COMMUNITY IMPACT › wp-content › uploads › 2018 › 06 › ...Our community impact work is rooted in helping individuals access opportunities so they can provide for themselves

COMMUNITY IMPACTAN OVERVIEW OF OUR WORK

®

COMMUNITY IMPACT | fOCUs AreAs | 2

Our community impact work is rooted in helping individuals access opportunities so they can provide for themselves and their families. Our focus areas — education, economic Prosperity and Health — are interconnected, helping people in all stages of life achieve a better future.

COMMUNITY IMPACT | fOCUs AreAs | 3

TABLe Of CONTeNTs

4 eDUCATION5 BIB TO BACKPACK6 BABY BUNDLE

7 GREAT START TO QUALITY (GSTQ)

8 RACE TO THE TOP – EARLY LEARNING CHALLENGE (RTT-ELC OR RTT)

9 EARLY LEARNING COMMUNITIES (ELCS)

10 GAIN OPPORTUNITIES TO ACHIEVE LASTING SUCCESS (GOALS)

11 AGES AND STAGES QUESTIONNAIRE (ASQ)

12 reAD TO sUCCeeD13 SUMMER SPARK

14 ABC MOUSE

15 COLLeGe AND CAreer PATHWAYs 16 CCP SCHOOLS

17 CCP CURRICULUM

18 eCONOMIC PrOsPerITY19 WOrKfOrCe DeVeLOPMeNT20 DETROIT REGIONAL WORKFORCE FUND (DRWF)

21 ACCESS FOR ALL

22 fINANCIAL sTABILITY23 THE GREATER DETROIT CENTERS FOR WORKING

FAMILIES (CWF)

24 FREE TAX ASSISTANCE

25 HeALTH26 BAsIC NeeDs27 2-1-1

28 CHILDREN’S HEALTH ACCESS PROGRAM (CHAP)

29 LSP

30 HeALTHY KIDs31 FEEDING, EATING AND SUCCEEDING TOGETHER

(FEAST)

32 MEET UP AND EAT UP

33 BETTER WITH BREAKFAST

COMMUNITY IMPACT | eDUCATION | 4

fOCUs AreA:

eDUCATIONWe make sure children start school ready to succeed and graduate prepared to successfully enter a career or college.


BIB TO BACKPACKDID YOU KNOW?

Bib to Backpack is an early childhood development strategy that equips parents and caregivers with resources and tools to provide the young children in their lives with a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning.

We strengthen institutions that serve children and ensure access to supportive networks and resources for families.

We fund and oversee 14 partner agencies that offer programs for parents and children to learn alongside each other. Parents and caregivers can connect to networking groups where they can share best practices, take classes and find support. We also offer BibToBackpack.org, an online resource for parents and caregivers.

PrOGrAMs6 BABY BUNDLE

7 GREAT START TO QUALITY (GSTQ)

8 RACE TO THE TOP – EARLY LEARNING CHALLENGE (RTT-ELC OR RTT)

9 EARLY LEARNING COMMUNITIES (ELCS)

10 GAIN OPPORTUNITIES TO ACHIEVE LASTING SUCCESS (GOALS)

11 AGES AND STAGES QUESTIONNAIRE (ASQ)


BABY BUNDLeTHe PrOBLeMResearch shows that not all parents are aware that 80% of their child’s brain will develop by age 3, or what effective, appropriate adult-child interactions look like.

OUr sOLUTIONThe Baby Bundle is a parent engagement tool that United Way provides to new parents to help them on their parenting journey. Bundles contain essential infant supplies and resources that help parents during their baby’s first months, as well as information about our Bib to Backpack resources. Baby Bundles are diaper bags that contain diapers, wipes, parenting guides and supplies to help new parents.

THe IMPACTTBD, as this program will launch in fall 2018.

80% OF A CHILD’S BRAIN DEVELOPS BY AGE 380+B


GreAT sTArT TO QUALITY (GsTQ)THe PrOBLeMChild care is expensive, and there aren’t enough quality child care seats to meet demand in Southeastern Michigan. There are more than 275,000 children under the age of 6 who live in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, but there are only 50,000 quality-rated child care spots available for them.

