HEARTBEAT OF THE COMMUNITY:
UNITED WAY OF THE MIDLANDS SIGNALS AND TRENDS REPORT United Way of the Midlands plays an important role in uniting the caring spirit of our community to address social and economic disparities. We strive to remove barriers and create opportunities through powerful partnerships— all the while serving as accountable stewards by directing dollars where they are needed most. UWM’s discernment is more important than ever, and depends on a deep understanding of local needs, tuned into the pulse of our community. The UWM Signals and Trends Report highlights conditions experienced across our metro area – particularly among families struggling to make ends meet and the programs designed to serve them. It combines existing research with data unique to UWM, including feedback from our investment partners and program participants. As a data-driven organization, these learnings guide our path forward… together.
NOT SURPRISINGLY, HOUSING HAS REPLACED TRANSPORTATION AS THE ISSUE WITH THE MOST COMMUNITY ATTENTION. Across 26 research studies and planning efforts, housing expense assistance and homelessness were the two most frequently prioritized topics. A combination of low inventory, unsafe properties, high rent and escalating housing prices are driving residents to housing instability and homelessness. The affordable housing crisis is real, widespread and continues to persist.
In addition to independent community research, the need for adequate housing appears daily in our work. In the last fiscal year, over 50% of the calls to the 211 Contact Center were for housing, and of those calls, 85% were seeking expense assistance – mirroring results from across the studies. Frequent users, individuals who seek support from 211 across multiple months, further stress the urgent need for housing. These callers represent the individuals and families in our community who are experiencing high levels of need on an ongoing basis. Among frequent users, 89% sought Housing or Utility Assistance at least once in 2022 and 78% of callers who requested housing assistance in Call #1 also sought housing assistance for Call #2.
We’ve developed partnerships with Goodfellows, MUD, OPPD, and others to provide rent and utility relief for families— but it’s not enough to meet the demand. The urgency and severity of the issue requires both immediate interventions and long-term strategies ranging from continued housing assistance to expanding housing stock. In addition to efforts focused on connecting households to higher wage jobs, it’s important to implement concurrent solutions aimed at root causes and underlying disparities. Because of the visibility and magnitude of the housing challenge, there’s a sense of urgency and momentum among local leaders to improve the housing situation in our community. By working together and implementing comprehensive solutions, we can make meaningful progress toward increased access and a more affordable housing landscape.
OUR ANALYSIS UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF PROVIDING BASIC NEEDS SUPPORTS, WHILE CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECONOMIC MOBILITY TO HELP HARDWORKING FAMILIES CHANGE THEIR TRAJECTORY.