Together with the City of Williamsburg, James City County and York County, the Williamsburg Health Foundation has announced grant funding to the localities which totals $1 million to prevent rental evictions of Greater Williamsburg residents as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“There is a profound, multifaceted connection between one’s housing and one’s health,” said Carol L. Sale, President and CEO of WHF. “So profound that Trustees of the Williamsburg Health Foundation made the challenging decision to increase the foundation’s annual spending limit this year which required reaching into the foundation’s corpus to fund this program. This is a unique and important million-dollar investment for us and for the entire community.”

The million-dollar investment in a healthier Greater Williamsburg is divided among the three localities. Each received a sum relative to the size of its population and number of low-income households: $270,000 to the City of Williamsburg; $430,000 to James City County; and $300,000 to York. The grant dollars will provide emergency rental payments for qualifying low- to moderate-income households. The City’s Human Services Department and the Housing divisions of James City and York counties worked together to create a common application for the COVID-19 Eviction Prevention Program; the application window opens Feb. 1. 

When considering its options in funding around COVID-19, the foundation spoke with local experts about the long-term fallout from the pandemic. Experts told the foundation that temporary moratoria on evictions do not resolve the rental crisis, and once lifted, households would begin to fall off what is being called “the eviction cliff” and be unable to recover from financial hardship caused by COVID-19. 

“This money is designed to help people who paid their rent pre-pandemic, who were stable pre-pandemic,” said Jack Tuttle, Board Chair at WHF, “to help keep a bad situation from becoming a desperate situation jeopardizing the long-term health and well-being of a family.”

“WJCC Public schools already have one of the highest rates of homeless students in the state. Imagine if those numbers sharply increase because of fallout from COVID” said Sale. “Our community will only be truly healthy when we have safe, affordable housing for all who live and work here. Too many families currently choose between rent and food —or rent and opportunities for their children.”

“We’re grateful the localities are contributing their staff time and talent to distributing these funds, which means that all of the foundation’s dollars go directly to rent relief,” said Sale. “The foundation has a long tradition of program partnership with localities in our service area.”

“When a city resident comes to our office to apply for emergency rental assistance, we can also connect them with other services they might not even know they can access,” said Wendy Evans, director of human services for the City of Williamsburg. 

“Every month since the pandemic began, those of us in housing get ready for the moratorium to end and the flood of evictions that will come with it. Having these funds from the Williamsburg Health Foundation provides a safety net to catch those at risk of eviction when the moratoria are no long in place. Now, we know we will have some additional resources to help renters,” said Keith Denny, Housing Manager of James City County.

“With these grants, everyone has to pitch in,” said Denny. “These funds will be paid directly to landlords. But, the landlords need to make some concessions as well. They need to agree to work with tenants to enter into a repayment plan for past due rent.”

“These grant funds from the Williamsburg Health Foundation are so important right now when many people are trying to keep a roof over their heads,” said Abbitt Woodall, York’s Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization Manager. “These are not faceless, nameless people – these are our neighbors, friends, and coworkers. Helping them ultimately aids the entire community and region. Similarly, these funds will sustain landlords who rely on rent and mortgage payments to continue providing housing.”

“WHF cannot provide rent relief long term. We do not intend to do so. But, at this critical moment in the pandemic, we are certain that keeping individuals and families from falling into a cycle of homelessness and poverty is the best thing this foundation can do for both the immediate and long-term health of our community and the people who live here,” said Sale. 

If you need rent relief, please contact a representative in your locality: 
Williamsburg: 757-220-6161
James City County: 757-259-5340
York County: 757-890-3885

WILLIAMSBURG — The Williamsburg Health Foundation welcomes four new trustees in 2021.  “These trustees each have great breadth and depth of professional expertise that uniquely qualify them to serve as stewards of the Williamsburg Health Foundation and our vision, mission, and assets,” said Carol L. Sale, RN, MSN, President and CEO, Williamsburg Health Foundation.  “We are honored they have chosen to serve with us.”

• Dr. Elizabeth De Falcon, M.D. is a staff physician at William & Mary.  Dr. De Falcon received her MD from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, F. Edward Herbert School of Medicine and completed a Residency in Pediatrics at the David Grant Medical Center, Travis Air Force Base, CA.  In addition to her work as staff physician, Dr. De Falcon is a Pediatrician with Pediatric Associates of Williamsburg/CHKD and mentors pre-med students.
• Juanita M. Parks, CPA is the Chief Financial Officer for the Williamsburg Landing.  In addition to her CPA and BS degree, Ms. Parks has a certificate of human resource management. She is a member of the Historic Triangle LEAD Class of 2019 and currently serves on the Avalon Board of Directors.
• Felicia A. Stovall is the Head of Administration, Wealth Management Advisor & Trust Officer, and Senior Vice-President at Chesapeake Wealth Management.  She is a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), Certified Wealth Strategist® (CWS®) and holds the Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) designation. She is a member of the Virginia Peninsula Estate Planning Council, Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council and Hampton Roads Financial Planning Association.
• Philip “Phil” Tuning retired as President of John Deere Financial Canada.  He holds an MBA from William & Mary and a B.S. in finance from Virginia Tech.  He also services on the Reves International Advisory Board, and as an Executive Partner at William & Mary.

