSHIP OVERVIE W Perhaps more than ever before, the need to collaborate, partner and leverage relationships has been essential during the pandemic. The need to coalesce quickly to develop community solutions was critical early

on, and Greenville County’s small size and close-knit community proved to be an asset, but also came with its own challenges.

ANALYSIS STRENGTHS • D ue to Greenville County being a smaller community, many key community leaders and influencers were able to connect quickly at the onset of the pandemic. • A ctivation of one primary community-wide relief fund rather than several different community funds to streamline and coordinate relief efforts. • C ommunity’s willingness to contribute to COVID-19 relief efforts, both through volunteerism and donations. • S everal direct service organizations collaborated to discuss the growing needs of Greenville County due to the pandemic, which allowed needs to be identified and prevented duplication of services, allowing resources to be best used.

OPPORTUNITIES • C ontinue to enhance collaboration, coordination and partnership across different systems in the community (healthcare, education, philanthropy, local government, etc.). • G reater focus on community power building to enhance power and influence of those with the least access to opportunity and most impacted by systemic barriers. • B uild on our community’s courage over the past year and step more boldly in sharing what our community’s most vulnerable stakeholders need.

WEAKNESSES • T he need to catalyze quickly led to most collaboration and partnership occurring where relationships already existed. • A sense of mistrust, lack of transparency and disconnection from government initially led some community stakeholders to question federal financial support and resources. • S everal organizations wanted to help with relief efforts, but there was little coordination and collaboration early in the pandemic.

THREATS • A tight-knit community network can create exclusivity for organizations/individuals that are not connected to the network. • P olitical dynamics and processes can hold systemic barriers in place, such as single member districts and unelected governmental leadership positions. • I nterpersonal dynamics of relationships can make work “political” and threaten collaboration and partnerships that can have a positive community impact.

CASE STUDY: United Way of Greenville County, in partnership with five local foundations, launched the COVID-19 Community Relief Fund on March 15 to assist Greenville County’s most vulnerable neighbors with the resources they needed during this critical time. In concert with partners such as Greenville County Schools and others from across the region, United Way coordinated with social service organizations and businesses focused on supporting children and

families, hourly wage earners, workers in the gig economy, older adults, people living with disabilities and other vulnerable communities. One hundred percent of donations made to the Fund supports efforts to provide relief to people impacted by coronavirus and its effect on the community. Thanks to the generosity of individual donors and local philanthropic partners, nearly $4 million was deployed in the first year.

Strength came in the form of groups coming together to assess the needs of our community and find quick ways to partner together to provide a solution quickly and efficiently. TOBIN SIMPSON, PROJECT HOST

COVID-19 ONE YEAR LATER: C O L L A B O R AT I O N & PA R T N ER S H I P

PROCESSES & CAPACITY OVERVIE W Because COVID-19 impacted everyone in our community and the societal effects were far-reaching across every sector (namely business, education, healthcare and public service), addressing needs often put a strain on processes, staff and volunteer capacity,

or led to the creation of new processes. When processes and systems are integrated and inclusive, a community is able to leverage resources to meet growing needs in the midst of a community stressor.

ANALYSIS STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

• E stablishment of Greenville County Resource Line (GCRL) served as a centralized hub to connect community members to resources.

• T hroughout the pandemic, community needs have outweighed the resources that are available to meet urgent and emergent needs.

• F inancial resources were aimed to sustain the community throughout the duration of the pandemic and weren’t all dispersed immediately.

• L imited technological infrastructure to allow organizations to transition to remote work and provide direct services virtually.

• M any organizations providing community resources and services eased eligibility requirements and expanded services to meet needs.

• S ignificant influx of financial resources put strains on internal processes to administer those resources. • L imited ability of utilities infrastructure to help individuals and families at scale.

OPPORTUNITIES • I ncreased technology infrastructure to allow for virtual service delivery. • D ata agreements that allow for data sharing across entities to assess individual needs and collective impact of organizations meeting needs.

• M inimal organizational capacity to address the unique needs of the Hispanic community (ex. Spanish-language translators and culturally appropriate food options).

THREATS • L imited staff capacity in much of the nonprofit sector to continue normal operations as well as respond to crises. • L imited staff capacity and resources to deal with pandemic impact brought to light the vulnerability of some nonprofit organizations to sustain themselves and provide services.

CASE STUDY:

NONPROFIT SEC TOR NEEDS At the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, NonProfit Alliance and Greenville Partnership for Philanthropy surveyed nearly 70 nonprofit organizations in

74%

Greenville County to assess the initial challenges organizations were facing, as well as identify possible solutions. Survey findings noted:

58%

of organizations stated the pandemic had a severe impact on their programming and service delivery.

of respondents noted that they either cancelled programming/services or demand for services decreased.

