2015 Strategy and Investment Plan
UNITED WAY OF KING COUNTY STRATEGY AND INVESTMENT PLAN Fiscal Year 2015 Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 UNITED WAY OF KING COUNTY FISCAL YEAR 2015 STRATEGY AND INVESTMENT PLAN November 2013 Table of Contents Overview ....................................................................................................................................................... 3 Core Services Investment Plan .................................................................................................................... 11 Basic Needs: Ending Childhood Hunger Strategy and Investment Plan ..................................................... 17 Basic Needs: Increasing Financial Stability Strategy and Investment Plan ................................................. 24 Ending Homelessness Strategy and Investment Plan ................................................................................. 30 Early Learning Strategy and Investment Plan ............................................................................................. 39 Community Impact Pilot: Reconnecting Youth Strategy and Investment Plan .......................................... 48 Crosswalk Outcomes To Result And Summary Of Funding Changes .......................................................... 55 United Way of King County Funding Principles .......................................................................................... 66 United Way of King County Results Framework Glossary .......................................................................... 68 United Way of King County Outcomes ....................................................................................................... 71 United Way of King County Governance Structure .................................................................................... 75 Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 UNITED WAY OF KING COUNTY STRATEGY AND INVESTMENT PLANS for Fiscal Year 2015 (July 1, 2014-June 30, 2015) United Way of King County brings caring people together to give, volunteer, and take action to help people in need and solve our community’s toughest challenges. Overview Guided by our mission and 2010-2015 strategic plan, United Way of King County solves community challenges and provides resources to respond to needs in the community. We identify emerging needs and service gaps, make strategic investments in nonprofit agencies, manage some programs directly, link volunteers to needed services, strengthen volunteer management, build capacity in community organizations, and advocate for public policies that help achieve success in our priority areas. This work is done primarily through United Way’s Community Services staff, the volunteer Community Building Committee and its Impact Councils, and organizations with which United Way partners. Values and Philosophy United Way of King County seeks to make positive lasting change in the lives of people in need, and in the community as a whole. To achieve our vision of an economically robust, safe, healthy, and proactively caring community in which every individual thrives during each stage of life: healthy children, successful students, engaged adults, and active older adults, we partner with nonprofit agencies, individuals, community leaders, businesses and local government. Tackling community problems requires attention to root causes and impacts of policies and practices on vulnerable citizens. We take a comprehensive approach: advocating to improve policies, engaging volunteers to strengthen community agencies, and focusing funding on best practices for system change. In the arena of public policy, we advocate with local, state and national policymakers to assure that public policies help the most vulnerable people and keep our nonprofit human services system strong. Our strength in research and planning allows us to survey and report on community conditions, promote effective strategies to address them, and inform our own grantmaking as well as that of other funders. As stewards of private and public funds, we work with agencies holding similar values including: Accountability: accountable to the community to deliver specific, defined results Inclusiveness: fosters an environment of respect in all interactions and creates a welcoming environment where all feel heard and valued Integrity: committed to honest, truthful, ethical and transparent interactions Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Collaboration: working with a variety of partners to achieve real results Excellence: committed to being a high performance organization, looking for innovation, striving for continuous improvement Catalytic Leadership: promoting positive change in our community Source: United Way of King County 2010-2015 Strategic Plan Community Conditions Following are several key data points that have shaped our plans for fiscal year 2015: Recovery from the recession is in progress, but not lifting everyone equally. Income and unemployment disparities persist and the wealth gap continues to grow. In 2012, the unemployment rate for African Americans was nearly twice that of whites in Washington State. In 2012, African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders in King County were 2-3 times more likely to live in poverty than whites and Asians. Fewer than 1% of apartments in King County are affordable to households earning less than 30% of Area Median Income ($26,000/year or $12.50/hour). Only half of renter households can afford average rent in King County. The overall on-time graduation rate from high school in King County was 79% in 2012. For African Americans the rate was 70%, Pacific Islanders 68%, Hispanics 61% and Native Americans 58%. For whites the rate was 89%. The local nonprofit landscape continues to change. Many nonprofits have closed, merged, reduced programs and services, and changed leadership in recent years. Agencies have been impacted by government budget reductions at the federal and state level, the federal budget sequester, and growing demand for services from an increasingly diverse