Today, United Way for Greater Austin kicks off a strategic outreach campaign to help Austin families save hundreds of dollars each year by opening free or low-cost bank accounts. Through our Bank On Central Texas (BOCT) initiative, we’ve gathered a coalition of eight local banks and two local credit unions to promote the importance of bank accounts and track how many we’ve helped open. “United Way for Greater Austin and our Bank On partners are committed to ensuring Austinites have access to basic banking and other financial services,” said Sarah Janecka, Director of the Financial Opportunity program at UWATX. “By avoiding check-cashing fees, families are able to keep their hard-earned money and use it for basic needs, save for education and build up emergency funds. A bank account is a critical step to long-term financial stability and helping families thrive.” Without a bank account, families pay close to $1,000 a year in fees to cash checks. In Austin, 32,500 households lack a bank account and on top of that, about 70,000 are underbanked – meaning, while they have a bank account they still access high-cost services like payday and auto-title loans because they are not taking advantage of other banking services. Overall, 1 in 3 Austin households lack the financial products to build savings and make the most of their money. The BOCT initiative launched in 2009 and has already helped open 12,000 new bank accounts. Through this outreach campaign, which will run through the end of June, UWATX hopes to educate […]
Read MoreHOW TO: Be one of the helpers
When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ – Mr. Rogers This week, tragic events in West, Texas and Boston, Massachusetts have tested our communities. At the same time, a powerful message has spread – one of hope, kindness and togetherness. At United Way, we are a strong network – a network of local organizations serving our local communities, a network of philanthropists giving our time and resources and a network of people sharing our compassion. If you’re looking to make a difference in this time, here’s how you can get involved: Give to United Ways in affected communities – United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley continues to help Boston To support our neighbors, donate now to the recovery in West, Texas. UWATX will pool these dollars along with United Ways across Texas to ensure this community has the support it needs in the days and months ahead. If you’d like to give in another way, please contact us. Spread the word about how to help – Share this blog post to let others know about their options or this Facebook post Share posts from our sister organizations in Boston and Waco Follow 2-1-1 Texas on Facebook and encourage your friends and family to call our Navigation Center at 2-1-1 for the latest information Let people know how to get help – Call our […]
Read MoreNational Public Health Week
This week is National Public Health Week and this year the American Public Health Association is asking, “Does public health have a return on investment?” Here’s our take on it: A few years ago, Central Health was experiencing an abundance of requests for its health care services. The growing needs presented challenges for the agency and those in need, so Central Health partnered with the UWATX Navigation Center in 2009 to eliminate barriers, increase accessibility and help more people. 200,000 Number of calls answered through this partnership 90,000 Number of appointments scheduled Through this partnership, our in-house call center, made a meaningful commitment to further promote health care. Our call specialists perform over-the-phone eligibility screenings and appointment scheduling for callers to access the Medical Assistance Program (MAP), Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) in just a few minutes. In 2011, we helped 70,000+ callers. In 2012, that number jumped to 110,000+ callers – that’s 40,000 more calls than the year before. Our Navigation Center made 76 percent of all Central Health appointments in 2012. Despite the availability of services, too often, needs are not met because residents are unaware of the support available to them or simply do not have the time to research the best options and book appointments. This partnership seeks to solve that problem by decreasing these barriers and serving the customer directly. So yes, we believe there is a return on investment with public health.
Read MoreSpotlight: Peter Kretzschmar looks “up and out” to make meaningful change
This month, UWATX welcomed long-time volunteer and avid supporter Peter Kretzschmar to our team as Vice President, Strategic Programs. In his new role, he will oversee UWATX’s work in the community, including our Success By 6, Target Graduation, Financial Opportunity and Navigation Center work. Before coming to United Way, what was your background, both professionally and in the community? I was at IBM for nearly 32 years, so I’ve been a tech guy since tech meant microwave ovens and color TVs. I started by working on health programs, mainly environmental health, everything from occupational health and safety to groundwater to air quality and so on, but really my principal roles over the years have been about relationships. I focused on managing relationships between different tech companies, forming alliances, and making sure we were both benefiting. I think that experience plays well with my role at UWATX. I’ve also been involved in the community consistently for many years. I was on the Board at Communities in Schools, which is one of our partners here at UWATX, have been involved with UT on Advisory Councils and as an adjunct faculty, and was involved with our Target Graduation program of course. So you’ve been consistently involved in the community, why did you want to get involved in a new way? I think it has to do with finally deciding “want to do when I grow up.” It was a natural evolution for me – I started my career many years ago and focused […]
Read MoreFood needs, household expenses dominate needs in Greater Austin
The UWATX Navigation Center has published its annual report of trends in community needs for social services. A few key highlights: The UWATX Navigation Center answered 342,000 calls in 2012 while maintaining a 1 minute wait time and customer satisfaction scores between 96 to 98 percent among different services. Callers for 2-1-1 Texas, a partnership with Texas Health and Human Services Commission, skewed heavily based on gender: 70 percent female to 19 percent male (11 percent did not report their gender). Calls for food pantries increased 55 percent from 2011 to 2012. Food insecurity continues to be a challenge for our community and, perhaps surprisingly, children continue to be among those most affected – one out of four children in Travis County lives in poverty. Household expenses, including electric bill payment (13,879 calls), rent assistance (13,659 calls) and low-income housing (7,574 calls) remained among the top needs. This matches community trends: the percent of Austin households that pay more than 30 percent for housing increased by 3 percent from 2009 to 2010. Just two years into the partnership, the UWATX Navigation Center made 76 percent of all appointments for Central Health, giving Austinites easier access to medical assistance programs. Download the full report or check out our infographic below for more highlights: 2012 Community Needs and Trends Report – Highlights | Infographics