OUr sOLUTIONThe state of Michigan selected us to increase the quality of in-home care and day care facilities. We do this by working directly with child care providers in an effort to offer parents with more quality, affordable options. This work is funded by the state’s Great Start to Quality grant, which allows us to employ five quality improvement consultants who provide guidance to caregivers in the tri-county area.

Great Start to Quality — Michigan’s Quality Rating Improvement System — is a voluntary system that uses 40 criteria to rate child care and preschool programs from zero to five stars. Through this system, parents can quickly find quality caregivers online, and caregivers can improve their rating through training workshops and facility enhancements.

THe IMPACTEight hundred eighty-two participating providers rated as high quality as of April 2018 (92 percent of participants). This means, in Greater Detroit, 58,071 children have access to high quality child care.


THe IMPACTUnited Way staffers made 3,608 phone calls to new parents eligible to receive a child care subsidy and referred 473 parents to child care facilities. Providers from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties attended 70 engagement sessions, 66 trainings and 15 recruitment events. Nearly 200 health and safety items were purchased and provided to caregivers, including car seats, strollers and baby gates.

rACe TO THe TOP – eArLY LeArNING CHALLeNGe (rTT-eLC Or rTT)A supplement to Great Start to Quality (Funding for this program is scheduled to end Sept. 30, 2018. There is a chance it could be extended to December 2018 but will end after that.)

THe PrOBLeMThere is a limited amount of quality child care facilities in our region.

OUr sOLUTIONWe partner with the Michigan Department of Education’s Office of Great Start and the Early Childhood Investment Corp. to offer guidance to caregivers, helping to increase the quality child care options for parents throughout the region.

Similar to with our Great Start to Quality Work, our Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge team provides engagement opportunities, training, consultation services and resources to both license-exempt and home-based child care providers. While Great Start to Quality works mostly with in-home and daycare provers, RTT works mostly with grandmothers caring for their grandchildren but can also include other caregivers, most of whom the child has some type have some type of personal connection with.

We also inform low-income parents about child care subsidies that they are eligible for but don’t receive and try to connect those families with quality child care options. In addition, this program provides important safety items, such as car seats and carbon monoxide detectors, to hundreds of child care providers.


eArLY LeArNING COMMUNITIes (eLCs)THe PrOBLeMParents and caregivers lack access to high-quality materials and classes that can help them support their children’s needs. Eighty-five percent of children in Detroit (and 20 percent of children throughout Southeastern Michigan) don’t have access to the resources they need for healthy physical and mental development. Twenty percent of children in our region live in poverty. Nearly half of the children in Greater Detroit have one or more risk factors associated with gaps in school readiness. These problems can lead to shortfalls in academic achievement, educational attainment and social behavior, and can ultimately lead to a higher risk of unemployment and criminality.

OUr sOLUTIONWe fund six ELCs – spaces where parents can join support groups, use lending libraries and take workshops at no cost. While the ELCs are run by our nonprofit partners, we provide funding for this work, professional development for staff, state resources, coursework materials and lending libraries, which allow parents and caregivers to sign out high-quality materials to help continue the learning at home. We also provide technical support to our partners, including access to webinars, newsletters, state resources and other partners, allowing these facilities to continuously improve.

THe IMPACTMore than 12,000 people are served at ELCs every year.

NEARLY 50% OF CHILDREN IN GREATER DETROIT HAVE ONE OR MORE RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH GAPS IN SCHOOL READINESS.

50+B


GAIN OPPOrTUNITIes TO ACHIeVe LAsTING sUCCess (GOALs)THe PrOBLeMForty percent of children in Southeastern Michigan are not developmentally on-track (either academically, emotionally or socially) to start kindergarten prepared.

THe sOLUTIONUnited Way was awarded a $6 million Social Innovation Fund grant in 2016 (our first was awarded in 2011). This federal grant funds our GOALS program, through which we help families set and achieve goals. This program helps sharpen

parenting skills and connects families to better health and nutrition, resulting in improved developmental readiness in children. When families have better supportive networks, they can better care for their children, who are then likelier to then have better long-term academic success.

As a stipulation of the grant, United Way must match the SIF funding. We also provide sub-grants to our nonprofit partners who work directly with parents. Those partners also must match the grant we provide to them. In total, we triple the $6 million investment.

