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ALERT! Help Save Funding for Food & Shelter

November 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, please think about the millions of families who are in need of housing and food assistance.  Shelves of food pantries across the country are bare.  Programs that provide utility and rental assistance are running out of funds to help people.

The Emergency Food & Shelter Program (EFSP) helps stabilize families in times of crisis by providing emergency food, shelter and utility and rent assistance.  EFSP $3.4 million funding helped more than 186,000 Bay Area individuals in 2010:

  • More than 3 million meals were provided
  • 129,996 emergency shelter bed nights were provided
  • 316 households were provided rental assistance to avoid eviction or to re-gain permanent housing following an episode of homelessness
  • 192 household were assisted with their utility bills (water, PG&E)

This year (FY2011) Congress cut EFSP by 40% from $200 million to $120 million.  Moreover, because of gridlock in Congress, the funds were not released until months after the winter demands spiked.

Congress must act on 2012 funding by December 16th.  Now is the time to advocate for restored funding of the EFSP at $200 million in FY2012.  We are also asking that Congress require the Department of Homeland Security to release the full funding amount immediately upon Congress enacting its December 16 appropriations bill.  Releasing the dollars now will allow communities meet winter demands and to allocate funding to best meet local needs.

Please take two minutes to email your federal representatives and ask for support of for EFSP: click here

Filed Under: Pathways out of Poverty Tagged With: ,

ACTION ALERT: Health care for 6.5 million Californians at risk

November 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Please join United Way of the Bay Area in a nationwide effort to protect Medicaid for millions of Californians and Americans – call your members of Congress THIS WEEK. It only takes a few minutes of your time and it is easy to do.

The Congressional “Super Committee” tasked with reducing the federal deficit will vote on a plan next Wednesday, November 23, to reduce the deficit.  Medicaid continues to be at risk of being cut.

That’s bad news for more than 6.5 million Californians, 50% of which are children, who rely on Medicaid for healthcare.

Kaiser Family Foundation’s “State Health Facts.org” shows that California ranks highest in the number of individuals insured by Medicaid – that means out of 50 states, California ranks first in the number of people who were insured by Medicaid. In the same report, it shows that though 50% on Medicaid are children, they are only 20% of the program cost. Makes good fiscal sense to preserve Medicaid for children and all.

Take action today to preserve health care for the neediest in our community!  Click here to look up your Representative and get talking points.

Filed Under: Health, Pathways out of Poverty Tagged With: ,

Hometown Huddle Brings Smiles to Oakland Students

October 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This past Tuesday (Oct. 18) United Way, the Oakland Raiders and UPS teamed up for Hometown Huddle at Oakland’s Garfield Elementary School.

Oakland Raiders Rock Cartwright and De Marcus Van Dyke joined UPS volunteers to promote active and healthy living among Garfield students.

Rock and De Marcus lead the students in a series of fun exercises, games, and storytelling. At the close of the day, each student received a bag of healthy food to share with their families. As you’ll see in the photos below, the kids who attended the event had a wonderful time!

Thanks to our partners at East Bay Asian Youth Center, who were the perfect hosts.

This month, NFL teams across the country are working with their regional United Ways to drive home the importance of community involvement by participating in hands-on volunteer projects in their communities. For the last eight years, NFL players and their families have participated in a variety of activities, ranging from building playgrounds for toddlers, to conducting skill-building sessions for teens, to serving lunch to senior citizens.

Filed Under: Pathways out of Poverty Tagged With: , , ,
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