As the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continued through 2021, the Barrier Busters Network responded to individual crisis by providing emergency assistance to residents across Washtenaw County. A comprehensive summary of the group’s community response and funding can be found in the newly released 2021 Year End Report [link here].
Barrier Busters 2021 Highlights included:
- 76% of requests went to Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) households
- 41% of total requests supported Black households
- 70% of total requests supported households located in zip codes 48197 and 48198 , on par with 2020
- 35% of total requests supported immigrant households
- The top 2 types of requests for assistance were housing assistance, and utility assistance
- Overall, there has been more than 2 times the number of requests and expenditures since pre-pandemic 2019
Since 2001, the Washtenaw County Barrier Busters Network has worked to provide emergency assistance funding to residents and increase collaboration among local social services agencies. The group’s twenty-year commitment to the community has helped hundreds of households annually with basic needs funding associated with rental costs, utility bills, transportation, and health care costs.
To view the 2021 Barrier Busters By the Numbers, click here.