Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio and the Mahoning Youngstown Community Action Partnership are helping Youngstown families who have fallen behind on their rent, mortgage, and energy bills amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Anthem has given the partnership a $25,000 grant to bolster efforts to fight housing insecurity.

“Threat of eviction and mounting unpaid bills is bad for mental health,” said Shelia Triplett, CEO of the Mahoning Youngstown Community Action Partnership. “This grant gives 18 families in the Mahoning Valley the time they need to stabilize their finances while they recover from the economic impact of COVID.”

 The nearly year-long economic distress of the pandemic left many local nonprofits with limited resources.

The grant is part of a more than $2 million commitment that Anthem and its Foundation have made to support Ohio communities and nonprofit organizations on the front lines of the pandemic.

A survey on housing security by the U.S. Census estimated that one in 10 Ohioans in early December was either behind on rent or mortgage payments or had little to no confidence making next month's payment. In Ohio, housing insecurity is higher than the national average – and the outlook is even worse for Black, Hispanic, and younger renters. Higher levels of eviction rates have consistently been linked to mental health illness or substance use.