population. Philanthropy and volunteerism are strong, however, they still provide only a small portion of the resources that support our human service system. Results Framework Our new Results Framework visually represents how United Way will utilize resources – financial and human capital – to achieve three types of results: Community Impact Results – measured through community or population-level indicators. Impact Investment Results – measured through reports from grantees on the results of services to individuals. These investments are an integral part of our community impact strategy. In addition to sound grantmaking, these investments also reflect program Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 evaluation, ramping services up to scale or other collaborative alignment tactics to solve tough community issues. Impact Investments are described in the Strategy and Investment Plans. Core Service Investment Results- also measured through reports from grantees on the results of services to individuals. These investments support seven results connected with our community impact priorities and six results that we consider foundational to all our work. We invest in quality, effective services delivered by high performing organizations through a competitive application process, and we monitor them through regular outcome and demographic reports. Core Services to Help People in Need United Way of King County will continue its investment to maintain stable support for a broad array of services that assure access to basic needs and essential services. We will invest an estimated $11,173,000 in Core Services to Help People in Need that are connected with our priorities. We will invest another $10,267,000 in fiscal year 2015 for a broad range of Core Services to Help People in Need that are foundational to all our results. Our investment strategy for core services is described in the Core Services to Help People in Need Investment Plan. Strategy and Investment Plans In addition to the Core Services Investment Plan, this document contains five Strategy and Investment Plans for fiscal year 2015 (July 1, 2014-June 30, 2015). The individual plans provide a description of our strategies and the theories and assumptions that inform them. The plans describe, through narrative and Theory of Change charts, the intentional connections across investment, influence and leverage strategies and our desired results. The synergy among our resource investments is intended to achieve community-level impact. Community Impact Priorities United Way of King County will continue in fiscal year 2015 to focus on three major priorities – Help People Meet their Basic Needs; End Homelessness; Give Every Child an Equal Chance to Succeed (Early Learning). Of the approximately $32,918,000 anticipated to be spent in fiscal year 2015, the three Community Impact Priorities (reflected at the top of the Results Framework on page 2) represent approximately $21,389,000. Each of these priorities aims to achieve a defined community-level result, contains a signature large-scale programmatic effort, and is supported by significant and multiple resource investments i.e. partnerships, systems change, public policy and advocacy, fundraising, marketing, volunteerism and a sustained leadership role within United Way to leverage additional resources. Community Impact Priorities are long-term commitments of United Way resources in order to achieve significant positive impact on some of our community’s most important and toughest challenges. Community Impact Pilots – Strategic Initiatives United Way’s Community Impact Pilots are strategic initiatives that involve moderate investments of resources (financial and staff time) in partnership with other funders, governments and/or community agencies to solve community issues in a time-limited and Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 focused way. Pilots typically include an approach to community-level change and may have potential for becoming a new Community Impact Priority. The fiscal year 2015 Strategy and Investment Plan includes one Community Impact Pilot, reconnecting youth and young adults to successful educational and career pathways. An anticipated $552,000 will be spent on this pilot in fiscal year 2015. Influencing Policy, Systems Change and Development Public policy and systems change is integral to achieving our Community Impact Priorities and maintaining a strong human services system in King County. We believe that we can bring about positive changes in governmental policies and funding and improve the human services system by identifying problems and system barriers, proposing solutions, aligning our approaches and messaging with partners, educating individuals and policymakers and offering opportunities for United Way stakeholders to advocate. In fiscal year 2015, we will foster greater collaboration between policy and program impact areas around new initiatives resulting in early identification of beneficial policy and system changes and the ability to act as a “broker” in facilitating the identified changes. Crosscutting Approaches Three foundational approaches are key to all of our work: 1) grants to support new ideas and approaches and address emerging needs, 2) an intentional focus on racial equity and reducing racial, and 3) strengthening nonprofits and building community through volunteerism. Supporting New Ideas and Approaches to Meet Existing and Emerging Needs United Way’s “New Solutions” grantmaking recognizes that existing human services are not always successful in meeting needs. Agencies may not have adequate capacity, or there may be no organization currently serving a location or population. An organization may be providing services that are not responsive to or relevant for a particular population. With emerging needs and ethnic populations relatively new to King County, agencies and communities may not know the best way to provide meaningful and effective service. We believe that when we support new ideas and approaches to strengthen organizational and community capacity, and a community’s own strengths and