Healthcare4every1 UPDATE

On January 13, an estimated 1,000 people packed the room at Union Station in Hartford to hear about the new heatlth care plan and come together to call for action.

Healthcare4every1 officially released thier new proposal, called SustiNet, to provide quality, affordable health care to everyone in Connecticut. The creators say SustiNet is groundbreaking because it controls skyrocketing costs and provides quality care that puts a premium on preventing illness and coordinating care.

Their next step is to deliver this proposal to Connecticut's legislators and Governor.

To join the campaign and to receive updates, click here. Regular phone calls and emails to your representative and senator will make sure bold action on health care remains a top priority.

For more information please visit healthcare4every1.org.

To read more about Connecticut and health care reform, please visit the following sites.

• AARP Bulletin Today
  
• Connecticut Citizen Action Group
  

MLK Day of Service

During the 1950s and ’60s, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. recognized the power of service to strengthen communities and achieve common goals. Initiated by Congress in 1994, King Day of Service builds on that that legacy by transforming the federal holiday honoring Dr. King into a national day of community service grounded in his teachings of nonviolence and social justice. The aim is to make the holiday a day ON, where people of all ages and backgrounds come together to improve lives, bridge social barriers, and move our nation closer to the “Beloved Community” that Dr. King envisioned. With thousands of projects planned across the country, the 2009 King Day of Service on January 19 promises to be the biggest and best ever!

This year’s King Holiday is one day before the Inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. The President-elect will participate in community service on King Day and is asking Americans to serve on the holiday and make an ongoing commitment to service. Organizers hope the President-elect’s call to service will lead to millions of Americans honoring Dr. King through community service.

Courtesy of MLKday.gov

United Way has partnered with Epsilon Omega Chapter Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and The Greater New Haven NAACP, to bring you MLK Conference 2009, Building the Beloved Community: The Time is Now. There will be workshops for community members of all ages, speakers, and performances that are all focused on mobilizing community members and strengthening the community as a whole.

For more information, or to volunteer, click here.

For more opportunities and events, visit www.USAservice.org, or click here.

Local Non-Profit Leader Receives National Honor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan 14, 2009
Media Contact: Michelle Wade
Work: 203.691.4202
Cell: 860.834.0128
mwade@uwgnh.org

Local Non-Profit Leader Receives National Honor

New Haven (January 14, 2009)- Christine Alexander, Executive Director of New Haven Reads has been recognized as The Home Depot and United Way 2008 Community All-Star. This award recognizes one individual who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in community service and who has devoted their time and efforts to make long-lasting contributions to their local community.

Alexander is the founder and volunteer Executive Director of New Haven Reads, which provides adults and children access to free books as well as tutoring opportunities in order to improve literacy skills and success in the region. In 2006, New Haven Reads distributed over 135,000 books to children and adults and offers a free tutoring program which has 280 students enrolled and 100 on a waiting list.

Alexander knows that literacy is the largest barrier between poor and rich children, and that literacy rates directly affect a person’s quality of life.

“Reading and having access to books is a start to solving this problem our community faces,” said Alexander.

Through United Way’s partnership with the NFL, as this year’s Community All-Star, Alexander was invited to attend Super Bowl XLIII taking place on February 1, 2009 in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Along with this national honor, Alexander and her husband, Bruce Alexander, were recently honored with the 2008 United Way of Greater New Haven Alexis de Tocqueville award for their sprit of giving and volunteerism in this community.

About United Way:
United Way brings together the caring power of people to create change in our region and to improve lives. We strive to be a catalyst for identifying community needs and opportunities for change; to focus on specific community priority areas and initiatives through which we have the best opportunities to improve lives and change conditions; and to engage donors, organizations and community leaders to improve the social and civic health of our region.

More information about United Way’s work to improve lives and communities can be found at http://www.uwgnh.org/.

About New Haven Reads:
The overall goal of New Haven Reads is to provide an environment where children and adults have access to free books and tutoring to increase their literacy skills and academic performance. During the past six years, New Haven Reads has grown from a powerful idea to a thriving center of literacy located in the Dixwell neighborhood of New Haven. With each of our four locations, we have nearly doubled our physical size and the number of students and groups we serve.

For more information about New Haven Reads can be found at http://www.newhavenreads.org/


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Third Annual Point in Time Homeless Count

Join other concerned community members and service providers in New Haven for a Point-in-Time Count of the Homeless. Teams of 2-3 volunteers and an experienced leader will canvass the New Haven area conducting surveys of homeless individuals. The more we know about our homeless population, the more we can help them and better coordinate our services. This Point-in-Time Count is not only a chance to learn how many people are homeless and where they are located, but also information about how they became homeless and what services they need to help them. The numbers from this count are also important for homeless assistance grants funded by HUD, State of Connecticut, and City of New Haven.


When:
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 from 6 pm to 11 pm

Where:
Volunteers will meet in the parking lot at Presbyterian Church in the Owens Community Building (704 Whitney Avenue, New Haven.)


Register to sign up at or call (203)495-1773 x 4040, leave name and contact information

For information about the Statewide Count: Contact Sarah Zucker, Project Assistant, CT Counts 2009, at 860-721-7876 xt 111 or szucker@cceh.org

Join Us on the Road to a Healthier CT!

2009 offers a historic opportunity to solve Connecticut's health care crisis and lead the way for the nation. Connecticut can provide health care coverage that is:
UNIVERSAL...covers us all
CONTINUOUS...stays with us from job-to-job and in between
AFFORDABLE...for our families and our businesses
SUSTAINABLE...for our state's economy
HIGH QUALITY...supports good health.

