Buffalo City Mission receives $20,000 from Citi & National Disability Institute to support direct services for homeless with disabilities

Donation is part of Citi’s nationwide $1 million initiative to serve people with disabilities during COVID-19 pandemic

The Buffalo City Mission received a $20,000 donation from Citi, in collaboration with the National Disability Institute (NDI), to help advance its work with the homeless community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The City Mission is one of just 39 national community-based nonprofit organizations to receive a share of a $1 million donation from Citi, which is helping organizations provide direct services to low-income people with disabilities.

The donation will fund Cisco WebEx equipment to help connect support and recovery groups with City Mission residents, including those with mental illness, physical disabilities and developmental disabilities. Additionally, it will provide unprecedented opportunities for City Mission case managers to engage these residents with local, regional and national resources – helping them to share experiences and alleviate feelings of isolation brought on by the current pandemic.

Additional offerings will include the ability to hold virtual meetings through large screen and group formats; telehealth meetings with doctors and counselors; and connections with peer-to-peer support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

“We are honored and grateful to Citi and the National Disability Institute for including the City Mission in this national effort,” said Aubrey Calhoun, associate executive director at the Buffalo City Mission. “For years, we have shared Citi’s commitment to make a difference for our community’s poor and homeless. As COVID-19 impacts our region, the increased adversity for our disabled residents has put them in a vulnerable situation. These funds enable us to address these challenges head-on by providing relief and support – both here and remotely – as they need.”

“Following the postponement of the 2020 Paralympic Games, Citi wanted to transfer its resources to show support for people with disabilities in the communities it serves. Citi’s Buffalo office has had a long-standing relationship with the Buffalo City Mission, whose exemplary work to assist the disabled has never been more important,” said Robin L. Wolfgang, communications officer at Citi. “Citi is committed to addressing the needs of people with disabilities in both the workplace and our local communities. We hope that this grant for the City Mission will enable them to provide even broader resources to empower and serve some of the most vulnerable individuals with disabilities.”

The announcement is the latest touchpoint in a longstanding relationship with Citi and the City Mission. Over the past four years, Citi has been a major sponsor of the “Mission Possible” youth incentive program, the City Mission’s communitywide initiative that brings together area schools, church youth groups and other youth programs to engage students of all ages in an exciting, educational and action-oriented food drive challenge. Citi has also provided onsite staff volunteers to help the City Mission serve the community including in the thrift store, kitchen and even computer programming sessions.

NDI and Citi selected 39 community-based organizations located in 20 states to receive amounts ranging from $15,000-25,000. NDI was responsible for vetting the nonprofit organizations, which include a mix of nonprofits with which NDI has strong relationships and local organizations where Citi employees have existing volunteer and community partnerships.

For the City Mission, the announcement is the latest in the organization’s vision moving into the next century to provide services that help prevent and decrease homelessness in the community. As part of this, the City Mission continues to engage community businesses, family foundations, organizations and individuals to close the gap and reach the $15 million goal of its “Next Century” capital campaign – leading to its new community center, the Alfiero Family Center of Hope and Promise, scheduled to open later this fall to the whole community.

The “Next Century” capital campaign is $1.1 million from its goal. To learn more about the campaign, visit nextcenturycampaign.org.

About Buffalo City Mission

The Buffalo City Mission, founded in 1917, is a nonprofit organization providing preventative, emergency and transitional housing programs to thousands of people who are homeless and impoverished every year. This includes a women and children’s shelter (Cornerstone Manor), the men’s community center, and the Dick Road thrift store to serve the Western New York community. For more information, visit buffalocitymission.org, call 716-854-8181, or connect on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloCityMission) or on Twitter (https://twitter.com/CityMission).

About National Disability Institute

National Disability Institute is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to building a better financial future for people with disabilities and their families. The first national organization committed exclusively to championing economic empowerment, financial education, asset development and financial stability for all persons with disabilities, NDI affects change through public education, policy development, training, technical assistance and innovative initiatives. To learn more, visit www.nationaldisabilityinstitute.org. Engage with NDI on Facebook (@NationalDisability) or follow NDI on Twitter (@NatDisability).

About Citi

Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services and wealth management. 

Additional information may be found at http://citicommunitydevelopment.com.