assets are deployed toward shared challenges, organizations and communities in King County will effectively meet emerging needs. United Way’s New Solutions grants are intended to support innovative approaches to advance best practices in service design and delivery or to build organizational capacity – through partnership arrangements, leadership development, and/or community building sufficient to meet those emerging needs. Examples of previous New Solutions grants include investments in: adapting a child development/school readiness curriculum for the newly arrived Burmese community in South King County; developing a volunteer strategy for employment coaching with returning veterans; and creating a service learning model tailored to immigrant and refugee communities in Southeast Seattle, providing leadership and professional skills to participants and capacity to Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 small agencies. In fiscal year 2015, United Way anticipates investing $588,000 in New Solutions grants. Reducing Racial Disparities There are historical and institutional inequities that contribute to persistent racial disparities in income, education and health. United Way works proactively to reduce disparities and address inequities through our grantmaking investments and other community impact strategies. The Strategy and Investment Plans reflect an approach that combines utilizing data, consulting with affected communities, evaluating our progress towards reducing racial disparities and collaborating with other systems to monitor our progress. All strategies align with United Way of King County’s goal of reducing identified racial disparities, and community indicators for affected populations show targeted disparities reduced or eliminated. Racial equity is an over-arching priority for United Way’s community impact work. We will continue to direct our attention and resources toward removing the barriers that create and/or perpetuate racial disparities. Based on data that identify the issues and populations to be targeted, we will address racial disparities at the service, systems and policy levels. United Way of King County will fund organizations that demonstrate the capacity to deliver effective, culturally competent services that have the potential to reduce identified racial disparities. We will also work diligently with our community partners to determine where we can be most effective in promoting racially equitable policies and practices through public policy advocacy and other collaborative efforts. Mobilizing Volunteers, Strengthening Nonprofits and Building Community Accomplishing United Way’s mission requires a strong community in which residents are engaged in and supportive of the work needed to make our region a better place to live for all people. We are fortunate to live in a community that brings caring people together – we rank third in the nation for volunteerism. However, national and local research shows that many nonprofits lack the capacity to manage volunteers when all resources must be maximized to meet increasing need. We believe that when we promote and support volunteerism through training, technical assistance, events, and online connections, individuals, nonprofits, business, government and community organizations will be stronger partners in helping people in need and addressing our communities toughest challenges. Building volunteer management capacity is about more than finding volunteer opportunities for the general public. Research shows that nonprofits that strategically leverage volunteers outperform their peers on all measures of organizational capacity and have greater impact; engaging volunteers effectively can help an organization serve more people in a cost effective way; and organizations that make volunteers central to their work and manage them well generate 3-6 times as much value from volunteers as it costs to manage them. Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 In the 2015 fiscal year, United Way will build on our work to promote volunteerism and develop strong organizations able to address community needs. Specifically, we will: Strengthen nonprofit volunteer engagement Connect people to range of volunteer experiences Communicate the impact of volunteerism Mobilize volunteers strategically Increase the number of volunteers Whenever possible these approaches will be targeted to support organizations and activities aligned with our priorities. Specific strategies and investments include: Volunteer Impact Partnership: VIP 360 (up to 18 organizations engage in planning, peer support and training to make better use of volunteers) and VIP Manager Corps (10 hour/week pro bono volunteer support for up to 20 organizations) Governance training and resources, including Project LEAD leadership development program preparing people of color for civic leadership opportunities Broadening funder support for volunteerism and engaging nonprofit leaders in shifting organizational view of volunteers Volunteer mobilization via regional networks, volunteer listings online, Days of Service (Day of Caring and Martin Luther King Day), and support for corporate volunteerism Funding Level Changes The following charts show the allocation of grant funds for fiscal year 2014 (July 1, 2013-June 30, 2014) and the proposed allocation of grant funds for fiscal year 2015. Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 United Way of King County Fiscal Year 2014 Investments Community Impact Investments Ending Homelessness Help People Meet their Basic Needs Give Every Child an Equal Chance to Succeed PRIORITY TOTAL Community Impact Pilots Foundational Core Services New Solutions Volunteerism Other (Contingency, Infrastructure, VISTAs) FOUNDATIONAL INVESTMENT SUBTOTAL TOTAL Help People in Need Investments TOTAL $4,331,510 $4,903,243 $9,234,753 $1,403,770 $4,550,000 $10,285,280 $2,382,074 $3,818,612 $11,103,929 $3,785,844 $8,368,612 $21,389,209 $0 $10,285,280 $9,711,938 $588,415 $292,600 $225,900 $10,818,853 $21,922,782 $9,711,938 $588,415 $292,600 $225,900 $10,818,853 $32,208,062 66% 34% United Way of King County Fiscal Year 2015 Proposed Investments Ending Homelessness Help People Meet their Basic Needs Community Impact Investments $4,331,510 $1,403,770 Help People in Need TOTAL $4,903,243 $2,382,074 $9,234,753 $3,785,844 $5,250,000 $3,818,612 $9,038,612 $10,985,280 $11,103,929 $22,089,209 $551,802 $0 $551,802 $9,160,136 $9,160,136 New Solutions $588,415 $588,415 Volunteerism $292,600 $292,600 Other (Contingency, Infrastructure, VISTAs) $225,900 $225,900 $551,802 $10,267,051 $10,818,853 $11,537,082 $21,370,980 $32,908,062 Give Every Child an Equal Chance to Succeed PRIORITY TOTAL Community Impact Pilots Foundational Core Services FOUNDATIONAL INVESTMENT SUBTOTAL TOTAL 67% 33% Fiscal year 2015 investments reflect a flat budget, with the exception of an additional $700,000 for the Parent-Child Home Program, which plans to increase enrollment from 1,000 to 1,250 families for that year. Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 In addition, several investment areas will be opened for application and funding reallocated. More detail on these proposed investment changes and opportunities is included in the individual Strategy and Investment Plans and Appendices A and B. We will award some grants through competitive processes beginning in January 2014 and others through renewal of existing contracts. Conclusion The remainder of this document provides specific information on the strategies and investments United Way of King County will use to achieve our goals in fiscal year 2015. Specifically, the sections to follow include six plans (Core Services; Basic Needs - Ending Hunger; Basic Needs - Increasing Financial Stability for Vulnerable Populations; Ending Homelessness; Early Learning; Reconnecting Youth. The six appendices include more detailed information about intended results and funding processes, United Way Funding Principles, a glossary of terms, and a community impact governance organizational chart. Timeline November 2013 – Community Building Committee (CBC) reviews and approves fiscal year 2015 Strategy and Investment Plans (SIPs) January 2014 – United Way Board approves SIPs January-March 2014 – Funding applications and review processes completed March 2014 – CBC recommends fiscal year 2015 allocations to Board June 2014 - Board approves allocations July 1, 2014 – Grants to agencies Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Core Services Investment Plan Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Core Services to Help People in Need Investment Plan We are fortunate to live in a region that has a strong system of community supports that increases the ability of individuals to meet their own needs. United Way of King County’s investments in these supports - core services - provide stability for essential human services in the community while requiring that these services meet quality and effectiveness standards and reach vulnerable populations in proportion to need. This strategy assures that people who are experiencing distress can access assistance they need to maintain stable, productive lives. United Way’s core services investments provide a stable foundation of community support that, combined with additional strategies, allows us to achieve community impact. While we work to address the root causes of important community issues, United Way realizes that there are individuals in our region who need our support right now. That’s why we work to ensure the availability of resources like housing and housing support services, food assistance programs, personal safety services and disaster response systems. Rarely are any of us prepared when a crisis hits. When a crisis does occur, United Way is there, providing those in need with services and assistance to bring the stability they need to get back on track. Background The community conditions described in the overview affect people in every part of King County. The Great Recession has left many more people at risk economically and has reduced the capacity of the human service system to respond. The June 2013 King County Health and Human Services Transformation Plan aptly describes the realities people are facing: “…a family choosing between paying rent and buying medicine for a child; an immigrant who upon leaving a doctor’s appointment is confused about the follow-up instructions handed to her; a youth who witnessed violence at home and is now having trouble at school; a longtime city worker battling cancer who just filed for bankruptcy; the mom of a child with a developmental disability who takes unpaid leave from work to navigate the complicated service system; a Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 senior who misses an exercise class because there was no one to remind her; or the man with serious mental illness who died 25 years earlier than a neighbor because he could not get tailored services to help prevent and treat his diabetes”. (p. 11) Human service and health care providers along with family members, friends, and peers engage with King County residents as they face and respond to these challenges. Even before the economic downturn, many human service agencies reported concerning indicators such as longer wait times, people being turned away, and clients with increasingly complex needs. When the recession hit, the situation worsened as agencies faced budget cuts from public and private funders at the same time people were losing jobs and homes, causing more pressure on already stretched providers and insufficient access to services for all people in need. Racial Equity Racial disparities exist in nearly every measure of well-being. King County’s African American, Native American, and Latino populations, and some subpopulations in the Asian/Pacific Islander community are affected by poverty at three times the rate of whites. Unemployment is higher, and high school completion and life expectancy lower for these groups as well. These disparities reflect the differential barriers to opportunity embodied in race in our community. As long as some people lack equal opportunity to succeed, we cannot achieve our goals of ending homelessness, ending childhood hunger and all