United Way for Greater Austin advances our mission — bringing our community together to break economic barriers and build opportunity for all — using four strategies. One of those is services and support.
United Way envisions a Central Texas where everyone has an opportunity to thrive. And 2024 marks an important milestone for us: 100 years serving the community! As we reflect on a century of change and a legacy of impact, our new strategic plan lays a strong foundation for our next 100 years.
Our new strategic plan galvanizes our promise to realize a future where every child is set up for success with high-quality early care and education – in a community where everyone is connected to the essential resources they need, when they need them. Through this plan, four key strategies emerged. One of them is services and support.
One example of our work in services and support is our Navigation Center, which paved the way for connecting local families and individuals to resources in our region. For more than 25 years, we have served as a 24/7 helpline that connects families and individuals right here in our community to more than 30,000 resources. Last year, we answered more than 200,000 requests for help – that’s one call every two minutes.
Our Navigation Center is just one example of our work in services and support. Programs like Family Connects and Parenting Students Project provide health and education services to families in our region. We also support more than 50 organizations who provide essential resources.
In every service we provide, our community knows they will receive an answer. Through our 2-1-1 helpline, clients receive access to resources like housing, health care, income support and employment, utilities, food, and more.
Health care resources made up thousands of those requests.
One call was from a young mother named Pilar. Pilar was experiencing prolonged sickness and went to the hospital. A few weeks later, she received an $1,800 ER bill.
The debt put an additional strain on her already stretched budget. With each monthly payment, Pilar found it harder to provide sufficient resources for her family.
Pilar called United Way for Greater Austin’s Navigation Center, where she was connected to support from a local hospital program. They helped her successfully wipe out the ER bill.
With this support, Pilar could devote more of her hard-earned resources directly to her family. Child care items, nutritious food, clothing for her kids — her budget now went further, providing relief and opportunities for her and her children.
For 100 years, United Way has championed the collective power of gathering and giving to strengthen our community through programs and services like our Navigation Center. With access to essential resources, families like Pilar’s have an opportunity to thrive.
As we lay the foundation for 100 more years of community-building, our strategic framework galvanizes our promise to realize a future where every child is set up for success with high-quality early care and education – in a community where everyone is connected to the essential resources they need, when they need them.