By Geraldine Bayron-Rivera, Ph.D. | Development & Programs Planning Director
Dear Donors:
Receive our greetings on behalf of La Fondita de Jesús' family! It is with great respect that we report our achievements in providing services to prevent homelessness among older adults in Puerto Rico from November 2023 to February 2024.
During this quarter, we had the opportunity to visit 102 vulnerable communities. These communities are in the following 14 municipalities of Puerto Rico: San Juan, Maricao, Toa Baja, Loíza, Bayamón, Quebradillas, Trujillo Alto, Carolina, Guaynabo, Guánica, Dorado, Luquillo, Cataño, and Humacao. Nevertheless, it is essential to mention that our organization already has a presence in more than 30 municipalities in Puerto Rico (almost 40% of the total of cities).
A total of 683 older adults were impacted during this period. Of those, 260 (38%) were women, and 423 (62%) were men. They received over 3,145 units of service. These people are 60 years or older without enough income to access their basic needs, including social, economic, housing, and health services, even with the state medical plan.
Different needs were identified among these people. Most of them lack the knowledge and skills to access digital services regarding social services related to housing subsidies, public housing, leasing, and healthcare, being at high risk of losing their homes due to social determinants that affect their health and safety. Our staff facilitates capacity-building activities where older adults learn how to use electronic devices and the Internet and access and coordinate their appointments for housing needs and health services, thus managing loneliness and isolation. We found many older adults living in impoverished communities who had not renewed their government medical plan coverage, so many had not received medical follow-ups. Other vital challenges these older adults confronted were accessing transportation to get to doctor appointments, the pharmacy, or the laboratory to take care of their health needs actively. This population's greatest challenge is to cover basic needs such as food, personal items, household utilities, rent payments, etc., due to their precarious socioeconomic status, which affects their quality of life.
Furthermore, we have provided healthcare activities and health education services specifically aimed at older adults residing in public housing and vulnerable communities in Puerto Rico. These health fairs were collaborations with other organizations due to alliances established among social workers and other clinical professionals, thus expanding the scope of our health services and benefiting more older adults residing under extreme poverty conditions. We provided hot meals, such as breakfasts and lunches, and distributed emergency grocery bags with non-perishable food and fresh products. Moreover, we have also distributed emergency backpacks, personal hygiene kits, home cleaning kits, over-the-counter medicines kits, and equipment such as dining sets, beds, mattresses, sofa beds, walkers, adult diapers, gloves, and disinfecting wipes, among others. As a homelessness prevention strategy, we also provided financial assistance, such as checks to cover arrears in rent and utilities.
Workshops were provided on the following themes:
During this period, case management and community social work services were also offered through home visits, telephone calls with participants, calls with community leaders, initial interviews, follow-ups, case discussions, appointments and services coordination, document management, and internal and external referrals.
We reiterate our gratitude to you, our social investors, who believe in our mission to continue impacting the lives of those who need it most. With your support, we can achieve this and more.
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