Wilmington City Distributes $1.3 Million To Assist Individuals And Families Affected By Coronavirus

From the City of Wilmington:

September 9, 2020

The funding is helping hundreds of people with housing needs, rent and utility payments, food purchases, COVID testing, and domestic violence counseling

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki said today that the City has distributed more than $1.3 million in recent weeks to assist residents who have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the Mayor said he has asked City Council to approve the City receiving an additional $1.1 million in federal funds for distribution in October and November. The City has received the funding from the Federal government as part of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program.

“This virus has disrupted our lives and forced us to alter our daily routines,” said Mayor Purzycki. “More importantly, it has made it more difficult for residents to pay bills, buy food, and keep their families healthy. While Wilmington does not control the distribution of the multiple millions of federal dollars that have been allocated to the State and New Castle County for COVID assistance, we have made sure that the money we do receive is put to good use to help as many individuals and families as possible.”

The Mayor said the City’s Real Estate and Housing Department has worked very closely with local organizations to identify immediate and varied community needs and to get the funding to the people who have the most pressing financial obligations or need assistance in other ways. The Mayor thanked the following agencies for enabling the City to help its residents with the following services:

Child Inc.
$125,562 for sheltering domestic violence victims

State Health and Social Services
$300,000 for emergency housing

LACC
$100,000 for emergency crisis alleviation

Lutheran Community Services
$57,500 for rent and utility assistance

Catholic Charities
$100,000 for homelessness prevention

Kingswood Community Center
$35,500 for COVID screening and testing

REACH Riverside
$50,000 for financial assistance

United Way
$100,000 financial counseling for displaced families

Central Baptist CDC
$50,000 for meals to families in financial need

Family Promise of NCC
$174,558 for rental and utility assistance

Ministry of Caring
$150,000 for shelter operations

Sojourners Place
$25,000 for shelter operations

This press release was produced by the City of Wilmington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.