Linking people to the help that they need
Grandma Marcella is the sole caregiver to her 3-year old grand baby. At a moment’s notice, they were evicted from their apartment due to mold.
Marcella called 211 Colorado hoping to find new housing quickly. A 211 navigator connected her with a local Greeley church, which provided a hotel room as immediate shelter. She soon found a family member to stay with temporarily, then reconnected to 211 for an ongoing solution. The navigator remembered Marcella and helped figure out next steps.
The Why
For their life success, it is urgent that people facing a life-changing experience connect with supportive resources as quickly as possible. The faster that we connect families facing a difficult experience to those that can help, the more likely each family will maintain housing, employment, enrollment in school, health and more.
- While a place of much wealth and opportunity, Weld County has poverty pockets where it is difficult to thrive.
- The network of human services resources can be overwhelming, and especially when a person is most in need.
- Too often nonprofit organizations don’t have the resources and connections required to best serve their program participants.
- United Way offers a number of direct service programs and resourcing opportunities, including 211 Colorado Information and Referral and the NoCO AmeriCorps Project, that help individuals and nonprofit organizations connect to the support they need.
Challenges
We all face life challenges or have loved ones who can use a helping hand. When a
person needs assistance with a livelihood emergency and doesn’t know where to begin, the network of human services can be overwhelming. Plus, the nonprofits that can offer assistance are too often struggling to stay in business.
328,981 people live in Weld County. 8% of residents live below the poverty line, and in Greeley, that rate jumps to 21%. 51% of the county’s children qualify for free or reduced lunches, and just 39% of 4th Grade students are proficient readers. The housing vacancy rate continues to hover around its all-time low, and the median rent continues to increase. 21% of older adults consider themselves to have poor mental health.
“The AmeriCorps program through United Way of Weld County has moved our little nonprofit giving garden from a volunteer-run agency that worked with our local school, to a garden with year-round staff that gives away over a ton of food each year.”
Eileen Bisgard, board president, Brigit’s Bounty Community Resources
Connecting Weld activities support goal achievement in the other United Way initiative areas.
Investments
The Connecting Weld shared effort includes numerous local, state and national partners. Investments are made in a number of programs with county-wide impact that lead to human services increasing in visibility, accessibility and capacity. Activities include (with those offered by United Way staff underlined in gold):
211 Colorado Information and Referral
Weld Project Connect
Disaster Preparedness and Response
Volunteer Engagement
Weld Together
NoCO AmeriCorps Project
Additional Resources
Interested in learning more about United Way and Connecting Weld? Sign up to receive our weekly electronic newsletter or call 970-353-4300.