THe IMPACTUnited Way and our partners piloted programs funded by the 2016 grant throughout 2017, with implementation expected to take place in 2018. Results are TBD. Our work funded by the 2011 Social Innovation Fund grant focused on kindergarten readiness. Fifty-eight percent of children who participated in the programs funded by the 2011 grant made significant progress on kindergarten readiness indicators, and 50 to 60 percent saw gains in the areas of communication, social-emotional skills, language and health. The 2011 grant concluded in 2018.

40% OF CHILDREN ARE NOT ON TRACK TO START KINDERGARTEN40+B


AGes AND sTAGes QUesTIONNAIre (AsQ)THe PrOBLeMOverlooked developmental delays in children can have long-term repercussions that can make it difficult for them to catch up later in life. Forty percent of children in our region have developmental delays.

OUr sOLUTIONWe’ve invested in a vetted assessment tool, called the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, that is made free to parents and caregivers with children ages 0-6 within Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties to gauge their children’s developmental milestones. United Way specialists send individual results and learning activities to parents/caregivers to help their children who exhibit delays get back on track. While the ASQ is also available for free from many pediatricians, that’s not the case across the board. For those without free access to the questionnaire, it can cost $150 annually if purchased from the ASQ’s website.

THe IMPACTWe have provided more than 142,327 developmental screenings for no cost to the families of 80,034 children since we began the project. Sixty-eight percent of these children improved their developmental readiness.


reAD TO sUCCeeDDID YOU KNOW?

The end of third grade is a critical stretch for students, as school instruction then shifts from learning to read to reading to learn. Students who can’t read proficiently by the end of third grade are more likely to drop out of school.

We make strategic investments to drive increased third-grade literacy by focusing on improving school attendance, increasing summer learning opportunities, and connecting parents and teachers to free interactive tools – like ABCmouse – that they can use to help their children learn. We also help schools

and students get ahead of legislation that will force schools to hold children back if they haven’t achieved reading proficiency by the end of third grade. The measure goes into effect for the 2019-20 school year and will create chaos for schools and students alike.

PrOGrAMs13 SUMMER SPARK

14 ABCMOUSE


sUMMer sPArKTHe PrOBLeMDuring summer break, low-income students lose more than two months of learning progress in math and reading. As a result, teachers often spend the first six weeks of the school year helping students relearn old material. By the end of sixth grade, students who experience summer loss are an average of two years behind their middle-income peers. Two-thirds of the income-based achievement gap is attributed to summer learning loss.

OUr sOLUTIONWe are focused on increased learning during the summer months, starting with the Summer Spark program navigator, where parents across Southeastern Michigan can connect to summer camps that best meet the needs and interests of their families. Additionally, we are piloting initiatives to provide supplemental literacy activities at existing summer programs, so that more providers are equipped to offer high-yield learning experiences.

THe IMPACTTBD. This work launched in May 2018.

TWO-THIRDS OF THE INCOME-BASED ACHIEVEMENT GAP IS DUE TO SUMMER LEARNING LOSS, CALLED SUMMER SLIDE66+B


ABC MOUseTHe PrOBLeMIn 2017, just 40.9% of third-grade students in Southeastern Michigan tested proficient or better on the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP).

OUr sOLUTIONWe’ve teamed with General Motors to bring ABCmouse.com to families throughout Detroit. The platform is available for free at every Detroit Public Library branch and at Brilliant Detroit, and we’re expanding home access to the service. Families just need to create an account and log in. If they don’t have their own devices, they can check iPads out from the library. ABCMouse is for children ages 2-8. It offers reading supports like phonics and vocabulary building in a fun way.

THe IMPACT TBD. This work launched in late 2017.


COLLeGe AND CAreer PATHWAYs (CCP)

DID YOU KNOW?

Today, almost a third of students nationwide leave high school without the skills necessary to succeed in college, participate in a 21st century workforce or earn an income that can support a family. For low-income students, the numbers are even worse. In Detroit, 61 percent of students enroll in college within a year of graduating, but only 16 percent of these students graduate within six years. Across the country, only 23 percent of employers report that college graduates have the skills and knowledge to meet their job demand.