kids having an equal chance to succeed. United Way of King County is committed to promoting equal opportunity for everyone in our community to thrive. Services will be provided equitably across races and subregions in relation to need. Poverty will serve as an indicator of need across core services categories for the purpose of measuring equitable distribution of services. We seek to fund services that target the populations most in need for the specific service, based on disparity data and other community assessment information. We also expect assurance from our grantees that services are provided in a culturally responsive way to successfully engage and serve the target populations for equitable results. What Works Research tells us that human service organizations are most likely to be effective when they have a clear mission, adequate resources, and a theory of change for achieving their mission. They must have the capacity to deliver services as they are designed and to evaluate their programs and learn from the results. United Way of King County is committed to providing stable funding restricted only to results, in order to allow high performing organizations to invest in effective administration of high quality services. We seek ways to minimize grantees’ reporting burden by collecting only the information necessary to demonstrate performance and we strive to align reporting standards with other funders to the extent possible. United Way of King County continually works to improve the effectiveness of our investments through use of research, evaluation and performance data to maximize results. The body of research and availability of evidence-based and proven-effective service models varies widely Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 among service areas and results. When consensus exists in the community about specific practices that have been proven effective in achieving the results we seek with the populations to be served, we emphasize them in our funding processes. STRATEGY Assumptions behind the Theory We recognize that quality and effectiveness require infrastructure and administrative support, and flexibility to maximize leverage of other, more rigid funding. We also recognize that stable, reliable funding is important to maintaining a healthy service sector. We do our best to balance stability in our funding with the nimbleness to learn from results, refine strategy for greater community impact, and respond to emerging needs. We maintain high standards for administrative capacity, fiscal accountability and outcome evaluation to ensure our grant dollars are used to promote real change in the lives of vulnerable people. Investment Strategy and Results Our central strategy is grantmaking to fund services to help vulnerable people in our community. We invest in services that are essential to a healthy community, are critical to addressing our priorities, and are in areas in which our funding makes a difference. These investments support seven results connected with our community impact priorities and six results that we consider foundational to all our work. In fiscal year 2015, we will invest an estimated $11,173,000 in Core Services to Help People in Need that are connected with our priorities. We will invest another $10,267,000 in fiscal year 2015 for a broad range of Core Services to Help People in Need that are foundational to all our results. Core Service investments will touch the lives of 450,000 individuals in this time frame. Core Services Connected with Priorities: Description of specific investment strategies and funding changes are described in the Strategy and Investment Plan for each priority and the Appendices. Helping People Meet their Basic Needs Food banks will provide services for more than one million visits 2,000 people will increase their income through job training and employment services Ending Homelessness 14,000 people will receive emergency shelter 8,000 people will gain or maintain permanent housing through supportive services in shelter and housing programs Giving All Kids an Equal Chance to Succeed Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 3,000 parents will be informed, supported and engaged through parent education and involvement programs Early care and education providers will deliver high quality care through a range of quality initiatives for formal and informal care providers including information and referral to quality child care for 7,000 parents 5,000 young children will be supported in meeting developmental milestones through activities and services to ensure early intervention for children with developmental delays and child abuse prevention and intervention services Foundational Core Services Foundational Core Services include a diverse set of investments to ensure people have access to help when they need it. There are six specific results that we identify as foundational. We are currently working to implement best practices in three of these areas. Goals for investments in our foundational services include changes in $1,301,000 for the result youth and young adults gain education and work skills and $2,459,000 for the result youth achieve positive social development through high quality out of school time programs. Funding currently allocated to several outcomes for youth will be repurposed through a competitive application process. The details of these funding changes can be found in Appendices A and B. The goals for funding changes are: Leverage resources and build system capacity for the Reconnecting Youth pilot Implement data-driven strategies for academic success in middle grades Implement a community-wide quality assurance system for out of school time programing A portion of our investments in the result, people are empowered to manage their own health, includes a special project to promote health and wellness among older adults. United Way of King County currently invests $315,000 annually to support the Wellness Project. The Project represents a cornerstone of United Way’s investments in older adult wellness, and is in its first year of operation; therefore we will not