United Way Of The Midlands

UNITED WAY CONNECTS PEOPLE AND RESOURCES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE MIDLANDS. UNITED WAY INVESTS IN A BROAD RANGE OF COMMUNITY PROGRAMS THAT INCREASE ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE, IMPROVE STUDENT SUCCESS, ASSIST PEOPLE IN CRISIS TO ACHIEVE LONG TERM STABILITY.

HEALTH INITIATIVES: UWM PROMOTES ACCESS TO PRIMARY HEALTH CARE AS WELL AS DENTAL AND EYE CARE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE UNDERINSURED OR LACK INSURANCE AT ALL. UNITED WAY PROGRAMS AND INVESTMENTS HELPED OVER 3,300 PEOPLE ACCESS HEALTH CARE, PROVIDING 3,389 ADULT AND CHILD PATIENT VISITS FOR DENTAL CARE AND 2,453 ADULT PATIENT VISITS FOR EYE CARE.

EDUCATION IS KEY TO AN INDIVIDUAL'S LONG-TERM SUCCESS AND FINANCIAL STABILITY. UWM FOCUSES ON EARLY EDUCATION AND KEY TRANSITIONS IN SCHOOL TO IMPROVE ON-TIME GRADUATION. DURING THE 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR, A TOTAL OF 240 ONE-ON-ONE MIDLANDS READING CONSORTIUM (MRC) VOLUNTEERS AND 16 GUEST READERS SERVED 242 STUDENTS THROUGH ONE-ON-ONE READING SESSIONS AND 579 STUDENTS THROUGH GUEST READING SESSIONS. MRC HAD A PRESENCE IN 16 SCHOOLS, 8 SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AND FIVE COUNTIES. UWM ALSO SUPPORTED CHILDREN IN AFTER-SCHOOL AND SCHOOL-BASED PROGRAMS. A TOTAL OF 9,983 STUDENTS BETWEEN KINDERGARTEN AND 12TH GRADE WERE ENROLLED IN YOUTH EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS SUPPORTED BY UWM.YOUNG MEN UNITED (YMU) IS AN EVIDENCE-INFORMED INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO CREATE BARRIER-FREE PATHWAYS FOR YOUNG BLACK MEN TO REACH THEIR ACADEMIC AND CAREER GOALS. YMU BRINGS WRAP AROUND SUPPORTS TO YOUNG MEN OF COLOR STARTING IN THE TENTH AND ELEVENTH GRADE. THE YOUNG MEN UNITED PILOT COHORT INCLUDES 18 TOTAL STUDENTS FROM TWO SCHOOLS: EAU CLAIRE HIGH SCHOOL AND RICHLAND NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL. UNITED WAY OF THE MIDLANDS IS OPEN TO STRATEGICALLY PARTNERING WITH ADDITIONAL HIGH SCHOOLS.RESILIENT MIDLANDS(RM) DEVELOPS SYSTEMS AND SERVICES THAT PREVENT AND TREAT THE TOXIC EFFECTS OF TRAUMA AND ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACES).TO ADDRESS ACES IN RICHLAND COUNTY, RM FOCUSES ON FOUR STRATEGIES: 1) TRAININGS FOR YOUTH AGES 12-18 YEARS ON DEESCALATING SITUATIONS WITH PEERS AND OTHERS, 2) TARGETED TRAINING FOR PROFESSIONALS WORKING WITH CHILDREN, 3) PROVIDING BASIC NEEDS SUPPLIES SUCH AS HYGIENE ITEMS AND WARM WINTER CLOTHES TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS, 4) A COMMUNITY-BASED RESILIENCY TEAM TO PROVIDE INTENSIVE SUPPORT TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES EXPERIENCING COMPLEX TRAUMA. THE RESILIENCY TEAM PROVIDES SERVICES A SOCIAL WORKER AND BEHAVIOR INTERVENTS TO SUPPORT FAMILIES AND TEACHERS. THE TEAM PROVIDED INTERVENTIONAL SUPPORT TO OVER 40 STUDENTS. IN 2022-2023, RM SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED ITS INAUGURAL YOUTH AND RESILIENCY SERIES. EACH MONTH, RM OFFERED A FREE WORKSHOP TO THE PUBLIC THAT FOCUSED ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA. THE WORKSHOP AVERAGED ABOUT 20-30 PARTICIPANTS EACH MONTH. RM ALSO PROVIDED 180 STUDENTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 12-18 WITH BASIC LEGAL EDUCATION THROUGH ON-SITE JUVENILE JUSTICE JEOPARDY AT 10 SITES.LEADERSHIP AND CAPACITY BUILDING SUPPORTS THE MISSION OF UWM AND COMMUNITY IMPACT BY PROVIDING CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES THAT SUPPORT STRONG NONPROFIT PARTNERS AND ENCOURAGING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY.CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES INCLUDE TRAINING AND SUPPORT IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND REPORTING OF COMMON OUTCOMES AND INDICATORS, AND TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN GOVERNANCE AND OTHER NONPROFIT BEST PRACTICES. IN 2022-2023, UWM STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS RENEWED PARTNERSHIP WITH 15 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND INITIATED NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH TWO ADDITIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS REVIEWED 52 FUNDING APPLICATIONS AND ASSESSED MORE THAN 20 END-OF-YEAR PROGRAM REPORTS. THROUGH OUR BLUEPRINT FOR LEADERSHIP PROGRAM, WE TRAINED 21 COMMUNITY MEMBERS FOR BOARD AND COMMITTEE SERVICE. THE UWM VOLUNTEER CENTER MANAGED THE COMMUNITY PORTAL FOR VOLUNTEERING AND ORGANIZED OR FACILITATED 64 VOLUNTEER PROJECTS IN THE COMMUNITY. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS ASSOCIATED WITH UWM DURING THE FISCAL YEAR WAS 3,695.

