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.
One call to our helpline came from Shanae.
It was a triple-digit day in the middle of July. She was 18 weeks pregnant. She was taking proper prenatal care and making every effort to provide for her first baby.
Then, Shanae found out her utilities were going to be shut off.
She had five days. Unsure what her options were and with nowhere else to turn, she called United Way for Greater Austin’s Navigation Center.
With one call, our Navigation team connected Shanae to the help she desperately needed. She received emergency funds that kept her utilities on. Every blast of AC brought relief on record temperature days.
Shanae said she wouldn’t have known what to do without the support of United Way’s Navigation Center.
In June and July 2023, requests to our 24/7 2-1-1 helpline related to heat alone were up 25% from last year, and up 80% from 2021. When individuals and families request help from United Way, they receive immediate assistance that prevents additional emergencies from compounding.
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, Shanae could continue putting in every effort to reach her full potential. For her and her baby.
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.
United Way envisions our next century as one characterized by innovation, inclusivity, and an even more profound community impact. We stand as a beacon, guiding the way toward a future where everyone in Greater Austin has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Now, in a time where community is more important than ever, we invite you to be a part of ours.