YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning Youngstown Community Action Partnership Housing Partnership has received a grant to help families behind on bills during the ongoing pandemic.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio has given the partnership a $25,000 grant to bolster efforts to fight housing insecurity, helping Youngstown families pay their rent, mortgage and energy bills.

“Threat of eviction and mounting unpaid bills is bad for mental health,” Shelia Triplett, MYCAP’s chief executive officer, said.

A survey on housing security by the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that one in 10 Ohioans in early December was either behind on rent or mortgage payments or had little to no confidence making next month’s payment. In Ohio, housing insecurity is higher than the national average — and the outlook is even worse for black, Hispanic and young renters. Higher levels of eviction rates have consistently been linked to mental health illness or substance use.

“This grant gives 18 families in the Mahoning Valley the time they need to stabilize their finances while they recover from the economic impact of COVID,” Triplett said. “The nearly yearlong economic distress of the pandemic left many local nonprofits with limited resources, making Anthem’s contributions even more valuable to families in the Youngstown area.”

“Housing is crucial for good health,” Mayor Jamael Tito Brown added. “The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on housing security for thousands of Ohioans, and this grant from Anthem will go a long way in helping families who need it most.”

The grant is part of a more than $2 million commitment that Anthem and its foundation have made to support Ohio communities and nonprofit organizations on the front lines of the pandemic, including grants to the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, Community Shelter Board, CHN Housing Network, and Star House Foundation.

“Addressing housing insecurity remains an ongoing focus for all of us at Anthem, and we are deeply committed to helping families in Youngstown and beyond recover from the pandemic,” Dr. Bradley Jackson, Medicaid Medical director for Anthem in Ohio, said. “These are challenging times for everyone, including black, Hispanic and younger Ohioans, on which the pandemic has had an especially harsh impact. It’s up to all of us to get through this crisis together.”

For more information about MYCAP, visit https://www.mycaphelp.com.

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