FINANCIAL STABILITY AND BASIC NEEDS INITIATIVES: UWM SERVES AS LEAD U.S. HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT (HUD) AGENCY FOR THE MIDLANDS AREA CONSORTIUM FOR THE HOMELESS (MACH) WHICH IS THE HUD DESIGNATED HOMELESS CONTINUUM OF CARE COVERING 13 COUNTIES STRETCHING FROM YORK, THROUGH THE MIDLANDS TO AIKEN. AS A TEAM, WE ARE COMMITTED TO ENDING HOMELESSNESS IN THE MIDLANDS. MACH MEMBER AGENCIES AND OTHER PARTNERS PROVIDE DIRECT SERVICES, SHELTER AND HOUSING THAT ASSIST OUR COMMUNITY'S HOMELESS FAMILIES, INDIVIDUALS, YOUTH AND VETERANS TO STABILITY. THE COMPLEXITY OF THE ISSUE, DIVERSITY OF THE POPULATIONS AND SHIFTING RESOURCES AND PRIORITIES OF THE COMMUNITY AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MAKE COORDINATION KEY TO COMMUNITY SUCCESS. SINCE 2006, UWM HAS LED MACH'S EFFORTS TO SECURE FEDERAL FUNDING FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HUD TO SUPPORT HOMELESS HOUSING PROGRAMS. TO DATE, OVER $45 MILLION IN FEDERAL RESOURCES HAVE BEEN BROUGHT INTO THE MIDLANDS THROUGH THIS WORK LEVERAGING AN ESTIMATED $150 MILLION IN MATCHING RESOURCES.UWM MANAGES EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER PROGRAM (EFSP) FUNDS FOR FOUR OF OUR COUNTIES. EFSP FUNDS ARE FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT SUPPORT SHELTERING, FOOD, AND EMERGENCY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS IN FOUR OF UWM'S COUNTIES. THIS YEAR WE RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING EFSP FUNDS: $10,106 FOR FAIRFIELD COUNTY; $83,351 FOR LEXINGTON COUNTY; $10,989 FOR NEWBERRY COUNTY; $139,703 FOR RICHLAND COUNTY.UWM'S TWO-GENERATION SUPPORT EXPANDS AGENCIES' LONG-TERM CASE MANAGEMENT FOR FAMILIES REFERRED BY LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTNERS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING HOUSING OR ECONOMIC INSTABILITY. ASSISTANCE INCLUDES RESOURCE NAVIGATION, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT, AND WRAP AROUND SERVICES FOR THE CHILDREN IN THE FAMILIES. 322 FAMILIES CONSISTING OF 711 CHILDREN WERE REFERRED FROM SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS 4 COUNTIES TO RECEIVE MULTI-GENERATIONAL STABILITY SERVICES FROM TWO-GENERATION SUPPORTED PARTNERS.UWM IS MAXIMIZING THE IMPACT OF A GIFT FROM MACKENZIE SCOTT BY AWARDING FUNDS TO ORGANIZATIONS AND PROJECTS THAT IMPROVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE MIDLANDS AND ADVANCE SOCIAL JUSTICE. TO DATE, UWM HAS INVESTED $3 MILLION IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING INITIATIVES, LEVERAGING MORE THAN $68 MILLION IN TOTAL PROJECT COSTS. THIS REPRESENTS NEARLY 350 NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS IN THE MIDLANDS.

DONOR DESIGNATIONS: AS A CONVENIENCE TO ITS DONORS, UNITED WAY OF THE MIDLANDS ALLOWS DIRECT UNRESTRICTED CONTRIBUTIONS TO OTHER UNITED WAYS OR SPECIFIC AGENCIES. UNITED WAY OF THE MIDLANDS SUPPORTS 70 PARTNER AGENCIES IN THE AREAS OF BUILDING RESILIENCY AND PROVIDING SAFETY NET SERVICES. UNITED WAY OF THE MIDLANDS DOES NOT REQUIRE THE RECIPIENT ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION RELATIVE TO THE USE RESULTS OF THESE CONTRIBUTIONS.