Congress Needs to Support Nonprofits Fighting Coronavirus on the Frontlines with Direct Funding, Says YWCA USA

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Congress Needs to Support Nonprofits Fighting Coronavirus on the Frontlines with Direct Funding, Says YWCA USA


For Immediate Release
Contact
Courtney Holsworth
cholsworth@rabengroup.com
989-572-8162

Yolanda Raine
Director, Marketing and Communications
yraine@ywca.org
202-524-5331

Washington, D.C. — The relief package passed by the Senate today to deal with the coronavirus pandemic takes important steps to meet significant needs of America’s families including testing, paid leave, unemployment insurance, and nutrition assistance, but does not allocate direct funding to the nonprofit sector.

In response, Alejandra Y. Castillo, CEO of the YWCA USA issued the following statement:
“As a sector, nonprofits are essential partners to local, state and federal government. We are the backbone of community efforts providing emergency childcare for the healthcare workers putting their lives on the line to fight coronavirus, housing survivors of domestic violence who can’t safely quarantine at home, and providing meals and medical care for seniors and other vulnerable groups. In times of crisis — be that fires, floods, hurricanes, or COVID19 — the demand for our services goes up, and community resilience hinges on the strength and stability of the nonprofit sector. It is nonprofits like our 200+ local YWCAs who are filling a critical need, stepping up to help communities during this unprecedented health crisis.

Across the country, demand for the services we provide — childcare, supportive housing for survivors of domestic violence, free meals and medical support for seniors — is increasing substantially. As we’ve been called upon to do more, devoting our limited resources to meet the urgent needs of our communities, we do not have the bandwidth to fundraise, and many individuals who generously support our work are facing financial uncertainty of their own.

If Congress doesn’t act quickly to provide aid to nonprofits, the services we deliver will be disrupted and the people we serve will suffer as a result. This will only exacerbate the pain and devastation that coronavirus is causing; we are ever more acutely aware of how interconnected we are through this. Suffering and risk to one affects us all. Congress should immediately pass another economic relief package that provides significant support for nonprofit human service organizations, so that we can continue to do our part fighting this pandemic.”

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About YWCA USA

YWCA is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families, and strengthen communities. We are one of the oldest and largest women’s organizations in the nation, serving over 2 million women, girls, and their families.

YWCA has been at the forefront of the most pressing social movements for over 160 years — from voting rights to civil rights, from affordable housing to pay equity, from violence prevention to health care reform. Today, we combine programming and advocacy in order to generate institutional change in three key areas: racial justice and civil rights, empowerment and economic advancement of women and girls, and health and safety of women and girls. Learn more at www.ywca.org.