Project Grant 19SCSFL003

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY (MDC), FLORIDA'S ESTIMATED POPULATION IS OVER 2.7 MILLION WITH A GROWTH RATE OF 0.56% IN THE PAST YEAR (ON-LINE HTTP://WORLDPOPULATIONREVIEW.COM/FLORIDA-COUNTIES/MIAMI-DADE-COUNTY/2017). MDC IS THE LARGEST COUNTY IN FLORIDA THE ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF THE POPULATION OF MDC IS 1.84 MILLION HISPANIC RESIDENTS (67.7%), 437,181 BLACK RESIDENTS (16.1%), 368,048 WHITE RESIDENTS (13.6%), 42,015 ASIAN RESIDENTS (1.55%) AND TWO + RESIDENTS 16,368 (0.6%). WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER PLACES MDC HAS THE LARGEST CONCENTRATION OF THE FOLLOWING LANGUAGES FRENCH CREOLE (112,030 SPEAKERS), SPANISH (1.59 MILLION SPEAKERS) AND HEBREWS (6,122 SPEAKERS) OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA. THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ELDER AFFAIRS (DOEA) 2017 PROFILE FOR OLDER FLORIDIANS IDENTIFIED MDC AS ONE OF THE LARGEST CONCENTRATIONS OF LOW-INCOME MINORITY OLDER ADULTS, OF THIS AMOUNT 113,483 ELDERS ARE LIVING ALONE AND BELOW THE 125 PERCENTILE POVERTY GUIDELINES. COMMUNITY ACTION AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT (CAHSD) IS ONE OF MDC TWENTY-FIVE DEPARTMENTS, WHICH CURRENTLY SPONSORS THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE (CNCS) SENIOR COMPANION, FOSTER GRANDPARENT, AND RETIRED AND SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS THROUGH ELDERLY & DISABILITY SERVICES. THE DEPARTMENT?S MISSION IS TO ?EMPOWER ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES THROUGH ADVOCACY, EDUCATION, RESOURCE MOBILIZATION, AND SERVICE DELIVERY. THE DEPARTMENT EXEMPLIFIES ITS MISSION TO THE RESIDENTS OF MDC THROUGH EXCELLENT SERVICE PROVISION AND PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. THE SCP PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS 55 YEARS AND OLDER AND IS SEEKING TO CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF LOW-INCOME ELDERLY BY PROVIDING GRATIFYING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM ARE TO ENGAGE VOLUNTEERS IN THE HEALTHY FUTURES FOCUS AREA USING THE AGENCY WIDE PRIORITY MEASURES FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING AND RESPITE. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY SENIOR VOLUNTEERS WHO WILL PROVIDE COMPANIONSHIP AND SUPPORT TO ELDERLY CLIENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY ?SENIORS HELPING SENIORS.? AN ESTIMATED 107 SCP VOLUNTEERS WILL SERVE, OF THIS NUMBER 107 SENIOR COMPANIONS WILL BE PLACED IN OUTCOME ASSIGNMENTS. SOME OF THEIR ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE COMPANIONSHIP AND RESPITE SERVICE TO FRAIL ELDERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. THE PRIMARY FOCUS AREA OF THIS PROJECT IS HEALTHY FUTURES. AT THE END OF THE THREE-YEAR GRANT, THE PROGRAM EXPECTS TO HAVE ENGAGED A MINIMUM OF 107 VOLUNTEERS TO ASSIST IN THE HEALTHY FUTURES FOCUS AREAS. THE VOLUNTEERS WILL HAVE PROVIDED SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE TO A MINIMUM OF 250 FRAIL ELDERS/VETERANS AND FAMILIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THE CNCS FEDERAL INVESTMENT OF $484,600 WILL BE SUPPLEMENTED BY MDC MATCHING AND IN-KIND FUNDS IN THE AMOUNT OF $259,240 IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE MDC ELDERLY RESIDENTS.