Impacts from the coronavirus pandemic have made it harder for lower income individuals and families to avoid homelessness. As they wrestle with furloughs and unemployment, most have little savings to rely on when paychecks stop. Those who are still working have to balance employers’ needs with children’s schedules disrupted by school closings.
The Inn Between works daily to offer supportive housing and promote stability that prevents homelessness, a job that has gotten tougher as its clients face challenges from the pandemic. Now KCI Construction is pitching in to help. The business made the nonprofit the recipient of its first charity golf tournament.
“We decided to host the event about nine months ago. Because we’d worked with The Inn Between to construct their Micah Homes project, we knew what they did and wanted to support them,” said Jamie Davis, director of Business Development at KCI. She said all proceeds from the tournament will go directly to the nonprofit.
Coronavirus hasn’t just impacted Inn Between clients; it also has put the organization’s ability to do its work at risk, according to Development Director Laura Liotino. “When lockdown happened, we were concerned that our clients who lost work couldn’t pay their portion of their rent without assistance. We looked for funding to subsidize their rent payments and increased our pantry hours to get people food,” she said.
Clients’ ability to afford their housing directly affects The Inn Between. The nonprofit relies on rents, most of which come from earned wages, for 60% of its income. Though it has helped residents stay stable in housing so far, staff are preparing for an ongoing battle to keep things that way.
The agency is prepared for other fiscal impacts beyond rent loss.
“We’re not sure what our future will look like in terms of grant funding or individual and corporate donations,” Liotino said. That secondary revenue stream makes up about 40% of the agency’s income, she said.
Such uncertainties magnify the impact of donations from KCI’s golf tournament, but there was a chance the event wouldn’t happen. Organizers waited to see if players remained committed to participating and if it felt safe to keep going. On July 1, they gave the event the green light.
To ensure safety, The Fox Hill Club is implementing COVID-19 safety precautions. The post-event dinner will be held outside, and service will be conducted in a fast-casual style. Participants are asked to remain at a 6-foot distance.
As of Thursday morning, 120 players had registered, exceeding the event’s goal of 72. Individual tickets are $200 each and spots remain for eight players or two teams.
Correction: KCI Construction worked with The Inn Between on the Micah Homes project. The project name was incorrect in the original posting of this story.
Want to play, help?
To play in the tournament or otherwise support the event, contact Jamie Davis at 970-290-0516 or [email protected]. The deadline to register is Wednesday. Donations of raffle items also are needed and will be accepted later than the registration deadline.
