HEARTBEAT OF THE COMMUNITY

United Way Of The Midlands Signals And Trends Report

Introduction

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.

FINDINGS

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.

It comes as no surprise that transportation is still among the most visible topics in our community — the need to connect people with critical destinations across remains a priority because it has the power to transform our economic, health, social and cultural well-being. Further, a healthy and vibrant community depends on a healthy transportation ecosystem. Local studies and planning recognized the historical limitations of our transportation system, but also referenced cross-sector collaborations to improve both infrastructure and public options — with big solutions on the horizon. Yet as long-term e orts to improve transportation continue to develop and come to fruition, transportation remains a significant community need.

Based on this data from the most recent American Community Survey, we estimate about 303,000 people (1 in 3 people) in the metro area are struggling to make ends meet. Of this, less than 90,000 are living in poverty— meaning the vast majority are working families caught in the gap between economic self-su ciency and the federal poverty line.

CREATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS:

United Way can contribute as a supportive partner in this domain by promoting mobile options, delivery services, extended operating hours and other inclusive practices that take pressure o the need to have a car.

In fact, transportation is among 211’s Top 5 needs with more than 3,500 referrals for transportation in 2022, with 700 related to employment. Due to limited transportation resources and alternatives currently available, this category is also among our Top 5 unmet needs — meaning a specialist was unable to provide a caller with a local resource for their transportation need. Adults aren’t the only people a ected by transportation challenges; we found 67% of our own JAG Nebraska students grapple with transportation needs, whether related to work or education. As part of Ride United, UWM has partnered with United Way Worldwide and Lyft to o er limited rides for transportation to and from critical appointments. Unfortunately, the need for this service far exceeds availability — ride share, cars, bike paths and public transit aren’t the only solutions to improve access for our community.

WORKING FAMILIES LIVE PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, OFTEN FACING PERSISTENT NEEDS

Our community has among the highest number of working poor in the country, with 7 of 10 families in poverty having at least one member of the family who works. It’s not a new trend, as the Omaha-Council Blu s metro has ranked among the highest in the country in this metric for at least the last 10 years.

But the federal poverty line doesn’t begin to tell the story of financial stability in our area, or the United States. Living wage calculators created by leading national institutions estimate the income a family in our area needs to meet a basic needs budget. According to even the most conservative assessment, a family of four in our area needs more than twice the poverty standard to make ends meet.

On an already tight budget, an unexpected expense can quickly turn into a financial crisis — driving families in and out of poverty. Nationally, 40% of Americans can’t cover a $400 emergency expense. When we asked callers to UWM’s 211 Contact Center how they would cover this expense, 90% said they couldn’t use cash or otherwise pay the bill immediately.

Studies from the U.S. Census show that episodes of poverty are much more common than longer-term or chronic cases of poverty. Overall, the poverty rate in the U.S. is 12.5% and 9.5% for the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro. But a census study shows that the poverty rate among families who have experienced poverty for only two months is actually much higher. The research indicates that over a 36-month period, 27.1% of families experience episodes of poverty, while 3.3% experienced poverty for the entire period. So while the poverty rate is an important economic indicator, it hides nuances related to the episodes of poverty families are more likely to face. Further, today’s struggling households often make too much to qualify for benefit programs. For instance, nearly half of our 211 respondents were employed — but less than 25% were receiving benefits like SNAP, WIC or Disability. As families seek to earn more to supply their basic needs, they begin to lose access to important benefits that are often needed along the way. The Cliff Effect occurs when wages from a new employment opportunity do not make up for a family's loss of benefits, putting the family in a worse financial situation. It is a key contributor to financial instability and a systemic barrier that keeps hardworking families from gaining financial independence.

The nationwide growth of the 65 and over population is a well-documented demographic trend, driven by the retirement of the baby boomer cohort and their transition into later life stages. In our community, this population is projected to increase 51% between 2020 and 2045 — about five times as much as other ages. The supplemental poverty measure shows poverty among seniors at 12.8% just slightly higher than the 12.5% rate for children under 18.

The fact that the 65 and older poverty rate has surpassed childhood poverty rates is significant because it highlights the challenges faced by a vulnerable demographic that has limited earning potential and often relies on fixed incomes, like Social Security. This trend underscores the importance of addressing issues related to retirement security, healthcare access and social safety nets to ensure the well-being of our aging population and reduce economic disparities among di erent age groups.

Immediate Action

BRIGHT SPOT:

JAG Nebraska graduates working fulltime earn well over the poverty line and most federal assistance programs, further suggesting the program has immediate impacts on economic mobility.

e ciency. Our funding process elevates programs with proven results and accelerates growth where exceptional work is happening. With more than 5,750 organizations currently operating in the Omaha-Council Blu s metro — several organizations have sunset programs, merged or otherwise consolidated— and we anticipate more to come. UWM will continue to harness the power of community voice to discern how to invest resources where they are needed most.