We bring schools, community members and business leaders together to integrate work-based learning experiences and rigorous academics into school curriculum. Our pathway coaches work in schools alongside teachers and administrators to build curriculum and incorporate work-based learning experiences that allow students to gain industry-valued certifications and/or college credits. Our work-based learning directors facilitate connections between corporate partners and schools, building connections that help students to get hands-on experience in the field they’re studying.

We are expanding this work thanks to investments from partners like JPMorgan Chase, and we host bi-monthly networking sessions that allow school personnel to share their thoughts on the program and learn about the latest happenings.

Our goal is to build 20 College and Career Pathways with the capacity to serve 10,000 Detroit students by 2019. In 2017-18, we partnered with 16 Detroit Public Schools Community District schools, serving 8,500 students. Through our career fairs, we have successfully connected 2,500 students to work-based learning opportunities with more than 100 employer partners.

PrOGrAMs16 CCP SCHOOLS

17 CCP CURRICULUM


CCP sCHOOLsBeNJAMIN CArsON HIGH sCHOOL Of sCIeNCe AND MeDICINeScience and Medicine

CeNTrAL HIGH sCHOOLInformation Technology, Coding and Website Design

CODY ACADeMY Of PUBLIC LeADersHIPLaw and Public Leadership

CODY DeTrOIT INsTITUTe Of TeCHNOLOGY COLLeGe PreP HIGH sCHOOLInformation Technology and Engineering

CODY MeDICINe AND COMMUNITY HeALTH ACADeMYMedicine and Community Health

COMMUNICATION AND MeDIA ArTs HIGH sCHOOLBusiness, Marketing and Technology

DAVIs AerOsPACe TeCHNICAL HIGH sCHOOL AT GOLIGHTLYFlight Training and Aviation Technology

DeTrOIT COLLeGIATe PrePArATOrY sTeM ACADeMYSTEM, Entrepreneurship and Community Leadership

DeTrOIT sCHOOL Of ArTs Arts, Media and Entertainment

freDerICK DOUGLAss ACADeMY fOr YOUNG MeNElectronic Systems Technology

HeNrY fOrD HIGH sCHOOLInformation Technology

MArTIN LUTHer KING Jr. seNIOr HIGH sCHOOLBusiness

OsBOrN HIGH sCHOOLBusiness, Finance, Engineering and Hospitality and Tourism

sOUTHeAsTerN HIGH sCHOOLBusiness and Entrepreneurship

WesTerN INTerNATIONAL HIGH sCHOOLEngineering Mobility

WesTsIDe ACADeMY Of INfOrMATION TeCHNOLOGY AND CYBer seCUrITY Information Technology and Cyber Security


CCP CUrrICULUMBeginning in ninth grade, students attend a career fair, hear from guest speakers, visit worksites, attend a job shadow day and tour a college. As sophomores, they develop resumes, participate in mock interviews and receive mentorship. Eleventh-graders write essays for college, participate in student-run enterprises and attend the Grow Detroit’s Young Talent Internship Academy. During their senior year,

students participate in a pre-apprenticeship or co-op and have dual enrollment opportunities.

Career fairs connect students with information and access to their first real jobs, and curriculum shows them they day-in, day-out life in their preferred career path.

THe IMPACTBy high school graduation, students will have the 21st century skills they need to be successful, as well as college credit, an industry-valued certification, workplace exposure and a professional network of support.

67% OF STUDENTS WERE HIRED AT THE 2018 GDYT CAREER FAIR.40+B

COMMUNITY IMPACT | eCONOMIC PrOsPerITY | 18

fOCUs AreA:

eCONOMIC PrOsPerITYWe help people train for and access good jobs, and learn how to budget for the future so that they can provide for their families.


WOrKfOrCe DeVeLOPMeNTDID YOU KNOW?

In order for individuals to provide for their families, they need support services, career training and jobs that pay a living wage.

Programs like Access for All connect Detroiters with the

training they need to get a job that pays a wage that can support a family.

Our workforce efforts connect unemployed and under-employed people in Southeastern Michigan to living-wage jobs in traditional and emerging industries. When more people have access to good jobs, our economy grows.

