Impact 928, a nonprofit that serves Lake Havasu City, is using grant money awarded by the city to assist local foster families in need and to build a network of resources to help them.
Kim Tuba, a member of the nonprofit’s board, said Impact 928 started with assisting single mothers, people with disabilities, and the elderly with anything they may need help with.
Then, the organization shifted its focus to foster families after Tuba joined the board and shared her experience.
“When I went through the process to become a foster family, it costs us thousands of dollars to do the process with the pool fence, medical cabinets, locking storage for supplies like paint and stuff, and at the time we didn’t really have a whole lot of savings due to things that happened in 2020,” Tuba said.
It took them a while to save up to get to the point where they could get their foster license, which Tuba said she saw as a disadvantage.
“There shouldn’t have to be children needing homes when people in the community can kind of step up and help these families that want to home these children with the expenses to become foster families,” Tuba said.
Tuba said assisting local foster families is a priority and is the reason they applied for the grant.
Impact 928 was one nonprofit out of 11 that received money from the city earlier this year and was given $141,000.
The nonprofit's goal, according to the project summary in the latest quarterly report, is to “assist families in preparing or repairing homes to meet foster home requirements.”
Tuba said they have helped foster families with purchasing things like pool fencing, beds, car seats, and furniture.
Another goal outlined in the project summary is to “assist foster children who age out through mentoring, tutoring, and internships.”
Tuba said as the nonprofit grows, they hope to connect with youth and offer them resources as they age out.
“There’s a lack of support here all and all, and I think people are blind to the need that there is in our own community for foster children and how many children we have that are being sent to group homes in Phoenix,” Tuba said. “That’s another thing the board is working on, our organization is working on, is we have a long-term goal of being able to have a group home here locally, so that our kids can stay in the community, and aren’t having to be sent to Phoenix.”
Tuba said children being removed from their families, friends, and school is sad to see.
“We hope that we can eventually make it a priority to keep them here,” Tuba said.
No anticipated date of completion was listed on the latest report given to the city. Tuba said the funds will be used by the time they are due, but the work doesn’t end there.
“Our long-term goal past the funds is continuing to receive support to continue helping the families and build that network,” Tuba said. “We intend to do this long past the grant money being gone, to be there as a resource for these families.”
Part of the outreach would include hosting more events, including one in December that the nonprofit is still organizing.
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