Initiatives
Changing Community Conditions
To be successful at changing community conditions, United Way is increasing its leadership to mobilize volunteers on a year round basis. We are committed to being more strategic and active in community planning and partnerships. And we are working harder to generate more resources (money, in-kind, time) that can be leveraged to create positive impacts throughout the community.
United Way is engaged in several initiatives around Born Learning, Youth Leadership, and Affordable Housing that demonstrate Community Impact at its best.
Born Learning is a national public engagement campaign helping parents, caregivers and communities create early learning opportunities for young children. It’s built on awareness, education and action. Resources that include public service advertising, the Born Learning Website, and a wealth of educational material, provide parents, grandparents and other caregivers easy, “doable” action steps to help young children learn. Community action tools help Born Learning campaigns use this visibility to galvanize communities around early learning.
Why it's important
Almost half of America’s kindergarteners enter school unprepared, and at-risk children are 1-2 years behind. Research proves that quality early learning experiences can make the difference. But research also shows parents underestimate their role in school readiness. They don’t always know how to encourage early learning, and don’t think they have time to do what it takes. This is unacceptable. United Way believes every community must insist that every child get what he or she needs to come to school ready to succeed. Born Learning helps adults who care for children enrich early learning in everyday moments – like laundry, errands or mealtimes – and have fun doing it! And it provides our community with a visible, credible platform for public policy that can boost programs, policies and funding that support highquality early learning.
Together we shape their learning
A child’s first teacher is family – parents, grandparents and family members who may care for the child during the day. That’s why the Born Learning public engagement campaign helps families, caregivers and communities build early learning for young children. Research shows that when adults interact with children– talking, singing, and playing rhyming games – they stimulate language and vocabulary development and build important foundations for learning to read. Born Learning offers fun activities for parents and caregivers to engage their child. Visit the national born learning web site at www.bornlearning.org to access materials you can use today!
Born Learning In Our Communities
United Way of Western Connecticut has been busy throughout the region, working with child-focused groups and corporations to make Born Learning materials available to caregivers. In Stamford, Pitney Bowes provides ongoing financial support to an enhanced Born Learning Campaign, a national initiative through United Way of America that ensures people in the Stamford community get the most out of what Born Learning has to offer. In Northern Fairfield County, United Way has partnered with the Danbury Fair Mall, Babies R Us, and Danbury Children First to make Born Learning material available to parents. And in Southern Litchfield County, New Milford Hospital has been a valued partner with United Way, getting Born Learning materials to caregivers who need them.
For information on how to become involved with Born Learning in your Community or to obtain materials, Contact Jennifer Hallissey in Stamford, and Kim Morgan in Northern Fairfield and Southern Litchfield Counties.
A desire to serve in the community and gain valuable leadership skills is what has motivated young people to apply to United Way's Youth Leadership Program for over 13 years. Thirty high school students from Southern Litchfield County participate annually in the program, which typically has a waiting list of youth interested in joining.
Teens participating in the program attend Camp Sloane in Lakeville, Ct to become oriented to the program and to bond as a team. They are exposed to seminars on developing confidence, public speaking, presentation skills and leading meetings effectively. Additionally the teens participate in team building exercises such as high and low ropes courses.
The youth leadership team researches the needs of young people in our community during the fall. A priority list is developed and a Request for Proposals (RFP) is issued to area non-profits. This past year some of the key issues identified were a need for more after school activities for children, safe driving, and the effects of peer pressure and bullying. Grants of up to $1,000 are issued by the leadership team. Programs that received funding included an Open Gym program run by the Park and Recreation department and a youth forum sponsored by the local youth agency.
During the year youth leaders also serve as volunteers at a variety of community activities, such as the annual Back to School Clothing Drive, Food Drives, and Bike Day.
For more information on United Way's Youth Leadership Program in Southern Litchfield County, contact Giles Vaughn.
Stamford
United Way is investing $15,000 towards a regional solution in lower Fairfield County. This money goes to the Fairfield County Collaborative Fund for Affordable Housing to help address the growing need for affordable housing in our community.
In addition, United Way of Western Connecticut plays a lead role in the Affordable Housing Action Collaborative, a voluntary group of housing developers, nonprofit leaders, community groups, shelter and supportive housing providers, faith organizations, and government agencies from southwestern Connecticut. The Collaborative is dedicated to providing affordable housing for low-income residents through planning, coordination, and advocacy in the region and at the state and federal level.
Northern Fairfield County
Using a strategic framework, United Way brought together housing experts in the Greater Danbury area and formed the Housing Opportunities Team to support long lasting change that would prevent homelessness from happening in the first place. First, the volunteer team addressed basic needs through funding a collaborative aimed at providing security deposit grants and loans for rental units. Second, homeownership opportunities were expanded through the funding of a local Housing Resource Center. The next step involved education and advocacy on a regional level to promote continued expansion of affordable housing.
Key Rings:
The first Housing Initiative of United Way of Northern Fairfield County provided funding for a collaborative effort of multiple agencies. The initiative’s goal is for participants to obtain rental housing and put support services (such as financial education) in place to maintain the housing. By centralizing the intake process for all security deposit grants and loans, over 200 local individuals and families moved into safe affordable housing in less than three years.
- 89% of the program recipients maintained their housing for over one year.
- Since its inception, close to $200,000 has been leveraged from local banks, the City of Danbury, and foundations.
Housing Resource Center:
With a goal of increasing home ownership while also increasing the stock of affordable housing, funds were invested by United Way and local banks into the Housing Development Fund (HDF) to establish a local Housing Resource Center. The mission of HDF is to facilitate the development of affordable housing, both rental and homeownership, and to assist households to become owners of affordable homes. HDF accomplishes this by providing low-interest, flexible financing and technical assistance to developers; by providing homebuyer assistance financing and homeownership counseling to homebuyers; and by working with the private sector, non-profits and government to facilitate the creation of more affordable housing.-
During the first ten months of operation 13 families purchased homes in the greater Danbury area.
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HDF investment of $560,000 leveraged an additional $23 million in mortgage loans.
Education and Advocacy:
In 2005, United Way volunteers met with surrounding town and city representatives to discuss how affordable housing impacts their residents. The team is now advocating for a forum to discuss inclusionary zoning policies in the Greater Danbury area as one way to continue expansion of affordable housing.