be opening any of the Older Adult investments for application. We will review the full slate of Older Adult investments to identify opportunities to increase use of wellness strategies by current grantees. As the Wellness Project expands to community sites we will link this work to United Way of King County grantees in a more formal way. These are the goals for the six results in our foundational core services to help people in need: 1,000 youth and young adults will gain the education and work skills they need to be successful in work and life through the middle grades success efforts Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 38,000 youth will achieve positive social development through high quality out of school time programs 3,000 individuals and families will live in safe home environment through services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and their families 98,000 people will experience optimal mental and emotional well-being through counseling and treatment programs 4,200 people will be empowered to manage their own health through the Wellness Project, community health and dental clinics, and programs for older adults, adults with disabilities and adults with chronic health conditions 230,000 people will have easy access to services through information lines and emergency services A table showing how the current outcomes are categorized within these new results and the funding changes proposed for fiscal year 2015 can be found in Appendix A. Influence and Leverage Strategies Our primary strategy in this area is investment in effective services to help people in need. We do not have specific goals for influence and leverage. United Way of King County will work to ensure high standards for administrative capacity, fiscal accountability and outcome evaluation to ensure our grant dollars are used to promote real change in the lives of vulnerable people. We will support public policy efforts, mostly led by others, that promote a healthy human service system. We also seek to align reporting standards and outcome measurement methods with other funders as part of our overall grantmaking and evaluation strategy. Metrics Our goal in this area is to help people to meet their needs and make real changes in their lives. We therefore measure results at the individual level in terms of number of people served, services delivered, and outcomes achieved by the program participants. Goals for each result are indicated above. Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Basic Needs: Ending Childhood Hunger Strategy and Investment Plan Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Basic Needs: Ending Childhood Hunger Strategy and Investment Plan Background To meet pressing basic needs for the most vulnerable members of our community, United Way of King County focuses on: Ending hunger in King County for men, women, families and children Connecting people to public benefits, giving them the support they need to be independent and successful Increasing people's financial stability by linking families to tax credits, jobs and programs that will help them save for the future Connecting families to resources through the 2-1-1 Community Information Line United Way is focusing on impact in two areas within the Basic Needs portfolio: Ending Childhood Hunger and Increasing Financial Stability for vulnerable populations. The strategies and investments for Ending Childhood Hunger follow. The Financial Stability Strategy and Investment Plan can be found starting on page 24. United Way of King County’s Hunger Free King County Plan, developed in the spring of 2009, responded to the rapidly increasing demand on the region’s emergency food system. The Plan outlines 10 strategies focused on: Strengthening the infrastructure of the emergency food system Connecting families to federal nutrition benefits including Food Stamps (Food Stamps), Summer Meals, School Breakfast, and After School Meal Programs Ensuring families have access to healthy, nutritious and culturally appropriate foods Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Building the public and political will to end hunger Based on our experience implementing this plan, local and national data, and opportunities to leverage new public policy, United Way’s Basic Needs community impact priority for fiscal year 2015 is ending childhood hunger. Research shows that children from food insecure homes are likely to be behind in their academic development compared to other children. Food insecurity impairs academic development of young children, even during the summer months. Hungry children are less attentive, independent, and curious. They may have difficulty concentrating, which can negatively affect their reading ability as well as their verbal and motor skills. Children who are hungry also experience higher rates of hospitalization, chronic health conditions, and oral health concerns. Food Insecurity: “Food insecurity” is a term defined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that indicates that the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food, or the ability to acquire such food, is limited or uncertain for a household. USDA also reports on “very low food security” (hunger), which occurs when one or more people in the household were hungry over the course of the year because they couldn’t afford enough food. USDA monitors the extent and severity of food insecurity in U.S. households through an annual, nationally representative survey. Recent studies1 show that one in six Americans—and nearly one in five kids— struggles with hunger. With 6.2% of residents experiencing hunger, and 15.4% experiencing food insecurity, Washington ranks 14 th among states for both hunger and food insecurity. Locally, 99,000 King County school children are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches; in some King County communities, more than 70% of students are eligible. We are fortunate to have a strong federal nutrition safety net that allows use of federal funds to feed hungry children where they live, learn, and play. These programs include Food Stamps, National School