To help people become financially stable, we help to create permanent and transitional housing that get people out of crisis, develop job skills and employment opportunities that lead to increased income, and provide financial education that leads to increased savings and the acquisition of assets.

Meeting basic needs

One in three working people do not earn enough to provide for their families. One misfortune - a lost job, a health problem - and a family can go from living on the edge to living on the streets.  

A United Way transitional housing program helps families attain and maintain permanent housing. Working primarily with large, homeless families, often headed by single mothers, this program provides rent-free housing for up to 18 months. At the same time, case managers work with the family to help secure jobs to support their daily living expenses as well as childcare and transportation which are often barriers to permanent employment. Within 9-to-18 months, families move into permanent housing, receiving assistance with move-in expenses and a year’s worth of follow up to help them stay on track.

Increased income that leads to financial stability

Today, 20% of Miami-Dade residents are living below the poverty line. Given today’s economy, a family must earn at least 2.5 times the federal poverty line in order to be financially stable. For Florida’s working poor, paying taxes is just one of several financial challenges.

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a federal income tax credit for low-income working individuals and families that helps to increase their income. This refund averages $1,908 per family, but still thousands of eligible families in Florida don’t receive it because they do not know they qualify, do not know how to claim the credits or do not know where to find free tax filing assistance.

We continue to partner with the Human Services Coalition to help low-income families access this tax credit. For the second straight year, we created a public awareness campaign to inform individuals about EITC, how to apply for it and where to receive free tax preparation services, through a grant from Bank of America. As a result, 3,269 tax filers received a combined $735,868 in tax credits.

Build savings and assets

A 2006 nationwide survey by the Pew Research Center found that nearly two-thirds of Americans acknowledge they don’t save enough, and more than a third say that they often spend more than they can afford. More than one in three Americans say that they have, at some point, felt their financial situation was out of control. Today, more than 11% of Florida property owners were more than 30 days past due on a mortgage payment or in foreclosure.  

To help people deal with these tough economic times, we launched an online Financial Resource Center filled with tips on budgeting, saving money and preventing foreclosure. In the coming year, our work will expand in this area as we have been selected as one of two national pilot sites for a one-stop financial center that will offer people a full range of financial help – from free tax prep to benefits enrollment to employment services.

At the same time, more than 2,000 individuals participated in United Way-funded financial education sessions where they learned about credit and debt management, budgeting and first-time home buying. 85% of the participants increased their knowledge on how to manage their money, as well as plan and save for the future. One program working with individuals with severe credit and debt problems helped 70% become debt free.