Valley Youth House has been awarded a $20,000 grant from Good Neighbor Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation. This will provide utilities assistance to clients served by the organization’s Lehigh Valley Rapid Re-Housing program. The Good Neighbor Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation was established by the PPL Foundation.

This is the second consecutive year Valley Youth House has been awarded this grant. Last year’s funding provided utilities assistance to transition-age youth and families served by the organization’s Rapid Re-Housing program.

This year’s funding will continue to support clients served by this program.

The program provides significant initial support to clients to ensure stability as they transition out of homelessness. Clients work with staff to build the connections, resources and skills in order to eventually take over their own lease or transition to other stable housing.

Many clients struggle to meet the initial costs of this transition while they work to gain employment and/or increase their income. Although clients receive support for rent, furnishings and household goods, they face other significant costs, such as child care, transportation or education to attain a living wage job. Many also face challenges with mental health or traumatic histories, which require stability before they can be addressed.

“The support provided by this grant has been invaluable because utilities assistance is often underfunded in the RRH program and is not offered through the federal HUD grants that are their primary funding source,” said Harrison Fertig, director of grants and foundations at Valley Youth House.

Valley Youth House’s staff provides personalized support to young people, using proven methods that focus on positive growth and understanding past trauma, helping them to develop life skills and create a plan to find permanent housing.