Income

Income: Advancing economic stability for 100,000 households

OUR CHALLENGE:

ONE QUARTER OF FAMILIES ARE UNABLE TO CLOTHE, HOUSE, AND FEED THEIR CHILDREN AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE, WE KNOW OUR COMMUNITY’S BASIC NEEDS ARE ENDANGERED, AND WE ARE ALL MORE VULNERABLE TO THE DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS OF POVERTY.

The FACTS:

  • Unemployment rates have hit record highs across the country in the last year – the highest they have been in 27 years.
  • In Illinois, 2.4 million people are working – yet still unable to manage a basic budget and nearly 1.28 million residents living in the Chicago area are on the brink of poverty.
  • In Chicago, 25% of families are so financially strained that they have cut back on food, clothing, medical care, and other essential components of a healthy lifestyle.

LIVE UNITED 2020 Goal:

Advance economic stability for 100,000 households

OUR APPROACH:

United Way is leading a financial stability initiative that brings together community experts to determine the right mix of programs that, together, can give people in United Way Partners Communities the opportunity to become financially stable. United Way supports integrated and collaborative programs across the region that collectively offer job training and placement and access to income supports such as state and federal benefits for working families. These programs are complemented by educational services that teach people about credit, saving and investment, as well as access to tax preparation services.

OUR STRATEGY:

  • Increase the number of people attaining and retaining employment
  • Increase the number of people accessing the Earned Income Tax Credit, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), child care subsidies, and children’s health insurance programs
  • Increase the number of people lowering their financial risk
  • Increase the number of people building their savings and choosing mainstream banking

United Way has developed these evidence based strategies in collaboration with local community experts and stakeholders. We are rigorously measuring our progress and our success. With adequate funding, we plan to implement these strategies in our United Way Partner Communities, generating a ripple effect of economic stability across our region.

WE INVITE YOU TO BE PART OF THE CHANGE AND THE SOLUTION: