A committee of the Door County Board of Supervisors on Monday recommended awarding more than $263,000 in grants to 11 nonprofit organizations addressing the county’s health and human services needs and the negative economic effects of the pandemic.
The organizations’ requests would be funded through a grant program the County Board approved in August, using a portion of the close to $5.4 million in Covid relief money the county is allocated under the American Rescue Plan, a 2021 federal law.
The county’s Health and Human Services Board recommended funding 100 percent of each of the 11 organizations’ requests, using the $200,000 allocated to the grant program in August and an additional $63,871 from the $1.2 million the Health and Human Services (HHS) department was allocated under the County Board’s plan for the Covid relief money.
HHS director Joe Krebsbach presented the board with two options for the grants: the one the board approved and an alternative that would have funded 100 percent of the top four applications and 50 percent of the remaining seven. The applications were reviewed by a committee of HHS staff and ranked based on scoring criteria. The second option would have cost $203,375.
The board’s recommendation now goes to the county finance committee and the full County Board this month for approval.
The proposed grants include:
- Boys & Girls Club of Door County ($40,000) – Adding mental health services at the club.
- HELP of Door County ($75,000) – Adding outreach in the northern and southern parts of the county for the organization’s domestic abuse-related services.
- United Way of Door County’s Stride program for youth mental health ($9,880) – Increasing the number of mental health counseling hours available in the school systems.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters ($18,000) – Increasing the number of volunteers participating in the program.
- Lakeshore CAP Food Pantry ($15,000, or $7,500 under the alternative plan) – Increasing the amount of food available for distribution.
- Lakeshore CAP Jak’s Place ($8,000 or $4,000) – Adding additional in-person meal options for the mental health resource center.
- Altrusa of Door County ($10,000 or $5,000) – Supporting the back-to-school efforts of the organization, which distributes school supplies and gym shoes to students in need.
- Door County Habitat for Humanity repairs ($25,000 or $12,500) – Supporting home repairs for residents, including repairs for siding, windows and foundation leaks and repairs or replacements for roofs.
- The 115 Club ($25,000 or $12,500) – Supporting the completion of an outdoor gathering space to be used by club members of the addiction recovery support organization. (Disclosure: Knock board member Peter Mannoja is The 115 Club’s president.)
- Door County Habitat for Humanity mortgage relief ($20,491 or $10,245) – Assisting 12 families who fell behind in their mortgage payments due to the pandemic.
- FISC Money Management ($17,500 or $8,750) – Supporting money management counselors, whose primary purpose would be to provide financial counseling and education to help people achieve financial self-sufficiency and stability.
Krebsbach said the department received 13 applications before its Oct. 28 deadline. The HHS staff committee recommended not funding two of the applications because they fell outside the scope of health and human services, he said. One was related to a park, Krebsbach said, and the other was related to a business.