United Way Of Central New York Inc

TO IMPROVE LIVES BY MOBILIZING THE CARING POWER OF OUR COMMUNITY.

COMMUNITY IMPACT COMMUNITY OUTCOMES: UNITED WAY'S COMMUNITY PROGRAM FUND CURRENTLY PROVIDES FUNDING TO 70 PROGRAMS AT 28 LOCAL AGENCIES THAT PASSED OUR FISCAL AND MANAGEMENT REVIEW. CHILDREN ARE BORN HEALTHY AND HAVE THE SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND DEVELOPMENTAL SUPPORTS TO THRIVE. CHILDREN ENTER SCHOOL READY AND ARE READING AT GRADE LEVEL BY THIRD GRADE. YOUTH AGES 13-18 DEVELOP THE ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS FOR SUCCESS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND. ADULTS CAN GAIN EMPLOYMENT, MAINTAIN THEIR JOBS, AND ADVANCE IN THEIR CAREERS. INDIVIDUALS WITH TRAUMA, MENTAL ILLNESS, AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISEASES RECEIVE SUPPORT, TREATMENT, AND PREVENTION. OLDER ADULTS ARE SAFE, HEALTHY, AND ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE QUALITY. FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT; SECURING AND MAINTAINING EDUCATION AND INCOME TO SUPPORT THEIR BASIC NEEDS AND BUILD WEALTH OF LIFE.

GREATER SYRACUSE HOPE:UNITED WAY COORDINATES THIS GRANT FROM GOVERNOR CUOMO AS ONE OF THE 16 EMPIRE STATE POVERTY REDUCTION INITIATIVE CITIES. BY WORKING IN A PARTNERSHIP WITH A WIDE ARRAY OF COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS, WE FOCUS ON DEVELOPING PROGRAMS THAT ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSES OF POVERTY. THEY INCLUDE: A DROP-OUT PREVENTION INITIATIVE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, ONONDAGA COUNTY AND OTHERS; A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE TO CONNECT WITH BOTH WORK TRAIN AND THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN NY BUILDING AND TRADES COUNCIL; FINANCIAL LITERACY AND EMPOWERMENT TRAINING; TRANSPORTATION TO ASSIST PEOPLE IN GETTING TO WORK, AND OTHERS. THE GRANT ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2021.

EARLY CHILDHOOD ALLIANCE:THE EARLY CHILDHOOD ALLIANCE (ECA), A CROSS-SECTOR COALITION LED BY MUNICIPAL, PHILANTHROPIC, BUSINESS, ACADEMIC, AND NONPROFIT LEADERS TO CRITICALLY ASSESS THE CURRENT EARLY CHILDHOOD SYSTEM AND IMPLEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REDESIGNING THE SYSTEM OF RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS FOR VULNERABLE PREGNANT AND PARENTING FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE. THE MISSION OF THE ECA IS THAT ALL YOUNG CHILDREN IN ONONDAGA COUNTY ARE HEALTHY AND THRIVING AND ARE SUCCESSFUL IN SCHOOL AND LIFE; ALL FAMILIES OF YOUNG CHILDREN ARE SUPPORTED IN THEIR PARENTING AND HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, CONFIDENCE, AND RESOURCES THEY NEED TO RAISE THEIR CHILDREN IN HEALTHY AND NURTURING ENVIRONMENTS.ECA IS CURRENTLY IMPLEMENTING NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED PROGRAMS INCLUDING HELP ME GROW, TALK, READ, SING ONONDAGA, AND MORE. ECA WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN SECURING SUPPORT FROM ONONDAGA COUNTY FOR EXPANDED DAY CARE FUNDING, WHICH IS VITAL TO ENSURING THAT CHILDREN REACH KINDERGARTEN READY TO THRIVE.

