Economic Security

"The problem is not jobs, but rather the Grand Canyon between jobs and the skills sets required to complete them"

"Michigan's number one export isn't cars, it's people"

The need for economic opportunities is pronounced in Southeast Michigan; we heard it from every sector and through the seams of every voice in our interviews, focus groups and the community action survey.

People understood that the pathways towards economic success are universal to improving lives and communities. At United Way, we're working on these today through our IDAs and even our Women's Initiative work on early childhood literacy, which in the long run, will dramatically improve their chances towards self-sufficiency and economic success. We believe those are great efforts and just the start of partnerships and long term strategies which will go towards lasting change.

With such a large scope, we need to dig deeper into the research across the region to know the full scale of how United Way can leverage the community voice to make a difference in the area of economic security. We're currently engaged in that process.

What do you think? Are there great programs or services out there addressing these areas that United Way should know about?