However, the current economic crisis has impacted Jarvie significantly.  Along with many other organizations, Jarvie has had to face declining revenue due to the considerable reduction of the Service’s endowment.  This has created a challenge in fulfilling our mission and funding all our programs.  Jarvie’s leadership has had to set priorities in terms of determining what initiatives can continue in light of diminished resources.

To ensure Jarvie’s ability to fulfill its core mission, the Jarvie Commonweal Service Committee (JCSC), Jarvie’s governing body, determined at its March 2009 meeting that the grave realities of the current financial situation dictated the curtailment of our Emergency Grants Program for three years, effective immediately.

The Jarvie Emergency Grants Program will continue to be primarily fulfilled through grants provided to social service organizations (EGTOs) in the New York City area by Invitation Only.  The amount of funding available to support these EGTOs and to provide occasional direct emergency grants to individuals will be determined annually by the JCSC.

Information about the Emergency Grants Program
Since 1998, we have “outsourced” most of the funds budgeted for this purpose to organizations with strong track records of aiding poor and minority older adults. This allows the organizations we partner with to quickly resolve emergencies, such as the imminent threat of eviction or utility disconnection.
The legal and social services organizations who receive Jarvie funds are skillful at combining our monies with government funds as well as other non-profit dollars and goods. They are powerful advocates for older adults and experienced negotiators who will stand firm in discussions with creditors and landlords when necessary.

In 2008, the Emergency Grants to Organizations Program helped 94 individual seniors through partnering organizations via the distribution of $56,232.70 in emergency grants. The average grant to an individual or couple was $598.22. Participating organizations expressed their gratitude to us for these funds, which allowed them to aid individuals in situations that would otherwise be impossible to help meet emergent unmet needs including: paying rent and/or utility arrears, paying a security deposit for new housing, repairing an electrical problem, replacing a broken refrigerator and a 30-year-old mattress, installing a security window gate, engaging de-cluttering services, etc.

Please click here for a list of recent grants. Note: You will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the file.

Jarvie in Action: Emergency Grants
Securing a Suitable Apartment
Ms. G.D., age 69, a diabetic who has heart disease and chronic back pain, became homeless when an apartment that had been secured for her by a relative turned out to be uninhabitable. She had to move out after a few days, and then stayed with friends. When that became untenable, she was hosted for a few days by an organization in the Bronx. A paralegal found a suitable apartment for Ms. D., but she needed additional funds to cover the first month’s rent and security deposit. Legal Services provided a Jarvie grant of $420.50 to secure the available apartment for Ms. D.

Resolving a Utilities Dispute
Upper West Side resident Ms. B.H., age 77, sought assistance with a sky-high ConEdison bill. ConEd was persuaded to investigate. They found that a tenant who owned a business on the first floor had illegally connected his computers to Ms. H.’s electrical outlets. However, ConEd refused to disconnect, as the building is a co-op and they did not have jurisdiction. They recommended Ms. H. hire an electrician. On her tiny income of $621.00 per month, she could not pay an electrician. An organization providing comprehensive social services to older adults on the West Side of Manhattan made a Jarvie grant of $225.00 to pay the electrician, who promptly disconnected the wiring and spoke to management on Ms. H.’s behalf. Written documentation was given to Ms. H. so she can go to small claims court and sue the tenant who was stealing the electricity. A copy was also given to the Co-op Board. Ms. H.'s bills now reflect only her usage, which is affordable.

For more information about the Emergency Grants Program, please contact:

Aimee Philpott, LCSW, MSW, CMT
Assistant Director of Staff & Student Training
Phone: 212-870-2622
aphilpott@jarvie.org