706 UNITED Cave Spring

706 UNITED City of Cave Spring Six Month Report

Since March of this year, United Way of Rome & Floyd County has invested in Cave Spring through the work of the 706 UNITED program. Led by Program Director Claudia Hamilton, 706 UNITED focuses on each Floyd county community individually, beginning with it’s first city, the City of Cave Spring. We work to identify and map existing available resources, service gaps, partnerships and potential alliances, and then create a solution-focused community-wide plan to address priorities. The individualized plan is also coordinated with the existing county-wide plan, progress from both of which is measured through the child, family, and community indicators identified in the Child Well-Being Index.

United Way is grateful to have been welcomed and invited to launch this pilot program with the City of Cave Spring the past six months, and for the use of generously donated office space at City Hall so we may have a local presence and be available to the community.

• Collected and processed approximately 45 local Needs Assessments
• Held approximately 120 meetings with individuals, agencies and organizations, faith community leaders, Downtown Development Authority, City Council, City of Rome, Floyd County, and Rome & Floyd County service providers who can potentially meet identified needs with assistance from United Way, bridging those services to the City of Cave Spring.
• Begun meeting needs that could immediately be addressed before implementation of a Cave Spring Pilot Program, including individual and family needs as well as community wide needs, such as a COVID-19 vaccination clinic.
• Identified the following key challenges facing the City of Cave Spring, prioritized by need:
  • Mental Health Resources and Access
  • Nutrition Access
  • Transportation
  • Rent & Utility Assistance
  • Older Adults Support & Engagement Access
  • Childcare (birth to Kindergarten)
  • Pet Care Support (food, vetting, etc)
• Identified the following services providers willing to partner through United Way to meet identified needs, including but not limited to:
  • • LivingProof Recovery
    • Elevation House
    • NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness)
    • Grace House
    • YMCA
    • TBRI Trained facilitators from
    • Restoration Rome (Trust Based Relational Interventions)
    • Primary focus on supporting children and families through the traumatic impact of the impending school closure
    • First Baptist of Cave Spring
    • Cave Spring Methodist Church
    • Hope Alliance of Rome
    • Hope’s House
    • Reach Ministries
    • Bagwell Pantry
    • Volunteer Cave Spring Community Members
• Established a direct phone line and resource list to answer resource inquiries from members of the Cave Spring Community
• Implemented the role of Resource Navigator, an individual who meets one-on-one with those in need to address emergent needs and the underlying causes of those needs by mapping available resources and identifying additional services gaps to be addressed by the United Way Team.
• Recognizing the importance of Cave Spring’s many festivals, provided volunteer and pre/post-planning support at prior and future events.
• Created and provided to the city and first responders Emergency Resource Cards including mental health and emergency housing information.
• Facilitated relationships to bridge services between service providers addressing homelessness and the local community, first responders, and city leadership.
• And the work continues!

We are so grateful to the City of Cave Spring for welcoming and engaging with us as we work toward a community led, community based, and solution focused plan for improving the quality of life for all in Cave Spring