The COVID-19 pandemic is both a health and economic crisis that has intensified existing social issues such as homelessness/affordable housing, hunger and educational gaps. This year, Valley of the Sun United Way will continue to provide relief for our Maricopa County neighbors struggling in these areas, respond to emerging needs, address racial, social, economic and educational inequities, and when the time is right, help our community rebuild.

In the near-term, we’ll focus our relief efforts on nonprofits and schools to provide support in these areas:

Homelessness/Housing

• Rental and utility assistance to prevent homelessness
• Emergency shelter for individuals and families
• Transitional housing to move families toward independence
• Permanent Supportive Housing support services for families and individuals

Hunger

• Emergency groceries through food banks and pantries
• Prepared meals delivered to seniors
• Prepared congregate meals for families and individuals in a safe setting
• Snack packs, food bags and school gardens to fill meal gaps for students
• Improved access to benefits such as SNAP and WIC

Education

• Quality early education and childcare
• Quality out-of-school time and distance learning programs
• Tutoring and mentoring, including Vello
• Youth leadership development

Emerging Needs

• Closing the digital divide through access to affordable quality internet service and equipment
• Workforce development for youth and adults
• Face masks for students and PPE for teachers
• Voter registration and education

Systemic Issues

• Social, racial, economic and education equity
• Community planning to develop a 5-year Impact Agenda

Here is what United Way plans to do this year and why we urgently need your support:

#1 We’ll continue to support our non-profit and school partners in addressing the hunger, homelessness, and education needs of our neighbors who have been impacted by the pandemic. And we’ll collaborate to fill other emerging gaps laid bare by the pandemic. For instance, ensuring quality childcare and out of school time partners are accessible to parents who need to get back to work.

#2 We’ll focus on rebuilding our community, socially and economically, and addressing inequities that have become so clear: social inequities, economic inequities, education inequities and racial inequities. We’re working with partners to address the digital divide and providing students the technology and internet service necessary to be successful when attending school from home.

We’re exploring how United Way might support equal access to quality health care, job training, addressing systemic racism and other community needs as they emerge.

#3 We’ll re-engage in our community-centered planning process to develop long-term solutions to the issues our community tells us are most importnat, and we’ll launch a 5-year impact plan and rally our donors, partners and community to help develop the solutions needed.

By funding programs addressing root causes, using our voice to drive policy and systemic change, creating public awareness around change needed, convening the right parties to create solutions, and leading to ensure the change needed happens, we will successfully rebuild our community to be stronger than ever.

Valley of the Sun United Way is dedicating this year to ACTION and to solutions. We know many of you want to help, but you don’t know how. So, we’re creating simple ways for each of you to join us and ACTIVATE.

>> ACTIVATE