This month, the Arizona Community Foundation’s Covid-19 Community Response Fund provided $13,400 to Live & Learn. This is in addition to support from the Arizona Community Foundation in April (read about it here). With this second wave of funding, Live & Learn can continue to mitigate the devastating effects of the pandemic on low-income women in Maricopa County.
Covid-19 continues to pose serious challenges to women in our community.
- As stress and anxiety increase, women’s mental health is in jeopardy. Live & Learn program staff are working hard to ensure women are receiving the mentoring and emotional support they need. This is crucial for the women’s well-being as well as for their children.
- Many women are heading into their third or fourth month without pay, and rent and utility bills become harder to pay as each month passes. Delayed or partial payments accrue fees. This threatens to push some women and their children into homelessness. Live & Learn provides assistance and resources as women work towards re-employment.
- Basic needs, including food, are difficult to secure. Increased community demand has taxed local food pantries. Where food is available, it can be challenging to access. Women may have to take high-risk children on public transportation, give their address to an unfamiliar organization when they are in hiding from an abuser, or wait in lines with their children only to hear that supplies have run out. Live & Learn has expanded its service scope to help deliver basics to women in the program.
- Childcare costs have increased drastically, and childcare has become scarce. Facilities face increased demand as children cannot go to school while their parents work, but they can accept a much smaller number of children each day. Women are forced to choose between working while their children are in an unsafe situation, or not working, not earning a paycheck, but being able to take care of their children. For women transitioning back into work, Live & Learn strives to ensure they have a safe childcare option.
During this crisis, Live & Learn is committed to keeping these women stable and helping them tackle their obstacles to employment. Helping women navigate these challenges is the best way to minimize the impact on their children. Thank you, Arizona Community Foundation, for supporting this important work.