LITERACY COALITION OF ONONDAGA COUNTY:THE LITERACY COALITION OF ONONDAGA COUNTY CELEBRATED ITS 14TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR. LCOC WORKS TO ACHIEVE 100% LITERACY ACROSS ALL AGES. LCOC BRINGS TOGETHER STAKEHOLDERS TO MONITOR LITERACY AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT LEARNING FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS. THE LCOC CONTINUES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DOLLY PARTON IMAGINATION LIBRARY, WITH 18,327 CHILDREN IN ONONDAGA COUNTY RECEIVING A FREE BOOK IN THE MAIL EVERY MONTH FROM BIRTH TO AGE FIVE. LCOC ALSO FOCUSES ON LITERACY SERVICES FOR ADULTS. HOUSING & HOMELESS COALITION:THE HOUSING AND HOMELESS COALITION OF CENTRAL NEW YORK (HHC) ACTS AS THE LOCAL HUD CONTINUUM OF CARE (COC NY-505). THE UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL NEW YORK BECAME THE COLLABORATIVE APPLICANT IN 2017 AND THE STAFF OF HHC BECAME UNITED WAY EMPLOYEES.HHC IS DEDICATED TO REDUCING, PREVENTING, AND ULTIMATELY ENDING HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY. THE HHC ALLOCATES AND OVERSEES FEDERAL FUNDING TO SERVICE PROVIDERS WHO LAST YEAR ASSISTED 5,606 PERSONS(DUPLICATED), EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OR HOUSING VULNERABILITY. THROUGH THE WORK OF THE HHC, HOMELESSNESS IN THIS REGION HAS BEEN REDUCED; THERE WERE 3,723 INDIVIDUALS SERVED IN EMERGENCY SHELTERS; THIS REPRESENTS A 27% DECREASE SINCE 2015.WORK TRAIN:WORK TRAIN IS A COMMUNITY WORKFORCE INITIATIVE, FISCALLY SPONSORED BY THE UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL NEW YORK AND STAFFED BY CENTERSTATE CEO. WORK TRAIN IS GUIDED BY A COLLABORATIVE OF LEADERS FROM PHILANTHROPY, BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND THE COMMUNITY. WORK TRAIN IS DEDICATED TO PROVIDING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED, WHILE HELPING COMPANIES BUILD STRONGER WORKFORCES. WORK TRAIN ACHIEVES THESE RESULTS NOT AS A TRAINING PROVIDER, COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION, OR A WORKFORCE AGENCY. RATHER, WORK TRAIN SERVES AS A WORKFORCE INTERMEDIARY AND STRATEGIST - CONVENING BUSINESSES, PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS, AND NONPROFIT ENTITIES TO FORGE PARTNERSHIPS TO DELIVER EFFECTIVE AND NON-DUPLICATIVE WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS. WORK TRAIN HAS THE FLEXIBILITY TO IDENTIFY WORKFORCE CHALLENGES, USE A DESIGN PROCESS TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES, AND ASSEMBLE THE RIGHT TEAMS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO EXECUTE THEM. IN ALL OF THIS WORK, WORK TRAIN STARTS WITH AN "EMPLOYER-FIRST" APPROACH, WORKING WITH BUSINESS LEADERS IN KEY INDUSTRIES. FROM THERE OTHER PARTNERS ARE ENGAGED, DEPENDING ON THE SPECIFIC NEED OR CHALLENGE. WORK TRAIN HAS SEVERAL COMPONENTS, INCLUDING PATHWAYS TO APPRENTICESHIP, SYRACUSE BUILD, AND SUPPORTS SYSTEMS THAT PROVIDE TRAINING IN HEALTH CARE, MANUFACTURING, CONSTRUCTION, AND CODING. WORK TRAIN IS CREATING REAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNER-CITY RESIDENTS, MAINLY PEOPLE OF COLOR, TO ACCESS MEANINGFUL CAREERS.CA$H COALITION:UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL NEW YORK ADMINISTERS THE CA$H COALITION, CONVENER OF ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES DEDICATED TO PROMOTING FINANCIAL STABILITY AND ASSET-BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOW-TO-MODERATE-INCOME INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IN ONONDAGA COUNTY. THE CA$H COALITION OVERSEES FREE TAX PREPARATION SERVICES THROUGH THE VITA (VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE) PROGRAM. TOTAL RETURNS WERE 2,386; 32.9% OF OUR TAX FILERS CLAIMED EITC, OR 786 RETURNS. THE AMOUNT FOR THE CHILD TAX CREDIT (CONVENTIONAL FILERS, PRE-EXPANSION) = $1,301,055. THE VITA PROGRAM ITSELF GENERATED $ 4,678,713 IN REFUNDS TO THOSE WHO FILED WITH THE PROGRAM.2-1-1:2-1-1 CNY IS AN INFORMATION AND REFERRAL SERVICE LAUNCHED IN FEBRUARY 2015 THAT SERVES ONONDAGA, OSWEGO, MADISON, JEFFERSON, LEWIS, AND ST. LAWRENCE COUNTIES. IT IS SUPPORTED BY NYS, ONONDAGA COUNTY, AND UNITED WAY. IN THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS, THERE WERE 32,076 CALLS TO 2-1-1. REGIONAL VOLUNTEER CENTER:UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL NEW YORK COORDINATES A COMPREHENSIVE VOLUNTEER CENTER SERVING CAYUGA, CORTLAND, MADISON, ONONDAGA AND OSWEGO COUNTIES. OUR VOLUNTEER CENTER WAS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN PANDEMIC RELIEF EFFORTS. WE CONNECTED 1,227 VOLUNTEERS WITH OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. SECURED THE DONATION OF MORE THAN $100,000 IN DISINFECTANT WIPES AND $25,000 IN HAND SOAP THAT WE DISTRIBUTED TO FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, NON-PROFITS, AND COMMUNITY GROUPS. PROMOTED VOLUNTEER NEEDS TO COMMUNITY USING VOLUNTEERCNY.ORG WEBSITE AND THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, INCLUDING THE ONGOING NEED FOR BLOOD DONORS.SYRACUSE FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT CENTER:UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL NEW YORK IS THE NON-PROFIT PARTNER IN THIS PROVEN PROGRAM THAT OFFERS ONE-TO-ONE CERTIFIED COUNSELING SESSIONS TO ACHIEVE THREE GOALS: REDUCE DEBT, ESTABLISH OR INCREASE SAVINGS, IMPROVE CREDIT SCORE. SYRACUSE WAS DESIGNATED BY THE CITIES FOR FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT IN 2019 AND UNITED WAY AGREED TO SERVE AS THE NON-PROFIT PARTNER. IN ADDITION TO FUNDING FROM THE CITIES FOR FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT, FUNDS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY LOCAL FOUNDATIONS. YOUTH COMMUNITY:OUR WORK TO PROMOTE COLLABORATIONS EXPANDED IN A MORE STRUCTURED WAY WITH A NEW EFFORT WITH THE ALLYN FAMILY FOUNDATION. WE BROUGHT ON A NEW STAFF PERSON TO CONDUCT AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF YOUTH-SERVING PROGRAMS. WE ALSO SUPPORTED YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS AT SEVERAL LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS DURING THE SUMMER.