Board officers for 2021 are:
Chair:                                    Jackson “Jack” C. Tuttle, II
Vice-Chair:                            Beth F. Davis, RN
Treasurer:                              Alfred L. Woods
Secretary:                               Carol L. Sale, RN, MSN
Immediate Past Chair:           Louis F. Rossiter

The Williamsburg Health Foundation has a corpus of over 120 million dollars and distributes an average of five million dollars in grants annually in the Greater Williamsburg area. The Foundation also works to raise awareness of health issues in the community, to build the capacity of grantees agencies, and to encourage collaboration to solve health-related challenges that cannot be solved by one organization, or sector, alone. For more information on the Williamsburg Health Foundation, visit WilliamsburgHealthFoundation.org

On Monday, December 7, 2020, the Board of Trustees of the Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) approved the second and final round of grants in 2020 for the Foundation.  “The grants we are announcing reflect both the ongoing and the evolving needs of our community.  Our partners are working hard to address these needs during incredibly challenging times,” said Carol L. Sale, WHF President and CEO.

Grants include four behavioral-health services grants.  The Center for Child and Family Services will receive a new grant for $103,000 to provide trauma-informed assessments along with individual and group counseling for adults who are perpetrators of intimate-partner violence and are struggling with substance abuse. “Often substance-use disorders and domestic violence are treated separately,” said Sale, “Our partners at the Center understand the critical connection between the two.” Other behavioral services grants include grants for family therapy, maternal mental health, and a school-based mental health program. “We know that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing toxic stress and mental health challenges for so many,” said Sale. “We believe all our partners working in this area, including those who received grants earlier this year, can make a meaningful difference.”

Toxic stress and the lifelong impacts of trauma are themes in new grants.  Along with other communities in Virginia and throughout the US, Greater Williamsburg has created a Trauma-Informed Care Network (TICN).  Over 75 individuals from nonprofits, localities, and businesses have come together around the mission of “supporting a trauma-aware, resilient and compassionate community.”

“This is a fantastic example of multiple sectors and organizations working with a common goal,” said Sale.  A new grant for $30,000 managed through the United Way of the Virginia Peninsula will support a project coordinator to oversee the strategic planning process and the ongoing administration of the organization.

Another category of programs which fit in a “healthy eating and active living” area of funding involve people gathering in groups.  “We know these programs will not be able to go on right away as planned, but we want to give our grantees the best possible chance to get back into normal operations as soon as possible,” said Lou F. Rossiter, Trustee and Board Chair.

Earlier this year, when COVID-19 restrictions began, the Foundation unrestricted over 2.6 million dollars granted in 2019 which meant its grantees could use the money to best meet the needs of their agencies during the pandemic. “Through that action of unrestricting grant funding, the Williamsburg Health Foundation may have saved agencies from laying off staff or, even, from closing.  We’re proud of that accomplishment. We don’t want the pandemic to mean the loss of nonprofit agencies or programs critical to the long-term health of this community,” said Rossiter

The Williamsburg Health Foundation was founded in 1996 with proceeds from the partnership between Sentara Healthcare and the former Williamsburg Community Hospital. The foundation has a vision of “individuals making healthy choices with health opportunity for all.”  For information on grants from the Williamsburg Health Foundation, including how to apply for a grant, visit williamsburghealthfoundation.org/grants-center.  Additional grants made in December are attached here.

“As I say with every grant round, and it is more true now than ever, we need everyone to participate in making ours a healthy community.  We need to do everything we can to remain close as a community even at a distance and to support one another.  Call your neighbor, send a card or an email, make a donation to a nonprofit organization, volunteer if you can,” said Sale.

Grants Approved at WHF Board Of Trustees Meeting December 7, 2020

Some things are worth celebrating.  This community is one of them. 

2020 has been a year of many challenges.  At the Williamsburg Health Foundation, we have had the privilege of observing how community organizations and individuals have helped people living in Greater Williamsburg during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As Mr. Rogers said, “Look for the helpers.” This video captures many of the helpers in our community, but not all.  We only hope we have captured the spirit of how we have remained close as a community even as we had to keep distant from each other.

We know COVID-19 and humankind’s battle with it is not over.  But, let us celebrate the spirit of community in Greater Williamsburg. 

Enjoy!