Breakfast and Lunch, At Risk After School Meals, and Summer Meals. However, with the exception of the National School Lunch Program, these programs are widely underutilized in King County: Approximately 82% of eligible families in King County are accessing Food Stamps (our best defense against hunger) Washington ranks 39th in the U.S. for school breakfast participation, with only 43.9% (160,288 kids) of all low-income students who eat subsidized school lunches also eating school breakfasts 1 Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Annual Household Food Security Report, 2013 Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Only a few dozen community partners are using the After School Meals Programs which reimburses sites for snacks and summer meals Only 14% of the 99,000 eligible King County kids participate in the Summer Meals Program Racial Equity People of color are dramatically more likely to face difficulties in meeting basic needs. African American, Native American, Hispanic and certain immigrant groups have consistently faced higher rates of poverty, higher unemployment, barriers to adequate health care and other resources. While the recession has taken a toll on the food security of many communities across the nation, there is a substantial body of evidence indicating that Latino communities are disproportionately food insecure. Nationally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 26.2% of Latino households are food insecure, compared to the overall food insecurity rate of 14.5% for all households2. The rate of very low food security is more than three times higher for Latino households, with 17% reporting very low food security in contrast to the national rate of 5.4%.3 Locally, Latinos are at greater risk of food insecurity than other populations – and households with children are at the greatest risk. The Communities Count report shows that almost half of King County Hispanic/Latino households with children experienced food hardship in 2010, nearly four times the rate in Hispanic/Latino households without children. United Way of King County is currently focusing additional resources on addressing food security for Latino families. Our goal is to reduce the number of Latino households at risk of hunger by 25% by 2018. Strategies have been informed by local advocates, our annual Hunger Action Week Food Security Survey, community-based organizations, and food insecure families. We will focus on: translating outreach materials for federal nutrition programs, maximizing the availability of culturally relevant food, working with community-based organizations to expand summer and after school meal sites in areas with the highest numbers of Latino families, and engaging Latino families in nutrition education. We will also invest in data collection and analysis in order to evaluate the progress of our work to reduce Latino hunger. Finally, we will support legislation that increases access to food for Latino families – including the State Food Assistance program, which provides food stamp benefits to legal immigrants ineligible for the federal program due to their immigration status. 2 3 Household Food Security in the United States in 2010, USDA, September 2011, p. 10 USDA, 2011, p. 12 Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Public Policy Issues United Way recognizes that government funding reductions have had and will continue to have an impact on the ability of low-income people to meet their basic needs. We are particularly concerned about ensuring that low-income people have access to food and other public benefits for which they are eligible. In 2013, United Way and its partners successfully advocated for an increased benefit rate for State Food Assistance (now at 75% of federal food stamp level). In fiscal year 2015, United Way will identify opportunities to leverage public funding, engage volunteers and AmeriCorps/VISTA members, influence public policy both at a legislative and administrative level and eliminate systemic barriers to accessing public programs and funding. What Works? Research tells us that we can end child hunger by: Increasing access to income supports and federal nutrition benefits Providing families with the tools to maximize food budgets and increase access to healthy foods Ensuring a robust emergency food system is available to provide immediate help when food dollars run short or when families face an unanticipated crisis; programs connect people in need with services in their community and fill critical gaps in federal food programs Building the public and political will to end hunger and maintain funding for federal nutrition programs STRATEGY Assumptions behind the Theory Federal nutrition benefits (Food Stamps, summer meals, etc.) are the frontline defense against hunger, and community food programs fill gaps and respond to family emergencies. Research has shown that federal nutrition benefits are the best way to meet family nutrition needs and reduce hunger. These programs are designed to provide resources necessary to meet nutrition needs, to reach those most in need, and to ensure resources are used for food while providing the flexibility and autonomy in food choices needed to reduce barriers to participation for those most at risk of food insecurity. However, many eligible people fail to utilize these benefits, so outreach and support are needed to maximize access and utilization and reduce hunger in our community. Investment Strategy and Results In fiscal year 2015, United Way will invest $2,039,000 to end childhood hunger, under the result “food insecure people gain access to nutritious food.” Investments and intended results include: Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Strengthening the infrastructure of the emergency food system. Results include more than one million visits to food banks supported and food banks being engaged in implementing and promoting the federal child nutrition programs. Connecting families to federal nutrition benefits including Food Stamps, Summer Meals, School Breakfast, and After School Meal Programs. Results include 4,000 applications