United Way is working every day to improve lives and build stronger communities across the region through our Agenda for Change, which represents feedback from over 6,500 tri-county residents and extensive research. The agenda targets Educational Preparedness, Financial Stability and Basic Needs, and will be fully implemented in July 2008.

Connecting Residents to Basic Needs
The residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties should be able to have their basic needs met and access the tools required to realize self-sufficiency. We are working to make this possible by ensuring that:

• Individuals and families of all ages have access to necessary basic services
• All people can successfully navigate through systems in order to receive the services they need

Why We’re Taking Action
Unemployment and poverty rates have increased across our region, and individuals who have never before needed assistance are suddenly facing unemployment and eviction. Nearly 40 percent of tri-county households are living below the poverty line. Because United Way partners with over 130 area agencies to provide considerable support for basic needs services in our region, we serve as a bridge between crisis and stability.

Addressing Community Concerns
Through United Way 2-1-1, and strategies like the Southeast Michigan Employment, Training and Family Resource Expo, volunteer mobilization and nonprofit collaboration, we are reaching out to residents with immediate needs and providing them the assistance necessary to realize stability and to build better lives.

Realizing Results
Residents across the region use United Way 2-1-1 to connect to shelter, rent assistance, health services, legal aid, job training and over 7,000 other programs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in multiple languages. United Way 2-1-1 will handle an estimated 150,000 calls this year.

As a result of the second annual Southeast Michigan Employment, Training and Family Resource Expo, approximately 6,800 jobseekers were matched with 108 employers offering more than 6,100 positions. In addition to jobs, the Expo also featured dozens of human service agencies that assist attendees with issues that pose barriers to steady employment, including transportation, child care, family counseling, substance abuse and more.

Our Community Capital Resources program is expanding the capacity and increasing the efficiency of the region’s safety net by helping nonprofits with projects that enable them to better serve residents. Over the past five years, Community Capital Resources (formerly known as the Nonprofit Facilities Center) has assisted more than 260 nonprofits with strategic planning, energy efficiency improvements, capital grants, building and systems maintenance, and bridge loans.

United Way’s Ray West Memorial Ramp Project has helped about 115 people gain or reclaim their independence over the past three years with a wheelchair ramp. The ramp project is supported by hundreds of individuals, businesses and community groups annually.

The George W. Romney Volunteer Center plays a major role in providing help where needed across southeast Michigan each day. The center linked 18,693 individuals to local service opportunities over the past year, and those volunteers contributed over 1,100 hours to helping others as a result. The volunteer center currently promotes nearly 400 service projects, available at over 190 area agencies.