La Fondita de Jesus in the Community

Distinguished Donors:

Greetings on behalf of Corporación La Fondita de Jesús’ family. With great respect, we are reporting our achievements and challenges while providing services to vulnerable communities through the “La Fondita de Jesús en la Comunidad” (La Fondita de Jesus in the Community) program from May through August 2024.

During this quarter, our project delivered 33,026 service units to 1,884 unique individuals and families in 91 communities, from which 19 (21%) were impacted for the first time by our project. In other words, an average of 17.5 units of services per participant. These communities are located in the following 21 municipalities (27%) of Puerto Rico: Aibonito, Añasco, Arecibo, Bayamón, Caguas, Canóvanas, Carolina, Cataño, Cayey, Dorado, Guaynabo, Loíza, Maricao, Mayagüez, Naguabo, Patillas, Sabana Grande, San Juan, Toa Baja, Utuado, and Vieques.

Trying to keep you as informed as possible regarding the demographic descriptions of the people we provided services to during this period, the distribution per gender was as follows:

• Females = 50%
• Males = 49%
• Transgender and non-binary = 1%

45% of the population served (n=842) were older adults (ages 60+), 6% (n=108) were children (ages 0-17), and 2% (n=48) were young adults (ages 18-24); all from vulnerable communities. We always point out that these individuals, families, and communities are at imminent risk of losing their homes, given their needs, life circumstances, and social determinants of health.

It is always part of our work to donate needed materials for participants in impacted communities. Some of the provided donations during this quarter were: Canes, Vaseline, Bath Chairs, Wheelchairs, Breakfasts, Boxes of Water, Medical Equipment, Thrift Shop Clothing Vouchers, Lanterns, Foam Pads (for beds), Medications, Pizza Boxes (for activities), Snacks, Adult Diapers, Clothing, Ulcer Healing Kits, Portable Toilet, Walkers, Underwear, Wheelchair Cushions, Incontinence Pads and Towels, Bed Under-pads, Foam Coolers for Medicines, Sunblock, Solar Lamps, Pots and Seeds, Glucometer, Adult Wipes, Blood Test Strips, and Lancets.

Workshops were developed and provided regarding the following themes:

• Theater for children
• Storytelling
• Reading for children’s rights and community involvement
• Creating social connections and combating isolation and loneliness
• Introduction to Hydroponics
• Cultivation processes
• Community hydroponic roles and responsibilities
• Public Safety
• Online Services Search
• Handling and basic use of the cell phone
• Basic Computer Use
• Resume Preparation
• Communication and Social Networks
• Isolation and loneliness strategies
• Protocol for homeless people who attend the court of first instance
• Electoral process
• Cultural Competence
• Opioids
• Processing Losses
• Substances and Our Life
• Situations and Recurrences
• When Does Usage Become a Problem?
• Chronic Diseases
• Mental Health Matters
• Closing Cycles

Some of our most important achievements during this period were as follows:

• During this period, we had the opportunity to impact 19 new communities.
• In general, the participation of community members continues to increase.
• During this period, we managed to impact communities with the Mobile Clinical Unit that we had not reached in the different towns of the island. This provided the opportunity for many people who for a long period had not received a health evaluation, to be impacted with medical and nursing evaluations, physical and mental health guidance, and in turn receive Over-The-Counter (OTC) medication kits.
• In the reported period, continuity of health services was achieved in the town of Vieques, allowing previously impacted participants to have follow-ups, medical equipment was supplied, and adherence to treatments, follow-ups with primary doctors, specialists, and referrals to agencies were re-evaluated.
• During this period, we managed to start a support group where participants with a history of active and inactive problematic substance use received therapy and psychoeducation from a mental health professional. Likewise, they developed support links that prevent recurrences and promote damage reduction.
• During this period, several community impacts were achieved together with the multidisciplinary team, providing Social Work, Case Management, and Outreach Work services, as well as providing guidance on the organization’s programs and making different links with private and government agencies.
• On the other hand, participants that we visit in the communities show interest in the services provided by the organization. They try to be adherent to the processes to empower themselves in their daily decision-making and improve their quality of life in search of well-being.
• Finally, during this period, educational efforts were carried out on electoral processes and they had the opportunity to register with the State Election Commission, which guarantees their right to vote in the next elections.

Challenges:

• During this period, we continue to identify challenges that participants face concerning health services. Starting with the process of obtaining a health plan or renewing coverage. Since many of our participants are homeless people who, due to the same circumstances, do not have original documents, it is challenging for us to be able to link them with primary health services and who in turn have treatments for their existing conditions.
• Another challenge that we have been able to identify when being in the communities is the lack of accessibility in terms of public or private transportation that they have. This limits the participants' ability to access health services and non-adherence to their treatments. When carrying out our evaluations, the number of uncontrolled people concerning their health conditions is high and to dedicate the time they deserve, the number of people we can impact decreases.
• On the other hand, another great challenge that we observe, and face is the high cost of medications that are not found in the formularies of medical plans both to treat conditions and to carry out very important studies. Given this, the participants give up on obtaining treatments and performing tests and medical studies.
• During this period the need for affordable housing for participants continues. Stigma, prejudice, businesses, and short-term rentals, among other factors, have contributed to the process of placing participants who have housing vouchers from our programs in affordable properties, which is very challenging, thus affecting their well-being.
• The health of the participants is increasingly delicate, which affects their self-sufficiency process. This greatly impacts their lives, since they cannot perform the different tasks, they used to perform. Many depend on health equipment to continue with their daily tasks, often lacking the necessary transportation to their medical appointments and are unaware of digital processes. Technology has advanced for health but many times the population does not know how to use it.

We are extremely grateful to all of you, our social investors, who believe in our work and commitment and continue to allow us to consistently impact the lives of so many people! Should you need additional information or have any questions regarding this report, please do not hesitate to contact us through the GlobalGiving Foundation. Thank you!

Links:

• Explore our website and get to know us better!
• We are La Fondita de Jesus
• Haciendo Comunidad (Building Communities)