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Meeting Essential Needs
MEETING ESSENTIAL NEEDS |
UNITED WAY IMPACT |
With the recent loss of jobs across the region, more residents face a struggle to meet expenses. More individuals and families are seeking help to pay rent, obtain unemployment benefits and locate the nearest food pantry. United Way invests in programs and initiatives that ensure our friends and neighbors have access to services that meet basic needs for food, clothing, safe shelter, medical care and other critical assistance. 
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Our latest work includes: Initiating the United Way 2-1-1 Northeast Region program to offer free, confidential phone information and referrals to anyone seeking access to local human services. Distributing $749,350 to help thousands of individuals and families find transitional shelter, food banks, soup kitchens and other support for basic needs. Last year, 37,607 individuals across the greater Capital Region received housing, food and other critical services through United Way's efforts. Funding and participating in the Saratoga Housing Alliance, a collaboration of service partners committed to reducing homelessness in Saratoga County. Working with pharmacies and community partners to to distribute free FamilyWize discount prescription drug cards. Since the program began in January 2009, FamilyWize card holders across the greater Capital Region have saved more than $114,000 in prescription drug costs. |  United Way invests in programs and initiatives that ensure residents across the greater Capital Region have access to services that meet basic needs for food, safe shelter, clothing, health care and other critical assistance.
United Way accomplishes this work by setting a community agenda, coordinating plans and investing in programs that (1) meet identified needs, (2) fill gaps in service and (3) integrate their services to create efficiency and avoid duplication of effort. The result is a safety net of coordinated services that helps ensure that life's temporary setbacks don't lead to chronic problems for local residents and for our community. United Way recognizes that working together, we can create opportunities for a better life for all.
Your investment at work,
ADVANCING THE COMMON GOOD |
Shelter from the cold: Last winter, Joseph's House Emergency Shelter program in Troy, a United Way-funded program, collaborated with seven downtown Troy churches to create emergency overflow shelter. This extra capacity was used on bitter cold nights when more individuals sought life-saving shelter. Saint Joseph's year-round shelters also helped 159 households who lacked permanent shelter move into permanent housing last year. Help for rising bills: "John" faced rising utility bills and was struggling to make ends meet. John's family also lacked health insurance, but they were ineligible for Medicaid. John called 2-1-1 and a United Way 2-1-1 operator put him in touch with a consumer advocate at his utility company and provided contact information for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), in addition to an emergency hotline - in case his family faced termination of service. United Way 2-1-1 also provided information on reduced-cost medical coverage through the Department of Social Services' Family Health Plus program. 
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