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Press Release

United Way Helped Over One Million People Improve Their Economic Well-being in 2016

March 26, Alexandria Va.– The 2017 United Way Worldwide Global Results Snapshot, a set of indicators that local United Ways report annually to demonstrate shared impact across communities, shows that United Way’s strategies to improve job readiness and financial literacy in the communities they serve to boost financial stability have helped more than one million people improve their economic status. United Way’s investment of almost $200 million towards improving financial stability for people in communities everywhere, combined with an aggressive approach focused on training, educating and advocacy, helped people access affordable housing, financial products and services.[1]

“United Way believes that people of all ages should have an opportunity to improve their economic status. We give people the tools to better manage their money, get on more solid financial ground and find a career with potential for advancement,” said Mary Sellers, U.S. President and CEO of United Way Worldwide.

United Way achieved the following results in 2016:

  • 687,982 people received job skills training;
  • 14,770 individuals earned job-relevant licenses, certificates, and/or credentials to improve employment prospects;
  • 48 percent of people who received help from United Way with job services attained employment;
  • Over $650M in tax refunds processed, at no charge, through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA); and
  • 67 percent of those receiving financial stability training increased their wages.

United Way worked with volunteers, partner agencies and corporate partners to:

  • Train over 5,000 financial sector staff to deliver financial services, such as coaching to help lower debt, improve credit ratings and increase savings, and offer financial literacy education in local schools to teach fundamental money management skills.
  • Engage more than 64,000 volunteers to provide support such as free tax filing at VITA centers.
  • Advocate for 186 local and state policies that strengthen financial stability like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) which was passed in California and South Carolina as well as advocate for state funding for VITA in Florida.
  • Engage nearly 3,500 United Way community partners to improve individuals’ financial outlook, through credit counseling agencies or other local United Way partners. Many United Ways are bringing services together in one-stop financial stability centers that provide a central location where beneficiaries can access financial education, credit counseling and repair, job readiness training, job search support and referrals.

Please find an infographic of United Way’s financial stability work here.

To learn more about our work to fight for the financial stability of every person in every community, please visit: https://www.unitedway.org/our-impact/focus/income/

[1] *The Global Results Snapshot represents data from 154 United Ways, reporting 2016 data in 2017 that represents 147,474,530 people in their respective metropolitan areas.

 

About United Way’s Global Results Snapshot

The Global Results Snapshot is a common, limited set of indicators that United Ways report on annually to demonstrate our shared impact across communities. The framework aggregates data across United Ways based on indicators in key impact areas: childhood success, youth success, economic mobility, access to health, and community engagement to demonstrate the collective investments the network is making to drive community change deliver results for individuals, families and communities.

About United Way

United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. Supported by 2.9 million volunteers, 9.8 million donors worldwide and $4.7 billion raised every year, United Way is the world’s largest privately-funded nonprofit. We’re engaged in 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our communities. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students and more. For more information about United Way, please visit UnitedWay.org. Follow us on Twitter: @UnitedWay and #LiveUnited.

 

Media Contact

Southerlyn Reisig, United Way
southerlyn.reisig@uww.unitedway.org
Tel. 703.836.7100 ext.321

Christine Sanchez
christine.sanchez@uww.unitedway.org
Tel. 703-836-7100 ext. 564