GREATER TWIN CITIES UNITED WAY

STABLE HOUSING: UNITED WAY'S VISION | EPISODES OF HOMELESSNESS ARE RARE, BRIEF AND NONRECURRING. UNITED WAY MEETS URGENT NEEDS BY SUPPORTING NONPROFITS DOING IMPACTFUL WORK IN HOUSING AND BY CONNECTING CALLERS TO HOUSING AND SHELTER RESOURCES VIA ITS 211 RESOURCE HELPLINE. HOUSING IS BY FAR THE GREATEST REASON PEOPLE IN OUR REGION REACH OUT TO 211. UNITED WAY ALSO MAKES LASTING CHANGE TO IMPROVE HOUSING BY LEADING THE PATHWAYS HOME INITIATIVE FOCUSED ON PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS BY CONNECTING YOUNG PEOPLE EXITING FOSTER CARE OR INCARCERATION TO CRITICAL SUPPORT, AND BY LEADING ADVOCACY EFFORTS THAT SUPPORT HOUSING STABILITY. IN 2024, UNITED WAY AND ITS HOUSING PARTNERS SUPPORTED OVER 14,971 PEOPLE THROUGH OUTREACH, SHELTER AND PERMANENT HOUSING PROGRAMS, 93 PERCENT OF WHOM OBTAINED OR MAINTAINED STABLE HOUSING. THROUGH PATHWAYS HOME, 185 YOUNG PEOPLE AT RISK OF HOMELESSNESS MAINTAINED STABLE HOUSING, AND 10 HOUSING ORGANIZATIONS PARTNERED WITH UNITED WAY TO SUPPORT YOUTH TRANSITIONING OUT OF FOSTER CARE AND/OR INCARCERATION. IN TOTAL, 33 HOUSING ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVED FUNDING AND SUPPORT FROM UNITED WAY'S COMMUNITY INVESTMENT, PATHWAYS HOME AND ARISE PROJECT INITIATIVES. UNITED WAY'S ANNUAL HOME FOR GOOD INITIATIVE PROVIDED 1,450 WELCOME HOME BINS TO INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES PACKED BY VOLUNTEERS, BINS THAT HELP ENSURE PEOPLE TRANSITIONING INTO STABLE HOUSING HAVE ESSENTIALS LIKE TOWELS, KITCHEN UTENSILS, AND BLANKETS TO THRIVE IN THEIR NEW HOME. AT THE LEGISLATURE, UNITED WAY SUPPORTED THE 2024 PASSAGE OF EXPANDED FUNDING FOR THE FAMILY HOMELESS PREVENTION AND ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND HOUSING INFRASTRUCTURE BONDS RESULTING IN MORE THAN $100 MILLION THAT WILL HELP DEVELOP NEW AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES TO STAY IN THEIR HOMES.

EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS: UNITED WAY'S VISION | ALL YOUNG CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES ENTER KINDERGARTEN READY TO LEARN AND THRIVE, AND ALL YOUTH HAVE THE SKILLS, RELATIONSHIPS AND MINDSETS TO CHOOSE AND DIRECT THEIR FUTURES. UNITED WAY MEETS URGENT NEEDS BY SUPPORTING NONPROFITS DOING IMPACTFUL WORK IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CAREER AND FUTURE READINESS, AND BY CONNECTING CALLERS TO EDUCATION RESOURCES VIA ITS 211RESOURCE HELPLINE. UNITED WAY ALSO MAKES LASTING CHANGE TO IMPROVE THE EDUCATION SYSTEM THROUGH ITS 80X3: RESILIENT FROM THE START INITIATIVE, WHICH IS FOCUSED ON EXPANDING EARLY CHILDHOOD TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE; CAREER ACADEMIES INITIATIVE, FOCUSED ON EXPANDING ACCESS TO WEALTH-BUILDING CAREERS FOR YOUTH; AND ADVOCACY EFFORTS THAT SUPPORT QUALITY CHILDCARE AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S CAREER READINESS. IN 2024, THROUGH ITS COMMUNITY INVESTMENTS, 80X3 AND WOMEN UNITED INITIATIVES, UNITED WAY AND ITS PARTNERS PROVIDED CULTURALLY SPECIFIC AND TRAUMA-SENSITIVE EARLY CHILDHOOD AND FAMILY EDUCATION PROGRAMMING THAT SUPPORTED 2,934 CHILDREN, 169 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS AND LEADERS AND 19 EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS. UNITED WAY'S ADVOCACY AT THE LEGISLATURE RESULTED IN THE 2024 EXPANSION OF EARLY LEARNING SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY MAKING CHILD CARE MORE AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE FOR MORE FAMILIES IN THE REGION. UNITED WAY'S ADVOCACY ALSO PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN IMPROVEMENTS TO THE STATE'S PARENT AWARE QUALITY RATING SYSTEMS AND CREATED A NEW PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA AND UNITED WAY LEADING TO UNITED WAY'S ADMINISTRATION OF THE STATE'S EARLY LEARNING SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. FROM JULY 1, 2024, THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2024, UNITED WAY PAID OUT $39 MILLION IN EARLY LEARNING SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS. IN 2024, UNITED WAY'S WORK IN CAREER AND FUTURE READINESS SUPPORTED 29 ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH COMMUNITY INVESTMENT GRANTS AND CAREER ACADEMIES. THESE PARTNERSHIPS SERVED 9,571 YOUNG PEOPLE IN YOUTH PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES MORE THAN 80 PERCENT OF WHICH REPORTED GROWTH IN CRITICAL LIFE SKILLS AND SUPPORTED 10,000+ HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS' PARTICIPATION IN CAREER PATHWAYS PROGRAMS. IN 2024, CAREER ACADEMIES LAUNCHED CAREERACADEMIES.ORG: A NEW ONLINE TOOLKIT FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS, EMPLOYERS AND OTHER POTENTIAL PARTNERS LOOKING TO REPLICATE CAREER ACADEMIES' APPROACH IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITY. MORE THAN 2,600 USERS HAVE ACCESSED RESOURCES PROVIDED BY THE SITE SINCE ITS LAUNCH.