1 in 5 families in the Bay Area is living in poverty. With your help we can cut that number in half by 2020
Anne Wilson is Chief Executive Officer of United Way of the Bay Area. She joined the organization in 1980, and was named the first female CEO in 2000. Under her leadership, United Way has transformed into a community-impact organization that brings together resources, expertise and creativity to tackle poverty in the Bay Area.
Today, one in five hard-working families in the Bay Area lives in poverty. United Way’s goal is to cut that number in half by 2020.
Is this goal audacious? Yes. Is it achievable? Absolutely. The problem of poverty can be solved. The will power is here. Families are trying to improve their lives. In fact, 86% of struggling families have at least one worker.
The passion of our community is here. United Way of the Bay Area alone has more than 70,000 donors committed to making our community better. We have some of the most innovative poverty-fighting programs and some of the most caring citizens. What we need is to bring together everyone – struggling families, caring citizens, corporate partners and innovative programs – to connect the dots and achieve long-lasting success.
United Way encourages you to join us – to become a champion for the one in five families struggling to make ends meet. With your support, we can expand programs that work and build a coalition of poverty-fighting champions to not just address a symptom or two, but to attack the root causes of poverty in the Bay Area.
After more than 80 years on the frontlines, we know what works and what does not. We know that while outstanding programs exist, families cannot access them easily. We know that one program or one better paying job is not enough to address each family’s unique set of challenges.
In fact, families who participate in only one service have a 20% chance of moving forward, compared to more than 80% chance if they take up at least three services. We must do a better job of linking together services and making them easier for families to access. We must continue growing programs such as United Way’s 211 phone line that connects callers in need to local programs that can help. We need your support to expand our SparkPoint Centers, which connect families to multiple nonprofits and financial resources under one roof.
By working together, we can help hundreds of thousands of families move out of poverty and into long-term financial independence. We can ensure a new generation of children has the resources they need to graduate from school, empowered to succeed.
Now more than ever, your passion and support are critical to our community. Together, we can create pathways out of poverty for Bay Area families.
Thank you for continuing to LIVE UNITED.
