Local homeless shelter named grant finalist

CRESTVIEW — Crestview Area Shelter for the Homeless (CASH) was announced as one of 10 finalists for an IMPACT 100 of Northwest Florida grant.

CASH is one of two finalists in the family division for the $101,600 grant. They are up against the A Bed 4 Me Foundation.

“I was very surprised,” said CASH President Ann Sprague. “It was very humbling to know they had selected us to be a finalist. It’s really an honor because I know the other nine non-profits are very deserving of the grant also.”

CASH operates a day shelter where the homeless can come to shower, do laundry and eat a meal. The shelter moved into a new building earlier this year. Recently, they received a donation of 10 bunk beds for the shelter.

Sprague said that while the shelter is growing in its ability to help those who need it, winning the grant would better enable the shelter to assist the homeless.

“When you go to make a puzzle and you have some of the pieces, you need the other ones to make it work,” Sprague said. “We want to be the hub where people who are homeless can come and we can provide services or point them in the right direction.”

If they win the grant, Sprague said one of the biggest additions will be to hire an executive director to operate the shelter. The shelter would also use some of the money for things like a commercial refrigerator and freezer, a few computers for people to use to look for jobs and a vehicle to transport people to doctor appointments and the DMV in order to obtain IDs.

The IMPACT 100 grant committee will hear a presentation from each of the finalist and make a decision on the winner of five different categories on Nov. 3.

“Whether we win the grant or not, I feel like we have already won,” Sprague said. “They have been very supportive in different ways to help with some of our immediate needs."

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Local homeless shelter named grant finalist