Baker Senior Center Naples awarded grant to support at-risk and homeless women

Baker Senior Center Naples, a nonprofit organization that provides comprehensive programs and social services for seniors and their families, announced that it has been awarded an $80,000 grant from the Women’s Foundation of Collier County through the Collier Community Foundation to prevent homelessness.

Under the “Community Lifeline to At-Risk and Homeless Older Women” project, Baker Senior Center Naples partners with Collier Resource Center utilizing the Homeless and Hunger Coalition in a seamless referral system for housing coordination. This partnership facilitates better coordination of community services to help older women who are homeless/at risk of homelessness secure housing and link up with other social services.

Baker Senior Center Naples coordinates as the lead agency with a case manager working with clients who have ongoing struggles leading to a risk of future homelessness. For this reason, the senior center continues working with clients, even after housed. The case manager supports the homeless or at immediate risk and two case managers provide monthly support through phone calls and in-person visits to those who become housed.

“We are grateful to the Women’s Foundation of Collier County for their support of senior women in our community,” said Dr. Jaclynn Faffer, President/CEO of Baker Senior Center Naples. “This partnership will significantly improve the quality of life for older women who are homeless or at risk for homelessness as a result of case managers working to find them housing and developing a case management plan with appropriate follow-up to address their unique needs, promoting stability and a sense of belonging.”

Established in 1996, the Women’s Foundation of Collier County (WFCC) is a field-of-interest fund administered by the Collier Community Foundation whose mission is to be a catalyst for change in the lives of women and girls in Collier County through grantmaking, advocacy and education. WFCC has granted more than $900,000 to local women and girl’s programs and organizations. For more information, visit wfcollier.org.