UWM’s 211 Contact Center is now taking calls as an Aging and Disability Resource Center.

AS FEDERAL FUNDS EXPIRE AND CHARITABLE GIVING PLUMMETS NATIONWIDE, THE DEMAND FOR LOCAL SERVICES HAS INCREASED— LEAVING NONPROFITS STRUGGLING TO OFFER ESSENTIAL SERVICES

Leading philanthropy researchers report giving by individuals fell 13.4% last year nationally — in 40 years charitable giving has fallen only three other times. Locally in Nebraska, more than 65.3% of nonprofits expect their donations will decline or remain flat for 2023. As nonprofits struggle to secure alternative sources of funding, there is a growing concern about the potential gaps in support and assistance for vulnerable populations.

In fact, about 80% of 211 callers access at least some services, but 40% say hearing back from the agency is a barrier to service. And 45% consider the availability of services in our community fair or average. Feedback from nonprofit partners reinforces these challenges. Nonprofit leaders at some of our strongest community institutions indicated the health and human resources in our community are not su cient to meet the demand. Acting as key informants, all of these community leaders indicated area nonprofits are not prepared to ensure the sustainability of programs that are needed beyond the pandemic. Compounding these challenges, nonprofits continue to report turnover and layo s, with sta issues impacting wait times and capacity. Many organizations are already leveraging technology and mobile services to augment capacity limitations, and increase access. As a trusted steward for investments, UWM recognizes the importance of building bridges to a more sustainable future. This means encouraging collaboration and investing with an eye on

How We Mobilize Our Community Is As Important As Ever

While our network of nonprofits works to strengthen communities and fill gaps in resources for those in need, the rest of us must decide what role we can the organizations.

As philanthropy becomes more accessible, it’s important to remember that a gift of any amount can have a powerful impact when it’s magnified by the power of community. Nearly 9 of 10 of our funded partners say that an investment from UWM in their programs is an endorsement of their work and an investment from the broader community. When we give together, we thrive together.

They say if you can’t donate money, donate your time, but often these go hand in hand. Data shows that in addition to decreases in financial giving, volunteerism is also seeing steep declines. While Nebraskan’s rank 7th nationally with 33.9% of our population formally volunteering, it was once much stronger across the state, at over 40% in 2017. Our research shows that this is not just a pandemic e ect. Although Nebraska truly is a state of giving when compared to others, volunteerism appears to be slowing down over the past 20 years.

These trends are driving transformative changes in engagement — toward a more inclusive approach where community insights directly shape strategies, programs, and outcomes. Our full report identifies a variety of critical roles for people of all economic backgrounds to engage with area organizations. Ultimately, this leads to positive and enduring change that is profoundly aligned with the core values of the community.

THE OMAHA-COUNCIL BLUFFS METRO IS A PLACE WHERE NEIGHBORS CARE FOR NEIGHBORS AND COMPASSION DRIVES POSITIVE CHANGE. WE STAND OUT, BECAUSE WE LEAN IN. BUT TOO MANY PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET, AND WE NEED TO HAVE THE RESOURCES HERE TO HELP HARDWORKING FAMILIES THRIVE.

THANK YOU TO OUR DATA PARTNERS, KEY INFORMANTS AND PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS FOR SHARING YOUR THOUGHTFUL INSIGHTS AND EXPERTISE WITH OUR COMMUNITY RESEARCH TEAM.

THE FULL UWM REPORT IS AVAILABLE AT UNITEDWAYMIDLANDS.ORG/SIGNALSANDTRENDS

Sources

UWM Analysis using American Community Survey, 5-Year data 2018-2022. Table B17016: Poverty status in the past 12 months of families by family type by work experience of householder and spouse.

American Community Survey, 2022. Table S1701: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months and Table B17002: Ratio of Income to Poverty Level in the Past 12 Months.

American Community Survey, 5-Year data 2018-2022. Table S1701: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months.

Dynamics of Poverty Report, U.S. Census, 2017-2019 published December 2022.

The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2019 (Report P60-272), U.S. Census Bureau. Senior Population Data: December 2015 Nebraska County Population Projections, CPAR @ UNO; Custom Calculations from 2019 5-Year ACS Public Use Microdata Sample, U.S. Census Bureau . Compiled by David Drozd. The supplemental poverty measure provides a more comprehensive understanding of poverty by accounting for additional factors such as government assistance and cost-of-living variations, making it a more accurate gauge of economic hardship than the traditional poverty measure.

Giving USA 2023: Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2022 published by Indianan University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

National Council of Nonprofits: Nonprofit Workforce Shortage Survey for Nebraska, August 2023

Cause IQ directory of Nonprofits by Geography – Omaha area nonprofits. Nebraska’s Nonprofit Sector Economic Impact Report, 2019. Commissioned by the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands.

Volunteering and Civic Life in America: State Trends over Time, 2021.Note: This is the most recent and robust census of civic engagement in the U.S. Census Bureau.