JPH & Associates has been assisting IDignity with the submission of selected grants. IDignity was created to help the disadvantaged in Central Florida through the complex steps of getting personal identification. Documents like birth certificates, Florida ID cards, and Social Security cards are essential for anyone to fully take part in society. Recently JPH & Associates assisted in preparing two applications for grant funding from the City of Orlando (Community Development Block Grant Public Services and the Emergency Shelter Grant programs). The City Grant Committee recommended funding IDignity for $71,478 between the two programs. Over the past year and one-half, JPH & Associates has assisted IDignity with the writing of $1,044,000 worth of grant applications, of which $335,032 of grant funding has been awarded for an award rate of 32 percent.

JPH Associates provides administrative support to the Nonprofit Housing Roundtable of Central Florida, at the direction of the Orlando Realtor Foundation. Over the past four months, these two nonprofits have worked together on a major outreach to the Central Florida community. The outreach effort included a series of listening sessions. These sessions accounted for over eleven hours of community input/feedback and involved over 80 stakeholders. Participants included representatives from the development, banking and governmental communities, as well as homeowners and renters. A copy of the final report from this initiative can be found on the Roundtable’s website at www.housingroundtable.org.

JPH & Associates continues to be involved in successful grant applications for two local nonprofits. JPH & Associates helped to procure $10,000 in grant funds from Wells Fargo Bank for the Florida Real Estate Foundation. Of this total, $5,000 will be used for preliminary planning for an affordable single family development in the Holden Heights area of Orange County. The second $5,000 will be used to support ongoing activities of the Nonprofit Housing Roundtable of Central Florida, which is now supported by the Florida Real Estate Foundation. The Roundtable is a membership association that is committed to strengthening inclusive affordable communities through the production and preservation of quality housing.

The second local nonprofit is IDignity, which JPH & Associates has been assisting staff with selected grant applications over the past year. Recently, three new grants were awarded totaling $18,500. This brings the total grant awards, which JPH & Associates was involved, to over $234,000. These new grants and previous awards will help IDignity continue to do their good work in the area of identification procurement for the poor in our community.

Grant Awards to IDignity

In the Summer of 2014, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and a major national bank came to a $16.65 billion settlement agreement whereby the bank agreed to resolve federal and state claims against themselves and their subsidiaries. As part of the settlement, the bank agreed to make donations to state-based organizations that provide funds to nonprofits. Funds are to be used for foreclosure prevention legal assistance and community redevelopment legal assistance. JPH Associates, Inc. assisted in preparing a grant application for this funding for IDignity. Subsequently, IDignity was awarded $142,857 to help cover the expenses of assisting approximately 600 clients in obtaining crucial identification documents. Once procured, these documents are critical for clients to obtain employment, housing, health care, and other important benefits.

A second grant involved JPH & Associates, Inc. co-authoring a funding application to the City of Orlando’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Public Service program. The Grant Committee has recommended $38,447 be allocated to IDignity. This is the first CDBG grant recommendation for IDignity and it will be used to pay for costs associated with procuring critical identification for 154 clients.

JPH & Associates, Inc. is pleased to announce the award of $5,000 grant from a local foundation in Central Florida to IDignity, Inc. IDignity is a local nonprofit which was created to assist the disadvantaged in Central Florida to navigate the complexities and financial burden of obtaining the legal documentation. The documents IDignity obtains, on behalf of their clients, enable clients to apply for employment or school, obtain access to shelters, seek help from social service programs, open a bank account or cash a check, secure housing, or overcome many other obstacles to becoming self-sufficient. Since 2008, IDignity Orlando has assisted over 17,000 unduplicated clients in obtaining their legal identification documents through monthly events that bring together a plethora of government agencies, attorneys, and volunteers to streamline the often difficult process.

JPH & Associates is pleased to announce the award of $750,000 grant funding from the Florida Elderly Housing Community Loan fund. JPH & Associates co-consulted with Judd K. Roth Real Estate Development on this application. This grant will be used for renovations to Campus Towers, a 192 unit elderly HUD property located in Jacksonville, Florida and owned by Edward Waters College Senior Citizens Home, Inc. The team plans on seeking additional grant funds with the goal of raising between $3 to $4 million. When complete, the renovations will add over 25 additional years of life to this 48 year old structure.

JPH & Associates is assisting the Orlando Regional Realtor Foundation in the re-establishment of the Nonprofit Housing Roundtable of Central Florida.  The first of three stakeholder events is scheduled for November 17th and will involve key stakeholders from the area.  Subsequent stakeholder meetings will include government officials and homeowners/renters.
 
The Orlando Regional Realtor Association, through the Realtor Foundation, has established two priorities concerning affordable housing and these include; 1) To address critical community housing issues; and 2) To support initiatives which enhance the quality of life within Florida communities.  By combining resources and reestablishing the Nonprofit Housing Roundtable of Central Florida it will be better equipped to not only identify, but actively support and participate in projects that will address critical housing needs.

Recent Grant Awards

JPH & Associates helps to secure $30,000 in new grant funding. The National Association of Realtors awarded the Orlando Real Estate Association $5,000. Funds will be used to re-establish the Nonprofit Housing Roundtable of Central Florida under the Orlando Regional Realtor Foundation. The reset of the Nonprofit Housing Roundtable will benefit the community in a number of ways from advocacy to fund raising to data collection/analysis. As second grant award in the amount of $25,000 was made by the Galloway Foundation to the Ministry on South Street. Funds from Galloway will help offset expenses associated with critical community programs such as summer camps, after school care, and community engagement events.

JPH & Associates is pleased to announce the award of over $352,000 in grant funding. The first grant totals $287,000 (from SHIP funds) and is being given to Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida by Lee County for improvements to Hatton Rogers Apartments. This is an affordable elderly community built in 2003. Funds will be used to improve individual units and increase the overall energy efficiency of the property.

A second grant, totaling $65,000, comes in the form of CDBG funds and is being distributed by the City of Orlando to South Street Ministries. Funds will be used to offset salary expenses for an affordable after school program serving children who reside in a local housing authority property.

JPH & Associates is pleased to announce the awards of two recently submitted grants totaling $17,500. One grant originates from the TD Bank Foundation and totals $7,500. The second grant originates from the “Support Homeownership for All,” which is a Florida license plate program and totals $10,000. The grants will be used for the Orlando Board of Realtors and Florida Real Estate Foundation Heroes’ Common’s at Jefferson Park project. This project will provide six mortgage free new homes to income-qualified veterans and their families.