Read MoreLocal resources for FREE tax prep
Did you know that you can make up to $57,000 annually and still qualify for free tax preparation services? At United Way for Greater Austin, we’re dedicated to helping individuals and families overcome barriers to economic opportunity, so this tax season we want to make sure Austinites take advantage of local FREE tax preparation services that will help them get all the tax credits they’re eligible for. If you are someone that makes less than $57,000, check out these three free options: Call 2-1-1 and receive information about the free tax prep location closest to you. 2-1-1 is free, 24/7, confidential and multilingual. In 2011, the UWATX Navigation Center, which runs the local 2-1-1 program, received more than 5,000 calls from callers looking for free tax preparation assistance. Visit MyFreeTaxes.org/uwatx to file your taxes online for free! MyFreeTaxes provides free tax preparation and filing assistance for individuals or families with a combined income under $57,000. Since 2009, MyFreeTaxes has helped 4.5 million families claim nearly $6 billion in tax credits and refunds! Visit one of Foundation Communities’ Community Tax Centers in the Austin area. They provide free tax preparation at seven convenient locations by their IRS-certified volunteer preparers for Austin area residents who make up to $50,000 per year. Walk-ins are always welcome, you can make an appointment starting February 15 or you can even drop off your tax documents so you don’t have to wait. These local, free resources can also help working individuals and families receive important federal tax credits they may […]
Read MoreLocal Holiday Assistance Programs: How you can help
Each year around the holidays, nonprofits, faith-based communities and community partners come together to contribute to holiday joy for the most needy in our community. Programs range from holiday meals (like yesterday’s Feast of Sharing, put on by H-E-B) and food boxes to holiday gifts for children. And whether you’re in need of these resources or you’d like to contribute, you can just call 2-1-1, a service of our Navigation Center, to connect to up-to-date information about these holiday assistance programs. In Travis County, holiday gift programs are provided by The Salvation Army Social Service Center, Operation Blue Santa, which is operated by the Austin Police Department, and Brown Santa, run by the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. The programs match individuals and families in need with organizations and individual sponsors who provide holiday meals, toys and gifts. For many area children, these are the only toys they will receive all year. In addition to providing holiday assistance information through 2-1-1, the United Way Navigation Center publishes calendars each year that include free or low-cost Thanksgiving and Christmas meals in Central Texas. The calendars are used by area nonprofits, like the Capital Area Food Bank. 2-1-1 also provides information on holiday volunteer opportunities each year. Just last week, 2-1-1 received a call from a woman who had received assistance from the Christmas Bureau in the past and said that because she is in a better place in her life this year, she wanted information on how to volunteer to help others in […]
Read MoreUWATX’s Navigation Center Partners with CAMPO
Beginning in November, our Navigation Center will embark on a partnership with the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) to help improve access to information about transportation resources for callers of 2-1-1. CAMPO is the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson Counties in Central Texas. The purpose of CAMPO is to coordinate regional transportation planning with counties, cities, Capital Metro, the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS), Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and other transportation providers in the region and to approve the use of federal transportation funds within the region. Currently, most of the transportation-related calls received at 2-1-1 pertain to other caller needs, such as older adults or people with disabilities who need help getting to medical appointments; residents in rural areas who may have to rely on multiple transportation systems to make a single trip; and families living in poverty who have run out of food and cannot afford bus fare to get to a food pantry. The funding provided by CAMPO will allow 2-1-1 to work with Capital Metro and CARTS to better assist callers in utilizing transportation services, social services and other community resources more seamlessly. UWATX Navigation Center staff will work with transportation specialists at both organizations to create trainings for 2-1-1 Navigation Specialists on how to navigate the complex transportation system and relay information to callers in a usable way. If staff are unable to assist a caller with complex transportation issues, we will be able to escalate […]
Read More[VIDEO] How we make Austin greater
![[VIDEO] How we make Austin greater](https://www.unitedwayaustin.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Nov2012_BobbyJ_video-1.png)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h66EK3NeaIA&feature=g-upl[/youtube] At UWATX, our mission is to help Austin thrive by inspiring, leading and uniting an eclectic community of philanthropists to overcome barriers to economic opportunities. This video focuses on how our strategic programs – Success By 6, Target Graduation, Financial Opportunity and the Navigation Center – are making a difference in Greater Austin. Special thanks to Sneaky Giants for making this happen!
Read MoreA look at the work we do
As United Way for Greater Austin has stepped back our grants due to financial reasons, we are maintaining our commitment to our most robust programs and reinvigorating our work in proven initiatives that support Financial Opportunity and provide access to health care. We are continuing to leverage our grants in Success By 6 and Target Graduation to help children start school ready to learn and keep them on the path to graduate from high school. We are dedicated to increasing the percent of children who enter school ready to learn to 70 percent by 2015 by continuing to lead a strong, motivated coalition of community advocates. We are devoted to helping vulnerable students graduate from high school by coordinating strong programs on their campuses, improving the quality of afterschool and summer programs and, essentially, helping students like Kevin – who participated in our Volunteer Project Leadership class and has already started leading projects in our community. In our Financial Opportunity program this year, we launched Learn Where You Earn (LWYE), an initiative that builds on our strong relationships with companies by bringing financial education courses into the workplace. So far, more than 200 individual have been part of the courses. They focused on topics like how to budget, manage their debt and save for the future. We will continue to help employees like Savannah, an H-E-B employee who attended the LWYE program and said “I want the chance to build my own life—savings, a home, all those things—and thanks to […]
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