Community partnerships allow United Way of Lincoln and Lancaster County to improve lives and community conditions.
2-1-1 Call Center
This collaborative nationwide initiative provides information and referrals for human services needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During 2014, trained staff helped 5,404 callers from Lincoln/Lancaster County. Housing and utility assistance accounted for almost half of caller requests. ($43,715 allocation)
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Community Learning Centers (CLC)
The CLC initiative is focused on achieving three major outcomes: improved student learning and development, strong and supportive families and engaged neighborhoods. One of Lincoln’s centers, Malone Community Center, receives funding from United Way for a site supervisor position at Culler Middle School. During the 2013–2014 school year, 168 students attended this Community Learning Center for 30 or more days. These students met or exceeded state educational standards and performed higher than their peers who did not attend. ($38,000 allocation)
Data-Tracking Project
This jointly funded project of United Way and the Joint Budget Committee of the City and County helps track food pantry and food distribution efforts in the community. This helps determine an unduplicated count of clients served so we can better increase food stability for individuals and families. ($4,261 allocation)
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
We received $12,000 from the Wal-Mart Foundation through United Way Worldwide to support our local efforts to expand access to free tax preparation—targeting first-time filers, ensuring accessibility to persons with disabilities and providing training and materials on asset building to filers. At 15 sites throughout the area, 109 community volunteers filed 4,954 returns, generating $6,292,123 in tax refunds.
Lincoln Vital Signs
This joint initiative funded an independent study and report of key indicators about Lincoln’s collaborative successes and challenges. The goal of the report is to be a catalyst for impact and action throughout our community to develop a vision for the future. ($5,000 allocation)
United Way continued its commitment to the Vital Signs project by committing financial and staff resources to join the community engagement phase to create a collective impact community agenda. United Way will participate in the response to these findings. ($25,000 allocation)
Homeless Prevention Project
This project was the result of additional United Way funds through the efforts of the 2013 campaign. The project was launched by the Community Impact Committee in response to a Lincoln Public School’s homeless children report. The goal of the program is to prevent situational homelessness or re-house currently homeless families with children who have the ability to stabilize with the support through this project. ($90,316 allocation)
Summer Food Program
This program is sponsored by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department and provided in partnership with United Way, Lincoln Public Schools, the Food Bank of Lincoln and several other youth-serving organizations. During the summer of 2014, the Summer Food Program provided 88,725 nutritious meals to 2,850 children at 37 sites in the lowest-income areas of Lincoln. ($10,000 allocation)
Countdown to Kindergarten
Countdown to Kindergarten is a communitywide initiative designed to prepare children for success in kindergarten. This initiative focuses on two outcomes: (1) educating the community about the importance of social/emotional readiness and (2) increasing the awareness of available services and resources that promote school readiness.