Our Work - Income

Promoting Financial Stability and Independence

America has traditionally been a land where hard work leads to success. Today, that commonly held ideal is in peril. Wages have not kept pace with the rising cost of housing, health care, child care, gas and other needs. As a result, as many as one-third of working Americans do not earn enough money to meet their basic needs.

United Way of Central Ohio is committed to helping individuals and families in our community achieve financial stability. By bringing together community partners, we are helping lower-income individuals and families achieve financial independence by providing the skills necessary to maximize their income, build savings and gain assets.Since the path to financial stability is often difficult, United Way and its partners continue to provide individuals and families with access to emergency food, shelter and financial assistance.

Our goal:

People in crisis have access to emergency food, shelter and financial assistance.

Our challenges:

An average of 28,870 people in Franklin County were unemployed during a single month in 2007.

Of the 13% of Ohio households who went hungry in 2003-5, 38% were under age 18, 19% were elderly, and 32% had a least one worker.

Between 2007 and 2008, the number of people receiving food stamps and public assistance in central Ohio increased more than 9%.

Nationally, one out of every three households use credit cards to cover basic living expenses, including rent, mortgage payments, groceries, utilities and insurance.

Our solutions:

United Way is committed to supporting basic services for our neighbors who are hungry, lack shelter or need emergency assistance.

From July 2006 to June 2007, central Ohio’s emergency shelters served 7,150 households, and more than 114,545 individuals were served in food pantry programs supported by United Way.

Family Stability Collaborative, a partnership between United Way of Central Ohio and the Community Shelter Board, provides families at imminent risk of homelessness with a combination of immediate emergency funds and longer-term health and human services.

Our goal:

To help people achieve financial stability.

Our challenges:

Franklin County’s population has increased 2.5% since 2000; the number of families living in poverty has grown by 40.8% or nearly 20 times that rate.

In 2006, more than 175,000 central Ohioans (16.3%) lived in poverty, defined by the federal government as less than ,000 annual income for a family of four. Another 176,000 (16.5%) lived above the poverty line but below the self-sufficiency measure of 200% of the poverty level.

One third of U.S. households have zero or negative net financial assets, and half of U.S. households have less than ,000 in net financial assets.

Our solutions:

United Way is creating and funding programs that provide tools for central Ohioans to maximize their income, build savings and gain assets.

United Way is a key partner in the Franklin County EITC Coalition which processed over 3,100 tax returns in 2008 helping people receive over .4 million in refunds, save almost 0,000 in tax preparation fees and loan interest and receive financial guidance.

In 2007, workforce development programs supported by United Way placed over 2,000 people in full-time employment at an average starting wage of .13 per hour. An additional 317 people entered training programs to gain the skills necessary to be competitive in today’s workplace.

To date, Rebuilding Lives has developed more than 800 units of supportive housing designed to break the cycle of homelessness for chronically homeless individuals and families coping with mental illness, addiction or chronic illness.