87%

60%

of organizations did not have a plan in place for a global crisis, such as a pandemic or natural disaster.

noted that connection to online local, state and/or national resources would be helpful.

COVID-19 ONE YEAR LATER: P R O C E S S E S & C A PAC I T Y

ADAPTABILITY OVERVIE W COVID-19 caused unprecedented challenges in the areas of education, local government, business, public health and human services. The need for social service systems to quickly pivot their operations, enhance their infrastructure, identify alternative ways

to use resources, and even redefine their roles in the community proved to be crucial. To be resilient, communities must be nimble, yet committed to identifying shared solutions to appropriately respond to crises.

ANALYSIS STRENGTHS • G reenville reacted quickly to community needs and nonprofits didn’t operate out of fear of wasting donor dollars. • T he community was generous and some nonprofit organizations’ revenues were higher than ever.

WEAKNESSES • D ue to the unique and urgent challenges of the pandemic, opportunities to pause, strategize and asses next steps were sometimes missed. • M ultiple surveys of the nonprofit sector to assess needs and services being provided.

• T he community’s adaptability to ensure students were food secure, namely through school district meal delivery, additional SNAP benefits, and nonprofit providers.

THREATS

OPPORTUNITIES

• S tatic mindset and notion that “things have always been done this way” that hinders innovation and adaptation.

• O rganizations and leaders commit to continually improving, openly identifying barriers and working towards solutions.

• N onprofit organizations not willing to adapt to help most vulnerable community members.

• I mportant to have individualized assistance based on a person’s unique needs, such as transportation barriers, mental health, car and insurance payments for those experiencing homelessness, etc.

• N onprofit revenue that is highly dependent on revenuegenerating events and corporate sponsorships that were perceived to be at-risk due to the pandemic.

• B etter collaboration between nonprofit and for-profit entities, especially those in the food service industry.

• A ssumptions of what CARES Act funds could be used for and questioning whether nonprofits should have access to dollars to support operations like for-profit companies. • R isk of losing momentum of the progress that was made in 2020 and not using lessons to prepare for next crisis.

CASE STUDY:

GREENVILLE COUNT Y FOOD SECURIT Y COALITION Due to COVID-19, more than 45 pantries in Greenville County have closed temporarily and 11 closed permanently since the start of the pandemic, limiting access to food for families and individuals who are high-risk, chronically homeless and are experiencing high vulnerability. United Way of Greenville County, in partnership with local nonprofits, created an emergency food and basic needs collaboration with an emphasis placed on the Hispanic/Latinx

communities. These efforts include distributing culturally-appropriate weekend food boxes, replenishing food gaps at local grassroots pantries, and increased accessibility to emergency food and utility/rent assistance in the highest poverty areas in Greenville County. Now led by LiveWell Greenville, the Greenville County Food Security Coalition continues to strategically assess food security in our community and identify areas of need.

We had other nonprofit organizations partnering with us to deliver produce to their customers, volunteers sewing masks for others, and neighbors delivering food to vulnerable neighbors. However, this pandemic also highlighted and uncovered the gaps in our social safety nets, as so many immediately were in crisis mode with no savings to spur them through the hard times. It was frightening to see how quickly people had no food and no money to pay for basic needs. ROB CAIN, MILL COMMUNIT Y MINISTRIES

COVID-19 ONE YEAR LATER: A DA P TA B I L I T Y

DATA-INFORMED DECISION MAKING OVERVIE W The ability to comprehensively assess community needs in real-time became critical in determining how and where to respond. By leveraging data sources such as the Greenville County Resource Line and information from utility companies, food, housing and utility assistance proved to be the most critical needs. This data was also paired with state and local data:

of these students, school provided the only nutritious meal a student would receive each day.

According to Feeding America, 1 in 8 people in South Carolina struggle with hunger, and the reports from the community showed that need was increasing, especially among children.

According to the Prosperity Now scorecard for Greenville County, 46.4 percent of renters are spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Onethird of all calls to the resource line were regarding housing or utility needs.  resources to meet growing needs in the midst of a community stressor.

In Greenville County Schools, around half of all students receive free and reduced lunch, and for many

On the Greenville County Resource Line, around 1 in 5 calls received in the first few months of the pandemic was related to food. This led to a focus on food first to make sure that peoples’ immediate needs were met.