PrOGrAMs20 DETROIT REGIONAL WORKFORCE FUND (DRWF)

21 ACCESS FOR ALL

DETROIT’S UNEMPLOYENT RATE IS 9.6%10+B


DeTrOIT reGIONAL WOrKfOrCe fUND (DrWf)THe PrOBLeMDetroit’s unemployment rate is 9.6 percent – significantly higher than that of the region and the nation. That number does not include an estimated 83,000 prime-working-age adults who can re-enter the workforce, according to the Brookings Institute. Detroiters need access to more and better jobs.

OUr sOLUTIONThe Detroit Regional Workforce Fund is a collaboration of private, public and nonprofit leaders creating strategies to connect low- and moderate-income jobseekers with emerging and growing career pathways. The fund engages employers and stakeholders to identify employment barriers and solutions in an effort to build a more equitable and functional public and private workforce ecosystem.

This includes an investment in supportive services, connecting jobseekers with needs like transportation, child care and uniforms.

We are the fiduciary, we house the DRWF and we invest $500,000 into the fund annually. The primary purpose of the fund is to coordinate strategic alignment among key partners in the workforce system, including philanthropic organizations, government and others. Other goals include supporting skill-building and job placement services and addressing systemic barriers to employment.

THe IMPACTWe fund the Access for All program, which connects Detroiters with skilled trade apprenticeships. Class sizes are limited in order to meet the demand of the trades, ensuring most students will find a job with ease. The DRWF aims to connect 900 people annually to job development support, with 80 percent of participants completing job training. Other goals include maintaining job placement rates of 80 percent or above and job retention rates of 70 percent or above. The number of individuals served will increase each year as the fund invests in improving the capacity of the service-provider network.

85% OF ACCESS FOR ALL GRADUATES FIND EMPLOYMENT AFTER GRADUATION

85+B


ACCess fOr ALLTHe PrOBLeMConstruction jobs are abundant as Detroit continues to grow, but there aren’t enough Detroiters with the skills required to fill those jobs. Four upcoming Bedrock Detroit projects would create a total of 15,000 construction jobs. Creating a job-ready workforce to meet growing demand is critical, as is connecting jobseekers from our region to family-sustaining careers that build the future of the city.

OUr sOLUTIONAccess for All provides high-quality pre-apprenticeship training to individuals who have traditionally been crowded out of the construction industry. The nine-week building and construction trades training program consists of 294 hours of programming and focuses on trade skills, math, workplace behavior and field trips to various trades facilities. This program breaks down barriers to provide more minorities with access to these job fields that had historically been unavailable to them.

Labor officials have said this program would not exist without United Way’s involvement.

THe IMPACTEighty-five percent of graduates find employment, with 81 percent of them finding industry-aligned employment after graduation. Those graduates earn an average of $18 an hour. Apprenticeships last two to five years, after which average wages reach $28-$36 an hour. And because thisprogram is free, graduates have no student loan debt to pay off.


fINANCIAL sTABILITYDID YOU KNOW?

We’re providing access and opportunity to help people gain their financial footing with proven methods like job training, financial wellness classes and more.

Our tax preparation work helps connect people with free tax assistance and tax credits they may not have realized they were eligible for. The result is thriving communities where everyone has more opportunity to succeed.

PrOGrAMs23 THE GREATER DETROIT CENTERS FOR WORKING FAMILIES (CWF)

24 FREE TAX ASSISTANCE


THe GreATer DeTrOIT CeNTers fOr WOrKING fAMILIes (CWf)THe PrOBLeMForty percent of Michigan households struggle to afford the basic necessities of housing, child care, food, health care and transportation, according to United Way’s Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) report.

OUr sOLUTIONWe partnered with the Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC) to create The Greater Detroit Centers for Working Families, which offer one-on-one financial coaching, benefits access and job training. We develop strategies and provide expertise in areas like funding, program implementation and best practices.

THe IMPACTNine CWFs opened since the beginning of 2008 and helped nearly 4,500 people increase their net worth, net income or credit score. More than 3,200 people have found better jobs as a result of these centers.

40% OF HOUSEHOLDS STRUGGLE TO AFFORD BASIC NECESSITIES40+B


free TAX AssIsTANCe THe PrOBLeMFiling taxes can be expensive for families in need, and many taxpayers fail to file for the tax credits they’ve earned. For example, an estimated 26,000 Detroit households eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit don’t file for it. The result is about $80 million in unclaimed tax refunds from the IRS.

