How United Way Makes an Impact

Before the pandemic’s start, we knew that Cleveland was experiencing a poverty crisis. Cleveland had the highest childhood poverty rate of any large city in the country, with more than half of Cleveland’s children living in poverty. Cleveland also has the second highest poverty rate in the nation for working age adults and the third highest poverty rate for seniors living in poverty.

The work that your company does its workplace campaign is critical to helping children and families who ask themselves each day:

• Where will I sleep tonight?
• Is my home safe for my children?
• How can I afford my next meal?

Together with our company partners, United Way is answering the call for help for thousands of Greater Clevelander through the newly-transformed Community Hub for Basic Needs (“the Hub”). With your support, we will provide real-time help for real-world problems faced by people in need.

Through our work in the community, we know that individuals are struggling with multiple issues as the same time – hunger, housing and other challenges. This is where United Way’s Hub takes a wholistic approach to the challenges that poverty presents to families in need.

We truly rely on you, the Employee Campaign Manager (ECM), to share the urgency you’re your coworkers that investing in United Way is an investment in long-lasting solutions for families in need.

A MULTI-FACETED APPROACH TO GETTING OUR NEIGHBORS WHAT THEY NEED TO MOVE FORWARD

Poverty Goals

In partnership with the agencies with which we work, we will establish realistic and measurable goals to serve those living in the deepest poverty in our community in the most meaningful ways possible. And then we’ll work together to meet those targets.

This approach will involve a select few funded partners as well as a wider network of community agencies all working toward a similar goal: a better Greater Cleveland.

With the support of the annual workplace campaign, and companies like yours, United Way’s Hub will help those living in the deepest poverty in our community in the most meaningful ways possible.

Capacity building

We will continue to grow our educational programming for all agencies and organizations that serve the community, not just those we fund. We’ll host and lead community conversations about the most pressing issues we must work together to solve.

2-1-1 HELPLINK

A critical part of the Hub’s real-time response to the needs of people living in poverty is United Way’s 2-1-1 HelpLink service, a free and confidential 24/7 helpline that connects people in need with resources such as utility, food and shelter assistance. Our 2-1-1 HelpLink helps people navigate through more than the 2,500 agencies in our area and ensures they are connected to the right service at the right time.