(L-R) Jo Ann Mattson, Light House Executive Director, Jennifer Good, Vice President, Phillips Charitable Foundation, Inc., Nicole Thompson, Light House Job Placement and Retention Specialist, Eileen Gross, President, Phillips Charitable Foundation, Inc., Jenny Crawford, Light House Director of Development

The Light House Workforce Development Programs have been awarded a $75,000 grant from Phillips Charitable Foundation, Inc. This much needed support will provide job training and opportunities for individuals struggling with employment barriers, empowering them with the skills they need to support themselves and their families. Grant funds will help pay for the expansion of the Building Employment Success Training (B.E.S.T.) Building Trades program, the Light House Bistro social enterprise training program, and the Career Start soft-skills employment program for Light House residents.

To celebrate this grant award, representatives from Phillips Charitable Foundation visited The Light House to present Light House Executive Director, Jo Ann Mattson, with the grant check. “Employment is a critical link to stable housing, self-sufficiency, and to ending the cycle of homelessness,” stated Mattson. “Our workforce development programs promote self-sufficiency and independence for those struggling with barriers to employment. These programs rely on the generosity of our community, and we are very grateful to have this support from Phillips Charitable Foundation.”

The Light House offers a continuum of employment programs for both residents and community members. Their B.E.S.T. program provides hands-on job skills training in either Culinary Arts or Building Trades and has gradated over 350 students since it began in 2012. Career Start, which is a soft-skills program that utilizes the national, evidence based Worknet Solutions curriculum, is a key component of the B.E.S.T. program, and is also offered as an independent program for Light House residents who are unable to participate in the B.E.S.T. program. The Light House also offers real work experience for graduates of their programs through training and job opportunities at their Light House Bistro social enterprise restaurant.

About Phillips Charitable Foundation
The Phillips Charitable Foundation’s mission is to support charitable organizations that provide a genuine impact in the lives of others by solving problems, removing obstacles, and leading to lasting solutions. The organization targets problems where government interventions are not sufficient and economic and educational markets have failed to bring solutions. Through their grant giving they aim to bring measurable improvements in the prosperity, health, and vitality of people and communities. More information about Phillips Charitable Foundation can be found at https://phillipsgrants.org/.

(L-R) Vice Chair of The Chaney Foundation, Rebekah “R.G.” Lare, Light House Director of Development, Jenny Crawford, and Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County Manager, Grants & Scholarships, Kristen Krall

The Light House is excited to announce that it has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Chaney Impact Fund a Donor Advised Fund at the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County (CFAAC). This grant will support the cost of an on-site clinical staff member who will manage behavioral health and substance abuse diagnosis, treatment, and referral for Light House clients. This new clinical staff position will enable Light House programs to reduce the harms associated with substance abuse and mental health issues for people impacted by homelessness or poverty.

To celebrate this grant award, representatives from the Chaney Impact Fund and CFAAC visited The Light House to take a tour of the facility and present Light House Director of Development, Jenny Crawford, with the grant check. “The need for this clinical staff position is great,” stated Crawford. “Approximately 60% of our Light House clients have a diagnosed substance use disorder and an estimated 80% have an undiagnosed mental health disorder. CFAAC’s most recent community needs assessment Poverty Amidst Plenty VI: On the Road to Progress For All, recently documented a 70% rise in behavioral health issues in our county since 2012. In-house clinical support will help our clients tackle the mental health and substance abuse issues that prevent them from moving out of crisis to stabilization and eventually to self-sufficiency. We are truly grateful to the Chaney Impact Fund for enabling us to meet this growing need.”

About Chaney Impact Fund grants: Chaney Impact Fund grants support the work of nonprofit organizations serving Anne Arundel and Calvert counties in Maryland whose focus is on cancer services, or behavioral health and substance abuse treatment. The vision for the Chaney Impact Fund is to “make the greatest sustainable impact we can in the communities in which we raise our families.” The mission of the Fund is to “nourish our community by supporting our youth as the foundation for building healthier neighborhoods, today and in the future.”