OUr sOLUTIONAs part of United Way Worldwide’s efforts, we fund free tax prep for individuals who make $66,000 or less via MyFreeTaxes.org. We also teamed with the City of Detroit in a campaign to increase Earned Income Tax Credit. We fund partners like Accounting

Aid Society and Wayne Metro, who offer one-on-one tax prep services and drop-and-go services, and we recruit volunteers to ensure these services can be offered for free to those who qualify. We also advocate for expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit to all workers, not just working families.

By working alongside key partners like Accounting Aid Society and Wayne Metro, we make sure families are able to use the money they’d otherwise spend on filing taxes to buy groceries or make improvements to their homes.

THe IMPACTIn 2017, an additional 18,150 Detroit households filed for an Earned Income Tax Credit, recouping an additional $74 million in returns. Our free tax prep tools helps users save an average of $200 per tax filing. We helped 18,901 people in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties file their taxes for free with Accounting Aid Society and Wayne Metro. MyFreeTaxes.org is available to more than 100 million U.S. taxpayers.

COMMUNITY IMPACT | HeALTH | 25

fOCUs AreA:

HeALTHWe build strong communities by promoting healthy eating and physical activity, expanding access to quality health care and investing in basic needs programs.


BAsIC NeeDsDID YOU KNOW?

Forty percent of people in our region struggle to afford basic necessities like food, shelter or health care.

Our basic needs work helps make sure that families have a place to go when they’re in need. Through 2-1-1, we connect people with food, shelter, medical assistance and much more. Our Low Income Self-Sufficiency Plan program offers utility assistance. We also connect families with health care for their children

through the Children’s Healthcare Access Program.

As the leading grant-maker for the regional safety net, we specialize in connecting people to the services and resources they need to emerge from crisis to achieve stability. We fund and work alongside more than 100 nonprofit partners throughout our region. These organizations join us regularly for partner meetings and CEO meetings, and they also have access to resources like our volunteer portal, advocacy work, research and learning team, and social media assistance.

PrOGrAMs27 2-1-1

28 CHILDREN’S HEALTH ACCESS PROGRAM (CHAP)

29 DTE ENERGY LOW INCOME SELF-SUFFICIENCY PLAN (LSP)


2-1-1THe PrOBLeMWhen people need help, they often have to navigate a complicated system to find the resources they need.

OUr sOLUTIONWe provide the free and confidential 2-1-1 service that helps people in need access local resources – like foreclosure assistance, shelter, medical help and more – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Help is available via a hotline, live chat, online database and email.

We operate the call center with a full-time staff housed in our offices, and we host and provide constant updates to our database of 30,000 resources.

THe IMPACTMore than 234,000 people reached out to 2-1-1 during the 2016-17 fiscal year for assistance with utilities, food, shelter and more.


CHILDreN’s HeALTH ACCess PrOGrAM (CHAP)THe PrOBLeMMore than 338,000 people in Southeastern Michigan are uninsured. An additional 1,739,779 are on Medicare or Medicaid. For many children on these programs, access to integrated health care services is limited. Without proper preventative care, children are at greater risk of negative health outcomes and higher medical bills later in life. Parents sometimes don’t know where to turn when it comes to their child’s health.

OUr sOLUTIONThrough 2-1-1, we identify families who have children under the age of 18 and connect them to the Virtual Children’s Health Access Program (VCHAP), which helps families find pediatric care and build relationships with their primary care doctor. Our specialists also help families find primary care doctors and dentists, give advice on when to visit an emergency room and help with other issues, like transportation needs. We also refer families to Bib to Backpack resources to make sure their children are on the right track. Routine care helps keep kids healthier, meaning they miss fewer days of school and their parents miss fewer days of work.

THe IMPACTDuring the 2016-17 fiscal year, 1,627 families received CHAP resources through 2-1-1.


LsPTHe PrOBLeMOn average, families with income less than 50 percent of the federal poverty line spend 37 percent of their income on energy costs. Thousands of people in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties struggle to pay their utility bills, especially during the winter months, and their utilities can be shut off when they fall too far behind.

