CDAIDE

Hospitality workers are one of the hardest-working yet most fragile groups in the Coeur d’Alene community. Whether they are servers, cooks, dishwashers, cleaners, receptionists, or others, they often struggle with limited income and assets, lack of insurance, and an absence of the resources their families need. Unexpected medical expenses, auto breakdown, or a lapsed rent payment can spell crisis, even homelessness or job loss, for them. CDAIDE supports those working in Coeur d’Alene area restaurants and hotels by providing resources and emergency financial assistance, as well as building positive relationships. We see filling urgent needs as a springboard to building a relationship that will allow us to discover what deeper needs the individual may have—such as for counseling, parenting classes, additional education or job training, budgeting skills, stable childcare, etc.—and to connect him or her with resources to fill those needs. All of our services are offered with no strings attached. It is difficult to overstate how much it means to our hard-working neighbors, struggling so hard to make ends meet, to know that their community cares about them and is there to catch them when they are in a crisis. Our Care Recipients are profoundly grateful, even for the most modest levels of assistance, because they feel that sense of community support.

Shane Solorza
Hospitality worker support