Join us on December 10 to learn how the healthcare4everyone1 campaign will provide affordable, high-quality coverage to your non-profit organization and to the people you serve. Business owners, faith leaders, elected officials, human service and health care providers, and residents from all walks of life will gather in Hamden to learn how we can win quality, affordable health care for everyone.

healthcare4every1 event:

Wednesday, December 10, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Hamden Middle School
2623 Dixwell AvenueHamden, Connecticut 06518-3304

Learn more about healthcare4every1 and RSVP.

Register to volunteer for the event.

Learn more about United Way's work to improve people's health in Greater New Haven.

Convening Organizations:American Federation of Teachers, Christian Activities Council, CT Center for a New Economy,CT Parent Power, Grand Avenue Village Association, Fair Haven Health Center, Hill Health Center,Spring Glen Church, United Way of Greater New Haven,Yale Students for Health Care Coalition

Become a Volunteer Tax Preparer

Help hard-working families claim the Tax Credits they’ve earned!
One hour of your time can boost a family’s annual income by an average of $1,700!

We need Volunteers who are interested in:

Learning how to prepare taxes and become certified by the IRS.
Interacting with individuals and families within our communities.
Giving back to this community by helping residents in need of this service.


We will provide a FANTASTIC volunteer opportunity!

No experience needed.
Supervising tax professional on site at all times.
No liability to the tax preparer (Sites are IRS approved & insured).
Flexible hours.
Great sense of personal satisfaction that you made a difference!

To volunteer contact Cristalyn Vargas (203) 777-0313 or email: Cristalyn@newlifecorp.org

“You can help working families receive what belongs to them. Plus, you get the satisfaction of seeing the smiles of relief when they hear how much money they are getting back from the IRS.”
- A volunteer tax preparer

Data Snapshot - Basic Needs Are Increasing In Our Region

Data Snapshot - November 2008

Utilities/Heat

• There has been a 35% increase in service requests to 2-1-1 for utilities/heat assistance from • our region (1,136 requests in October 2008 compared to 858 requests in October 2007).
• There has been a 79% increase in the energy assistance caseload for our region (managed by • Community Action Agency) between November 2007 and November 2008, from 2,586 cases in 2007 to 4,637 in 2008.

Food

• There has been a 13% increase in service requests to 2-1-1 for food assistance from our region • (424 requests in October 2008 compared to 375 requests in October 2007).
• Comparing July – September 2008 to the same period in 2006, the Community Soup Kitchen • in New Haven has experience a 25% increase in the number of people served (based on an unduplicated count). According to the CT Food Bank, the increase in meals served and number of people served by the Community Soup Kitchen is typical of the increased need and demand evident throughout the greater New Haven service area.

Housing – Shelter

• In New Haven there has been a 5% increase in homeless individuals and in Connecticut a 13% • increase in families this year, compared to last year.
• In New Haven there has been an increase of almost 13% in the number of homeless single • women. Women are also losing their children to foster care once they are no longer able to provide shelter.
• Before the overflow shelter opened last week, Columbus House was turning away 8-10 men a • night. They would be referred to Emergency Shelter Management Services (Immanuel Baptist), which is also at capacity.
• The overflow shelter, which opened last week, is already serving 50 men a night. The capacity • is 75 men.

Housing - Foreclosure

• The number of homes lost to foreclosure in New Haven has risen steeply in 2008 (293 during • the first three quarters of 2008, compared to 165 for all of 2007).
• The majority of foreclosures affect owner-occupied housing. •

Overall data

• 2-1-1 data show a marked increase in calls from towns of Hamden, East Haven, North Haven, • and North Branford when comparing October 2008 to October 2007.

*Correction: There has been a 79% increase in the energy assistance not a 179% increase as previously indicated.

New Haven Organizations Reach Out to Growing Homeless Population

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2008
Media Contact: Michelle Wade
Work: 203.691.4202
Cell: 860.834.0128
mwade@uwgnh.org

New Haven Organizations Reach Out to Growing Homeless Population

On Saturday, October 25, 2008, United Way of Greater New Haven as well as service providers and volunteers came together to help out the growing homeless community. Project Homeless Connect, held at Wilbur Cross High School, was designed as a one-stop opportunity for the homeless population to receive and get access to all types of services.

This was the second year that the program has been held and over 400 people came to utilize the services provided. The range of services offered during Project Homeless Connect was vital to the project’s success. Many families came out, and in anticipation of this, there was an entire children’s area devoted to keeping the kids entertained with face painting and other fun activities. While the kids were occupied, the parents had time to seek out the services that they needed. Flu shots, hair cuts, housing services information, and care packages were top priority to most people attending the event. Other services offered were mammograms, substance abuse counseling, social security assistance, and legal counseling.

“Project Homeless Connect was so successful this year was because of the outpouring of support from the community. With about 68 volunteers at the event helping to set up, serve lunch, and guide people around, everything ran smoothly. Also, over 60 agencies, including Planned Parenthood, Columbus House, and North Haven Academy (a Paul Mitchell partner school), donated their time and services to make this event possible,” said Cecily Jones, Volunteer Engagement Coordinator of United Way of Greater New Haven.

To lend a helping hand in your community and to influence the condition of all please visit www.uwgnh.org.

About United Way:

United Way brings together the caring power of our community to create measurable, sustainable change and to improve lives. To do this we: help identify our region's greatest needs and best opportunities for change; raise dollars and invest those dollars for results; connect people to their caring through volunteer opportunities.

More information about United Way of Greater New Haven's community leadership and how you can help can be found at www.uwgnh.org.

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