Episode 59: Nia Tavoularis-Connections for the Homeless
This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Nia Tavoularis. Nia the Director of Development for Connections for the Homeless. Connections is THE agency in the northern suburbs leading the effort to deliver essential services to people who are homeless and unstably housed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Connections for the Homeless partners with the community to provide comprehensive, compassionate, well-resourced, and effective programs in an exceptional workplace. They are the recognized as a leader on the causes of and solutions to homelessness in the northern suburbs. This episode can be watched above in the embedded Youtube video or listened to on any podcast app or here on Skevanston.com
Connections for the Homeless has responded in a massive way to the Coronavirus with the following accomplishments:
Launched the only emergency shelter for 20 individual adults in the region that follows CDC recommendations and operates 24/7;
Moved 148 adults and 41 children into discounted rooms at 2 local hotels with 24-hour Connections staff support;
Established partnerships with local restaurants to purchase 3 meals a day for each person, a total of over 500 meals daily, sheltering at a hotel;
Maintained daily drop-in services to provide the community with access to food, basic supplies, showers, and case management. There were more than 400 visits to the drop-in center in March with food pantry visits doubling following the shelter-in-place order; and
Continued to support the 180 people in our 90 units of housing scattered throughout the community by purchasing and delivering vital food and supplies to ensure they can stay in place.
Please support Connections by donating, volunteering and spreading the word. You can find out how by going to their website by clicking here.
Inside the Skev is a one stop shop for all things Skokie and Evanston hosted by Aaron Masliansky. Currently there is a special section on the website for interviews with people in the community talking about how they are adapting to the pandemic within the community. Be sure to follow Inside the Skev on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
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