OUr sOLUTIONWe partner with DTE Energy to connect people with utility bill payment solutions and assist clients with the application process through the DTE Energy Low Income Self-Sufficiency Plan. This corporate/nonprofit partnership subsidizes energy bill payments by offering low-cost utility payment plans for eligible families. Benefits include access to United Way’s dedicated 2-1-1 customer advocates, shutoff protection, the elimination of late payment charges and the possible reduction of outstanding balances, as well as household budgeting resources and workforce development pathways.

THe IMPACTDuring the 2016-17 fiscal year, 29,948 families enrolled in LSP. Ninety-two percent of customers successfully maintain utility service.

92% OF CUSTOMERS SUCCESSFULLY MAINTAIN UTILITY SERVICE THROUGH LSP92+B


HeALTHY KIDsDID YOU KNOW?

We believe families thrive when their basic needs are met in communities that foster a culture of wellness and provide the opportunity to live healthy, active lives.

Through nutrition programs like FEAST, Meet Up and Eat Up and Better With Breakfast, we’re building healthier, more resilient communities by promoting healthy eating and physical activity, expanding access to quality health care and integrating health into early childhood development.

PrOGrAMs31 FEEDING, EATING AND SUCCEEDING TOGETHER (FEAST)

32 MEET UP AND EAT UP

33 BETTER WITH BREAKFAST


feeDING, eATING AND sUCCeeDING TOGeTHer (feAsT)THe PrOBLeMOnly 34 percent of parents are confident that they are doing a good job shaping their child’s eating habits, according to a poll conducted by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. Nutrition education efforts often focus heavily on what children should eat and give less attention to how adults should feed. The way adults approach feeding the children in their care impacts a child’s growth, food preferences, eating patterns and relationship with food.

OUr sOLUTIONFEAST is a four-class series that helps kids develop into happy, healthy eaters who are less likely to have obesity and other chronic diet-related diseases. We work with parents, caregivers and teachers to promote the development of positive eating habits and a healthy relationship with food for all kids. We know that early feeding experiences have a profound impact on lifelong dietary habits and the way children think and feel about eating. This is a proven, vetted model that is only offered in Southeastern Michigan through United Way.

THe IMPACTUnited Way will reach 200 parents and caregivers with FEAST classes and training opportunities next year.

34% OF PARENTS ARE CONFIDENT THEY ARE DOING A GOOD JOB SHAPING THEIR CHILD’S EATING HABITS34+B


MeeT UP AND eAT UPTHe PrOBLeMStudents who rely on free school lunch can go hungry during summer months. Only 17 percent of those children eat free lunch during the summer months.

OUr sOLUTIONMeet Up and Eat Up is a strategy that provides free breakfast and lunch for all children 18 and younger during the summer months, school breaks and in latch-key programs.

We increase awareness about Meet Up and Eat Up and provide wraparound support for the entire system, including marketing, outreach, community engagement, technical assistance, and advocacy and policy recommendations. We also work with sites to build capacity. This work has resulted in many more meals being served, and we have helped improve the quality of the meals.

THe IMPACTWe revised the nutrition standards for the state of Michigan and helped community partners find vendors who can comply with those standards. More than 1 million meals are served each summer.


BeTTer WITH BreAKfAsTTHe PrOBLeMMore than one-third of students who eat free or reduced-price lunch don’t eat school breakfast. Students who don’t eat breakfast miss an extra one and a half days of school per year and score 17.5 percent lower on standardized math tests.

OUr sOLUTIONWe work with school administrators, school nutrition professionals, elected officials, community organizations and parents to make sure every child in Greater Detroit starts the day ready to learn. We’re increasing school breakfast participation by helping schools troubleshoot their breakfast programs, purchase needed equipment and implement alternative service models to increase participation. Schools have moved breakfast programs out of the cafeteria and into the classroom or hallway so that all students can quickly and easily access a meal at the start of the school day. We also offer an online toolkit for parents, teachers and school administrators to learn more about this work, and we back this programming by providing one-on-one support, equipment and promotional materials.

THe IMPACTThirty-three schools have changed to an alternative breakfast model serving more than 2,500 students.

®

Documents

COMMUNITY IMPACT › wp-content › uploads › 2018 › 06 › ...Our community impact work is rooted in helping individuals access opportunities so they can provide for themselves