Brookline To Put $175K Into Coronavirus Safety Net Fund

BROOKLINE, MA — The town of Brookline is putting $175,000 into a fund to support local businesses and those impacted by the new coronavirus emergency and is encouraging anyone who can afford to, to lend a helping hand.

Brookline has committed to contributing $175,000 to the Brookline Community Foundation's Safety Net Fund in order to kickstart efforts to respond to the vast impacts COVID-19 has had on people who live, work or attend school in town — including students who attend Brookline schools through the METCO program, as well as undocumented individuals and families, according to a joint release from the Brookline Select Board, Town Administrator Mel Kleckner and Public Health Director Dr. Swannie Jett.

The Select Board voted to support the move at its meeting March 31.

"The Safety Net Fund is an established, trusted community resource that we’re eager to support in whatever way we can during this time of unprecedented challenge," Kleckner said in a statement. "A spirit of generosity is one of the core elements our community prides itself on, and I have no doubt that the town’s support will be a piece of a much more widespread effort among our residents to provide aid to those in need."

The Brookline Community Foundation, a local nonprofit that supports a number of Brookline initiatives, has for the past decade used its Safety Net Fund to provide temporary emergency assistance to the Brookline community in times of financial crisis and support pathways to economic security.

As of Tuesday in Brookline 48 people were diagnosed with coronavirus. And on Tuesday an employee at the Whole Foods on Beacon Street was diagnosed with the virus, though it's not clear if that person also lives in town. The Massachusetts case count grew to 6,620 on Tuesday, including 89 deaths. Thirty-three people died between Monday and Tuesday, the biggest one-day jump the state has seen since the beginning of the outbreak.

Where will the money come from?

The Community Development Block Grant, a program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support low and moderate-income individuals is funding $75,000 of the contributions, according to officials.

The remaining $100,000 will be allocated from the Housing Trust Fund, pending an anticipated favorable recommendation by the town’s Housing Advisory Board Wednesday evening.

The Safety Net Fund is administered by The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health and provides emergency funds for individuals and their families who live, work, or go to school in Brookline.

Anyone who needs assistance can apply for up to $1,000, to use for a variety of things, including rental assistance, food, appliances, utility payments, medications, and medical bills.

Callers speak with the Brookline Center’s trained resource specialists who can also connect them with social services, mental health, or medical referrals, and help connect them to programs at the local, state or federal level.

“We are thankful to Brookline town government and the Select Board for their action in securing these critical funds,” said Ian Lang, Executive Director of The Brookline Center. “The Center is committed to working with individuals across Brookline to ensure that they can access this critically needed support during this crisis.”

Brookline Community Foundation has put a call to anyone able to, to contribute and offer a helping hand to those disproportionately affected by the COVID crisis. Click here to give to the Safety Net Fund.

“In the past, we have been able to rely on our business community to step up and support causes like this one,” Select Board Member Raul Fernandez said in a statement. “Now, it’s incumbent upon us to do what we can to support and empower the Safety Net Fund so that it can have as much positive impact as possible and give back to the businesses and workers who play such a critical role in making Brookline such a unique and special place.”

To access services provided by the Safety Net Fund, call the Brookline Center at 617-277-8107.

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Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).