Posted February 14, 2023
DOORWAYS, 1101 N. Jefferson Ave. 63106
DOORWAYS Receives $25,000 Grant From Bayer Fund
A Response to Food Insecurity Among Clients
ST. LOUIS, MO / February 2023 Serving people living with HIV in the St. Louis metro area, DOORWAYS has announced a $25,000 grant from Bayer Fund, a philanthropic arm of Bayer in the U.S., to address food insecurity among clients. The donation will help stock an onsite provisions pantry at the newly opened Jefferson Avenue Campus.
Upon entry, DOORWAYS clients are at the intersection of poverty, homelessness, and poor health from HIV and other chronic illnesses associated with poverty and unstable housing. Hunger is a serious problem for them—surveys at intake show 88% report experiencing a lack of food in the last 30 days, 67% report constant worry about finding food, and 50% reported weight loss in the last 3 months due to lack of food.
In October 2022, DOORWAYS opened a new campus with a pioneering model of care using housing as the delivery system for wrap around services. The Jefferson Avenue Campus provides 50 new housing units, with another 39 opening in late 2024. Residents can access services where they live, such as one-to-one care coordination, behavioral health counseling, employment services, pharmacy services, self-development/skill building classes, and a provisions pantry. The pantry offers quick access to emergency food and basic supplies not eligible for purchase with food stamps (toilet paper, shampoo, dish/laundry detergent, etc.). Through this 360-degrees network of support, clients begin stabilizing their lives to advance health and quality of life.
“Our new campus was intentionally built to remove access and navigation barriers, giving clients a supportive pathway to a comprehensive mix of services,” noted Pat Plumley, Chief Program Officer at DOORWAYS. She explained that simultaneously stabilizing the environments that impact socio-economic mobility (housing, healthcare and wellness, income/budgeting, education/knowledge, and a supportive community) build a strong foundation for advancing independence and opportunities. “Furthermore, as clients stabilize within the social determinants of health, they are better able to manage their HIV healthcare and medication regimen that can render the HIV virus untransmittable—reducing new cases of HIV and opening the door to the end of HIV for future generations,” she explained.
“We are very grateful to Bayer Fund for providing this award to stock the new provisions pantry,” noted Opal M. Jones, President & CEO of DOORWAYS. “Through the pantry, we can provide new clients with food for their first several weeks as they are enrolled in public assistance programs. The pantry also fills a gap for those clients receiving benefits who find their funds depleted before the end of the month.”
“Throughout the years, the grants given through Bayer Fund have helped strengthen our communities across the United States,” said Al Mitchell, President of Bayer Fund. “We’re proud to be able to provide support to develop programs like DOORWAYS, which helps combat the critical issue of food insecurity and ultimately ensuring even more Americans/the community have access to healthy, nutritious food.”
In 2021, Bayer Fund awarded more than $13.1 million to over 3,400 charitable and nonprofit organizations to help address essential needs in Food and Nutrition, STEM Education and Health & Wellness. Over the last five years, nonprofit organizations across the U.S. have received more than $75 million.
To learn more about DOORWAYS, visit https://doorwayshousing.org.
To learn more about Bayer Fund, visit https://www.fund.bayer.us.
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About Bayer Fund
Bayer Fund, a philanthropic arm of Bayer in the U.S., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the communities where Bayer customers and employees live and work by providing funding for food and nutrition, education and community development projects.
About DOORWAYS
Founded in 1988, in fiscal year 2022, DOORWAYS assisted 3,184 individuals and families affected by HIV, poverty, and homelessness through a mix of services: assistive living residential facility, emergency housing, three permanent housing programs (including one for households in housing crisis with small children), and two subsidy programs that help prevent homelessness by supporting people living in their own accommodations but in need of temporary rent/utility support. Sixty percent of those served were male; 78% were Black; and 48% were age 18-24. We serve 124 counties in Missouri and Illinois.
Our guiding goal is to empower clients to advance toward a more self-directed life through strengthening the environments that support socio-economic mobility: housing retention, healthcare and wellness, income/budgeting, education/life skills, and a supportive community.
This 360-degree support network replaces severe instability with a firm framework to advance health and life outcomes. It is grounded in compassionate one-to-one care coordination that identifies immediate needs, removes barriers to resources and healthcare, and guides the clients in setting and achieving goals. Onsite services include food assistance, behavioral health counseling, pharmacy services, employment services, self-development classes, and social activities.
Simultaneous progress within the social determinants of health enables clients to manage their HIV medication and healthcare regimen. With pharmaceutical advances, consistent retention in care can help people living with HIV achieve viral suppression. When HIV is undetectable, life spans and quality of life improve as HIV is rendered untransmittable—stopping new cases, which can bring an end to t his community epidemic for future generations.
DOORWAYS Media Contact:
Name: Karen Carpentier
Email: kcarpentier@doorwayshousing.org
Phone: (314) 328-2704
Bayer Fund Media Contact:
Name: Nicole Hayes
Email: nicole.hayes@bayer.com
Mobile : (201) 421-5268
