YOUTH AND FAMILY CIRCLE RECEIVES $25,000 FROM HomeHelpMN Community Connectors Program
St. Paul, MN. April 14,, 2022 — Youth and Family Circle (YFC), a St. Paul non-profit serving youth and families has been awarded a $25,000 grant from HomeHelpMN Community Connector program.
HomeHelpMN is a federally funded program dedicated to assisting homeowners who are at risk of default, foreclosure, or displacement as a result of a financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Youth & Family Circle has been serving St. Paul’s inner-city youth for almost a decade. Benefits range from essential needs to developmental programs. While YFC and its clients were affected by the lockdowns and the pandemic itself, similar to others, YFC pivoted and continued to serve its clients throughout the pandemic by providing services on-line and requiring staggered appointments for its food pantry. Therefore, YFC has maintained its trustworthy relationship and reputation with its clients and within the community and proven its ability to adapt to changing circumstances while adhering to its mission of serving youth and families in the community.
The Community Connector program is a new, expanded offering for YFC’s services, which previously included: tutoring, mentoring, career days, college tours, and summer camps for students; counseling and workshops for students and families; and a culturally sensitive and appropriate food pantry and special events for the community. However, YFC’s Executive Director, Mahmud Kanyare, saw the Community Connector program as another means to be of greater service to families in the community so he agreed to take action. “Whatever Youth & Family Circle can do to help our neighbors—especially youth and families—we want to do.”
Now Mahmud is grateful he made that decision as YFC was granted $25,000 through the HomeHelpMN Community Connectors program to help distribute culturally and linguistically relevant information to those in need of help. Youth & Family Circle primarily serves those of East African descent who live in the greater St. Paul area. The background, skills, and training of YFC staff enables them to provide relevant, timely information and guidance about the availability and accessibility of HomeHelpMN assistance to this segment of the population, who might otherwise fall through the cracks.
About HomeHelpMN
HomeHelpMN is a federally funded program which includes financial assistance for mortgage reinstatement, and eligible past due property expenses, and will complement the solutions offered by mortgage loan servicers. For more information go to https://mnhousing.gov/ .
About Youth and Family Circle
Youth & Family Circle is a 501(c)3 non-profit based out of St. Paul, Minnesota. Since 2010 Founder and Executive Director Mahmud Kanyare, has offered services to low-income children and families. Youth & Family Circle focuses on families immigrated from Somalia, and East Africa. Youth & Family Circle currently serves over 500 families and is operated by volunteers, including its dedicated staff and a board of directors. For more information about YFC go to https://yfcmn.org/ .
