THRIVE East of the River
COVID-19 and the economic instability that followed led to record unemployment and left families struggling to pay bills and meet basic needs. Additionally, accessing critical resources, such as unemployment benefits, was not a simple process. Completing certain forms required access to the internet, despite limited access for many communities. All of this compounded disproportionatelyimpacted families in Ward 7 and 8, communities that have experienced decades of disinvestment.
To address this need, Bread for the City, 11th Street Bridge Park, Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative (FSFSC), and Martha’s Table launched THRIVE East of the River, an innovative emergency cash assistance partnership. This initiative combines emergency cash assistance, food, case management, and connects families to key government resources. LISC granted $65,000 in funds from JP Morgan Chase, HUD Section 4 and other dollars to each organization to support this initiative.
Since March 2020, THRIVE East of the River raised over $3.7 million, and over 450 families are reciving cash assistance, weekly groceries, and assistance acccessing key resources, making this the larget private emergency cash assistance program ever in the United States.
Additionally, the Urban Institute partnered with THRIVE to capture the data and highlight the impact of the program. The data is captured in a series of publications and can be used to inform similar universal income programs in the future.
