Contributed Photo
Kristen Calderon, Jennifer Heath and Chris Brown of Yale University.
The United Way of Greater New Haven sent in this write-up about the launch Tuesday to coincide with the launch of an annual campaign to help children and families in need, at a time when “funding cuts and general instability around the state budget process have sent shockwaves through the nonprofit community in Greater New Haven.” Click here to donate to the campaign.
In New Haven County 45 percent of people live in poverty or don’t make enough to make ends meet. 1 in 5 don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Funding cuts and general instability around the state budget process have sent shockwaves through the nonprofit community in greater New Haven. We need to do something, and everyone can be part of the change we want to see in our community through this year’s United Way campaign.
“The high rates of poverty and hunger in our community are unacceptable,” said Jennifer Heath, President and CEO of United Way of Greater New Haven. “While the economy has bounced back for some, we know from the ALICE report, commissioned by Connecticut United Ways, that too many families are still struggling financially.”
Donations to the United Way campaign help people like 33-year-old Kristen Calderon and her son Javi. Calderon was homeless with a baby just a few years ago.
“It was never part of my plan,” she said. “As a parent it is even harder, I can’t explain to Javi why we have nowhere to live.”
First, United Way and our partners helped her family find and pay for an apartment of their own.
The next step was getting a job so that Kristen could support her family. Secure Jobs, a program that United Way invests in at New Reach, helps people overcome nearly all of the obstacles that come with finding a job. Kristen got a job as an energy assistance worker connecting people to available resources. For Kristen, it was opportunity to earn a living and give back to others at the same time.
Employment is the best way to keep people who were homeless in their new homes.
United Way brings together people and partners to tackle the tough issues that no one organization can solve on its own. Working in this “united way” allows the organization to make a big difference in the community; last year, United Way’s work impacted 46,005 people in Greater New Haven. This year, our fundraising goal is $6.5 million dollars.
United Way serves children and families in our 12 town community in greater New Haven: New Haven, Bethany, Hamden, North Haven, North Branford, Guilford, Madison, Branford, East Haven, West Haven, Orange and Woodbridge.
Results
Last year, United Way of Greater New Haven:
• Worked with 19 community partners to create strong parent child relationships and high quality infant toddler care, serving 570 children and families.
• Worked with 26 community partners, serving 8,250 students with quality in school and afterschool programming.
• Partnered with 19 community providers to expand access to healthy food, serving 310,239 meals to families last year.
• Collaborated with 17 community partners to house 220 chronically homeless people and helped prepare taxes for free for 4,503 low-income families.
Poverty is a real problem in greater New Haven. But "in New Haven County, 45% of people live in poverty or don't make enough to make ends meet"? According to the Census Bureau, the median household income for New Haven County was a bit over $61,600 (2015 dollars). 13.6% of county residents had incomes below the poverty level. Both figures are substantially worse for city residents, but the report was discussing the entire county.
United Way does great work. But being careless with data does not help their cause.