MAR 9 2021
The one year pandemic anniversary is a gruesome milestone. However, we have made it through, as a community
To-date, our refugee community has ZERO COVID-19 deaths or hospitalizations. We have simply been lucky. While our clients, staff, co-sponsor and volunteer community have taken precautions during our Canopy-related interactions, many refugees in Northwest Arkansas work in high-risk industries as essential workers such as poultry processing and long term care facilities. We grieve for our Marshallese neighbors and Latino community who have suffered a disproportionate amount of deaths and severe illness from COVID-19.
We are grateful for the Arkansas Department of Health and Community Clinic who listened to our challenges around access to testing and advocated for and developed in-home COVID-19 testing for community members who do not have access to personal transportation. Since November, when Canopy receives a call from a client without a personal vehicle who is experiencing symptoms of COVID or had a known exposure, we can help connect clients with safe access to free in-home testing. In-home testing programs are essential for the health of our community to avoid exposing riders of a public bus, a ride-share driver, Canopy staff member or friend during a ride to a testing site.
We continue to stay informed. Canopy NWA is a member of the Association of Refugee Health Coordinators which partners with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to disseminate best practices and distribute translated health information in refugee languages.
Canopy’s Long Welcome provides on-going case management for up to 5 years. Our case managers help navigate unemployment, access to benefits such as health insurance, and medical case management, all of which have heavy demand during this time.
The community response to our Crisis Relief Fund launched in April 2020 has made all the difference. When clients experienced layoffs throughout the summer due to the economic impact of the pandemic, Canopy was able to provide financial assistance to bridge the gap during the long wait for unemployment assistance or during the search for a new job. Your financial support ensured our families made rent payments, and paid phone bills on time. Our community raised over $11,000 and we are still utilizing the remaining funds. Now we are seeing parents having to miss work for multiple periods of quarantine when a family member tests positive for the virus or a child is exposed at school. Employers are frequently not covering all of these absences and Canopy is able to step in so households do not face weeks and weeks without pay.
“Thanks to our community of supporters who have helped us to fill gaps, ZERO canopy clients have faced eviction due to inability to pay rent.”
Our clients continue to show the resilience we see so often in refugee communities. Seven clients graduated from our Entrepreneurship class, four high school seniors are working on their plans for after graduation, and clients continue to be active in their faith communities and neighborhoods, supporting one another through both hardships and successes. Even with limited in-person contact, we feel the warmth of our community.
When many nonprofits faced layoffs and closures, your on-going financial support helped keep us staffed, ready to welcome our next arrival.
Joanna Krause
Executive Director, Canopy NWA
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HOW CAN I HELP?
Contribute to our on-going Crisis Relief Fund for client emergencies.
Support the work of Canopy to welcome refugees to Northwest Arkansas
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