Meeting the Moment; Redefining Basic Needs
Local basic needs organizations collaborate to strengthen the safety net.
Greater New Haven nonprofit organizations that provide food, housing and other daily basic human needs to vulnerable populations are working together to “meet the moment” as the federal government cuts funding for the social safety net.
“It feels like the dam is bursting a little bit,” said Jennifer Stolfi-Alfano, CEO of the Diaper Bank of Connecticut.
Stolfi-Alfano and The Diaper Bank are part of a network of nonprofits brought together by The Foundation’s Basic Needs Fund to create community-wide strategies for strengthening and integrating the basic needs support system. The nonprofits are also grantees of The Fund.
At a roundtable series in July, representatives from more than a dozen organizations shared best practices and highest-level needs, underscoring the dire and deepening economic stressors experienced by current or potential clients.
“There is no one program” that can be the solution, said Reverend Todd Foster, a Fund advisory committee member and a staffer at the Storehouse Project. He encouraged the group to “think differently about basic needs,” and beyond vouchers toward “self-actualization.”
Including mental health within the definition of “basic needs” is a key priority for the group, along with addressing the safety concerns that prevent clients from seeking out resources in the first place.
CitySeed Director of Agriculture Kaitlyn Kimball cited an acute uptick in requests for food donations since ICE detentions have been reported in New Haven. Sara Miller, CitySeed director, recalled pandemic-era home deliveries that allowed COVID-wary community members to still shop for farm-fresh produce.
“It looks like we’re going to need to figure out how to do that again,” Miller said. Kimball added that collaboration across organizations is crucial, especially given funding cuts to such federal programs as the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program.
Organization leaders pointed to the Basic Needs Fund as an increasingly critical resource, helping to bridge these divides and establish coordinated supports across organizations.
“Together, we can get it done. And together is a key word,” said Reverend Todd Foster, a Fund advisory committee member and staffer at the Storehouse Project.
About the Basic Needs Fund:
The Basic Needs Fund was created in 2020 and has provided more than $1.5 million in grants to Greater New nonprofits providing basic needs services. Learn more here.
