COVINGTON, Ky.-- Two Northern Kentucky organizations are teaming up to help out one of the groups of people disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
The hardship of paying bills is going to be eased a little for Hispanic and Latino families in the region thanks to a significant donation.
The Esperanza Latino Center of Northern Kentucky helps out Latino Hispanic families in need through education, and by offering a bilingual service desk. Executive Director Reid Yearwood said it’s a trustworthy reliable point of contact for the entire community to reach out to.
The center provides clothing, food, and diapers. It helps people enroll in things like Medicaid and SNAP, and apply for jobs. But one way it can’t help, normally, is with money.
“We, as a nonprofit, unfortunately, one of our services isn’t providing financial aid. We just don’t have the funding to do that,” Yearwood said.
Yearwood said the Hispanic Latino population has been growing in Northern Kentucky, making up about 15 to 20% of Covington’s population.
He says the population has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
Many in the Hispanic Latino population in Northern Kentucky live in extreme poverty, Yearwood said.
They went through the same challenges of job loss and income shortfall that people in other populations did, but with added cultural and language barriers.
“I think the Latino Hispanic community suffered even more because of that,” Yearwood said. “So the pandemic just made their already difficult situation extremely more difficult.”
Horizon Community Funds of Northern Kentucky, a community foundation and public charity, launched the Horizon Northern Kentucky Coronavirus Relief Fund last March. It focuses on helping people in Northern Kentucky who are most impacted by the pandemic.
“Our local, state, and federal governments have been able to step in and keep many of our neighbors safe, healthy, and housed,” said Horizon Community Funds president Nancy Grayson. “However, there are a number of residents among us who would otherwise slip through the cracks if more flexible funding were not available to them. We hope this grant will keep many more Northern Kentuckians on stable ground and give them the gentle lift that they need to weather the remaining effects of the storm.”
The fund raised more than $2.1 million from generous donors in the community.
Horizon Community Funds recognized the way the Latino Hispanic population was being affected, and awarded a $15,000 grant to the Esperanza Center.
Now the center is able to give up to $800 to struggling families to help them pay for COVID-19-related debts.
To qualify, families need to:
- live in Northern Kentucky
- Show proof of debt or bill
- Has to be COVID related
- Has to be back dated
“During the pandemic, it was a challenge to be able to figure out: how do we best fit? And to be able to serve our neighbors in need. And particularly working with Esperanza, it’s been so rewarding,” Grayson said.
Yearwood said it’s already making a difference, helping families pay bills that otherwise would have continued to pile up.
“It's tremendous. And you can hear it in people’s voices when we tell them that we’re going to provide them with some assistance. It’s a big giant relief to a lot of families,” he said.
Along with providing financial assistance, the team at Esperanza will communicate and interpret between both parties (the Esperanza patron and the lender/landlord/vendor) to establish an agreed-upon and understood plan to successfully pay off the remaining balance. Funding would be distributed from Esperanza Latino Center directly to landlords, lenders, and utility companies.
Individuals and businesses are encouraged to donate to the Horizon NKY Coronavirus Relief Fund by:
Texting “NKYRELIEF” to 44-321 or by visiting their website.
Mailing a check made payable to Horizon Community Funds (memo: NKY Coronavirus Relief Fund): 50 E. RiverCenter Blvd., Suite 431, Covington, KY 41011.