UNITED WAY OF PIERCE COUNTY

STRONG FAMILIES

A job is not enough. That’s the reality facing the tens of thousands of under- and unemployed residents who are walking a financial tightrope. Even among those who are employed and often have more than one job, they struggle with monthly expenses that exceed their income. They are fighting an uphill financial battle that, without room to build savings, grows more unsustainable.

That’s why we’re creating a strong network of organizations working together to implement proven strategies that respond to the problem of persistent poverty, financial instability and low-wage stagnation among families.

No family should struggle to make ends meet. Yet, 1 in 3 working families in Pierce County can’t afford the basics. Fortunately, United Way of Pierce County and community partners are developing a plan to help families in need by providing the tools and resources they need to thrive.

When we help families in our local community avert financial crisis, and improve financial stability, we can prevent much more costly consequences that affect our entire community.

In 2016, we launched an innovative model that brings together a strong network of partners to implement proven strategies to address struggling families called United Way of Pierce County’s Center for Strong Families. By focusing on improving the financial bottom line for low- to moderate-income families so they can become more self-sufficient, more families are able to increase their income, decrease expenses, build credit and acquire assets.

We don't just want families to get on their feet. We want them to stay on their feet. That means not just getting them a job to increase their income but helping them decrease their debt and improve their credit. It means connecting them to a job training opportunity and helping them access transportation, work clothes, and tutoring to be successful in that training. It is about forming a long-term relationship that helps them achieve their goals.
___________________________________________________________
STABLE INDIVIDUALS: SOUTH SOUND 2-1-1

Meeting the basic needs of people in our community and helping them develop skills to become more stable and reduce their dependence on services is critical. We are helping address the immediate basic needs of people right here in our community — providing food, shelter, transportation and medication. There are programs to help people overcome crises, ensure everyone has a roof over their heads, food on the table and help families maintain stable housing.

SOUTH SOUND 2-1-1
Operated by United Way of Pierce County, South Sound 2-1-1 is a comprehensive information and referral line serving Pierce, Thurston, and Lewis Counties that connects people with essential health and human resources.

By simply dialing 2-1-1, callers can access a live Information and Referral Specialist between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday through Friday. Specialists can guide the caller to programs that meet their unique needs.

This free service connects people with services such as:

Rent and Utility Assistance
Counseling and Mental Health Services
Food and Clothing Resources
Shelter and Affordable Housing
Employment and Education Services
Military/Veteran Resources
Transportation
Free Tax Preparation Services
Familywize Discount Prescriptions
Information and referral specialists offer compassion, understanding and advocacy to callers from Pierce, Thurston and Lewis counties. All calls are confidential.

To find the resources you need, simply dial 2-1-1. You can also get connected by downloading the WIN 2-1-1 app.

If you have additional questions about the Information and Referral Specialist position or if you would like your organization to be included in our database just email us at 211@uwpc.org.

________________________________________________________
INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS

United Way is in the collaboration business! Partnered solutions measurably impact the big challenges our community faces. We encourage partnerships and initiatives that address specific challenges related to poverty to help our neighbors in need and have a community-wide impact.

Many entrenched social problems in our community cannot be solved by a single organization. We all must work together to address those challenges, help our neighbors and build a stronger community.

United Way of Pierce County encourages partnerships among our partner agencies and considers investments in nonprofit collaborations that have a community-wide impact and meet the following criteria:

Community Challenge
Collaborators
Shared Goal
Communication
Diverse Funding
HUNGER-FREE PIERCE COUNTY

Collectively providing food for hungry children and families

Food insecurity is a huge problem in our area, and we know that we can’t face it alone. We have partnered with several organizations in our area to tackle it from
all angles, including Emergency Food Network (EFN), Nourish Pierce County, WSU Extension, Peninsula Community Foundation, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department,
St. Leo’s Food Connection and local farmer’s markets. Together, this Hunger-Free Pierce County collaborative identifies and fills in gaps that will make the system providing food
to our citizens more effective.

Together, we have:

purchased refrigerated vans to expand summer meal site services, perishable food pick up and increase food delivery in challenged areas; assisted in a program that distributes crockpots to low-income families connected more families to food through Farmer’s Market matching vouchers provided funding for an outreach person to help families sign up for SNAP benefits continued to extend the reach of local backpack programs, such as PowerPack, which addresses child hunger and invested in an additional hoop house for EFN’s Mother Earth Farm for year-round production to increase fresh, healthy foods for local food system As a convener of the Partnership for a Hunger-Free Pierce County we will continue working together to eradicate hunger and malnutrition in our community and to increase access to fresh, healthy food for those in need.

Business Leaders Earn-ability Taskforce

Developing strategies to increase the income of working families starts with financial stability for employees. Every job is important but we want to get people to family wage jobs. Take someone who is unemployed or has barriers to employment and get them that first job but you don’t stop there. The goal is to get them to a family wage where they can buy a house, raise a family and have the quality of life we all want for our neighbors. To learn more read the Business Leaders Earn-ability Report that summarizes a 2017 event.