CASE STUDY:

GREENVILLE RESOURCE LINE The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the need for helpline support and how vital it is to immediately connect vulnerable callers with local services. Thus, United Way of Greenville County strategically decided to move the Greenville County Resource Line (formerly 2-1-1) locally, offering bilingual services and extending the hours to 24/7 (locally 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. and rolling over to United Way Association of South Carolina afterhours). The data collected

by the GCRL enables community service providers to immediately align their relief efforts and create strategic solutions like the housing assistance fund and the Keep the Lights On initiative. As a centralized hub, the GCRL call agents have been able to direct callers to the closest food resource and start the intake process for housing and utility assistance, responding to nearly 41,000 calls to date.

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COVID-19 ONE YEAR LATER: DATA- I N FO R M ED D EC I S I O N M A K I N G

OVERALL IMPACT AS OF MARCH 1, 2021: GREENVILLE COUNT Y RESOURCE LINE CALL S DATE

TOTAL CALLS

March – June 2020

4,955

July – September 2020

4, 268

October – December 2020

25,359

January 2021

4,579

February 2021

3,014

March 2021

1,832

TOTALS

43,992

KEEP THE LIGHTS ON From October through December 2020, the Keep the Lights On campaign helped over 3,600 families in the Upstate remain in their homes with access to water and electricity. The campaign was sparked by end of the moratorium for utility shutoffs and data showing that over 8,000 Greenville residents faced $4 million in unpaid utility bills. Leveraging funding through the CARES Act to help alleviate the urgent situation, United Way of Greenville County allocated resources to accomplish the following:

KEEP THE LIGHTS ON Points of Assistance Provided Funds Distributed Calls Received Through GCRL

OVER 9,000 $2.5 MILLION 25,000

VOLUNTEERISM As our community dealt with the impact of COVID-19, caring individuals stepped up to contribute their time, talent and resources to assist with everything from personal protective equipment (PPE) drives to Spanish translation services.

VO LU N T E E R I S M I M PAC T* Estimated Participation (Acts of Service) Estimated Hours Served Estimated Volunteer Monetary Impact Estimated Value In-Kind Donations

620 INDIVIDUALS 1,495 HOURS $43,650 $4,855

*As reported by United Way of Greenville County via internal efforts and Get Connected website

VO LU N T E E R P R O J EC T S • Packing of hygiene kits and snack packs

• Translation services

• PPE Drive in partnership with Prisma Health

• Blood Drives

• Weekend Food Box and grocery delivery

• Community food drives

FOOD FIRS T INITIATIVE At the onset of the pandemic, ensuring food security and shelter for those who were already in vulnerable housing situations proved to be highest priorities. Through the COVID-19 Community Relief Fund, thousands of individuals and families received emergency food and housing.

E M E R G E N C Y FO O D A N D S H E LT E R A S S I S TA N C E Households Assisted with Food and Emergency Shelter Food Distributed

9,782 122, 254 POUNDS

COVID-19 ONE YEAR LATER: OV ER A L L I M PAC T

SUMMARY HOW CAN GREENVILLE BE A MORE RESILIENT COMMUNIT Y? Community resilience, specifically “urban resilience,” equates to the capacity of individuals, institutions, businesses and systems within a community to survive, adapt and thrive regardless of the kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience (Resilient Tulsa, 2018). As Greenville County grows in size, it is also important that it grows stronger.

By strengthening social connectedness and focusing on relationship-building across systems, we can better leverage resources and connections in times of adversity. As a relatively small community, Greenville County has the potential to deepen relationships on both micro and macro levels so necessary collaborations can be easily catalyzed in times of crisis.

Prior to a crisis, it’s critical that a community strengthens and promotes access to social services. By creating an environment in which community members know how to access resources and are not limited by real or perceived barriers to services, a community is better equipped to connect people to services not only on a day-to-day basis, but also during challenging times. This also includes regularly engaging vulnerable individuals and the programs that serve them.

Lastly, a resilient community is reflective and uses past experiences to inform future decisions. By assessing previous experiences and responses to community-wide stresses, they are better equipped to respond appropriately to future challenges. The intent of this report is to provide an opportunity for our community to reflect on the past year, namely in the area of health and human services, to better position it as place of vibrancy and resilience.

Sources: US Department of Health and Human Services, “Community Resilience”, Rockefeller Foundation “100 Resilient Cities”

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS Through the uncertainty of quarantines, business shutdowns and school closures brought on by the pandemic, one thing remained constant: This community’s incredible generosity and willingness to step up and help each other. Since the launch of our COVID-19 Community Relief Fund in March of 2020, thousands of individual donors, foundations and corporate partners have combined with our public CARES Act Funding to raise nearly $5 million to meet our most immediate relief and recovery needs. Thank you to the following organizations for their generous support:

COVID-19 RELIEF FUND FOUNDING PARTNERS F. W. Symmes Foundation

Community Foundation of Greenville, Inc.

Hollingsworth Funds

Jolley Foundation

John I. Smith Charities, Inc.

United Way of Greenville County