Hope through Housing will receive $130,000 from the IEHP Foundation to strengthen organizational leadership, part of a two-year initiative to support groups that improve physical and mental health by addressing non-medical factors, such as socioeconomic status.
Hope through Housing serves thousands of residents at affordable housing communities in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
“This opportunity will help us better serve and understand the communities we are in,” Hope through Housing Executive Director Alyssa Cotter said. “Through this program we can strengthen and upfit each other, our residents and, most importantly, our impact.”
The funds are part of IEHP’s Foundation’s inaugural Champions for Vibrant Health Leader Network, which is investing $4.6 million in 40 community benefit organizations across the Inland Empire over two years. Grants are determined by the size of the organization; smaller groups received $50,000.
Two leaders from each program – an executive leader and an emerging leader – have been chosen for the 80-member network. At Hope through Housing, those individuals are Cotter and Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Marissiko Wheaton-Greer. The duo will have opportunities to strengthen skills in communication, public policy and advocacy.
“We are investing not only in the mission of these organizations but also leadership for the future of the region,” IEHP Foundation CEO Greg Bradbard said. “To foster healthy neighborhoods and cultivate healthy living for all residents in the Inland Empire, we need a strong and thriving nonprofit network to address the social, behavioral and systemic factors that impact a person’s overall health and well-being.”