for Food Stamps (85% eligible enrolled) and other benefits; 520,000 summer meals served (an increase of 30%). Ensuring 3,000 families in the Rainier Valley have access to healthy, nutritious and culturally appropriate foods. People helped to access public benefits and emergency food will be representative of need in terms of race and ethnicity. Influence Strategy and Results Influence or public policy and awareness efforts in fiscal year 2015 will focus on: Federal, state and local funding for food programs will be maintained or increased 5,000 people will participate in Hunger Action Week, a community-wide hunger awareness event that includes volunteer and educational opportunities Five school districts will participate in the At Risk After School Meals Program Five cities will become Summer Meals Champions, using their influence to expand and promote summer meal sites and participation Legislation will be developed at the state level to implement Breakfast After the Bell, to increase participation in school breakfast in high poverty schools Support for efforts to restore funding to the State Food Assistance Program Advocacy for a Farm Bill that maintains Food Stamps benefits for Washington families Support for efforts to maintain strong programming and funding at the federal level for child nutrition United Way’s Hunger Free King County effort has done a good job collaborating with public and private partners throughout the region. We invest in and work with a range of public/private workgroups, including the statewide Anti-Hunger & Nutrition Coalition, Share Our Strength and the Food Research and Action Center (both at the national level). We will continue to mobilize thousands of volunteers to increase awareness about the issue of hunger and work closely with local, state, and federal policy makers to maximize the federal nutrition resources to ensure effective child nutrition programs. While our results have been promising, the challenge ahead is to think about how we further leverage resources, reduce silos, and increase momentum to feed hungry children. Regions that have been most successful in this effort have a statewide collective that can develop clear metrics for ending hunger and mobilize resources toward the end goal. Two examples are Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Hunger Free Colorado and Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon. In 2013, United Way was awarded a prestigious Emerson Hunger Fellow to research and assist in strategy development around our hunger efforts. One result of his work will be exploration of a collective impact model to end child hunger. Leverage Strategy and Results Leveraging federal nutrition benefits is the key strategy in our Hunger Free King County effort. Increased benefits for families have significant ripple effects in the community. As an example, each dollar provided to a low-income person through Food Stamps generates $1.73 in local economic activity. In addition to the impact on child development, hunger adversely impacts the economic stability of families in King County. Low-income families who are already financially strapped spend an extra $316 per month on food in the summer, an expense that could be mitigated through the use of summer meals. Funding for summer meals is available to our community— but we don’t use it. Food Research and Action Center estimates that the state of Washington would receive an additional $7.2 million if just 40 of every 100 children receiving school lunches also received summer meals. In King County, that translates to an estimated $2.5 million in public benefits that go unused. Summer meals can be a critical resource for hungry children and their families. Finally, in addition to financial grants and our own mobilization of volunteers to achieve United Way goals, our work to end hunger benefits from the United Way Volunteer Center‘s capacity building efforts targeted to our grantees and other partners. Partners United Way is working with a number of partners to create a Hunger Free King County. They include WithinReach, Washington Appleseed, Children’s Alliance, Seattle Tilth, food banks and the emergency food system, and the Food Stamps Consortium. We are also working with public partners in our work to create a hunger free community including City of Seattle, other cities throughout King County, school districts, the US Department of Agriculture, the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the state Department of Social and Health Services. Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Basic Needs: Increasing Financial Stability Strategy and Investment Plan Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Basic Needs: Increasing Financial Stability for Vulnerable Populations Strategy and Investment Plan Background As noted in the previous section, United Way is focusing on two areas of impact within the Basic Needs portfolio: Ending Childhood Hunger and Increasing Financial Stability for Vulnerable Populations. The strategies and investments for Financial Stability follow. King County is a vibrant community that enjoys relatively low unemployment levels, access to good schools, and a high level of civic engagement. The 2013 National Opportunity Index gave us a B ranking for access to opportunity and economic mobility. However, the regional high cost of living keeps many families from escaping poverty. Approximately 219,700 households or 28% of all households in King County, have incomes below 50% of the area median income. Over 99,000 area school children rely on free or reduced price school meals. 23% of Washington state households are considered “asset poor,” meaning they lack the resources to subsist at the federal poverty level for three months if they lose a source of income4. Poverty is growing outside Seattle. A recent report from the Brookings Institution showed that the number of poor people in the suburbs increased by 80 percent between 2000 and 2011 — with much of that growth concentrated in King County, in the cities south of Seattle. The rate outpaced the nation’s and ranked the Puget Sound region as the 23 rd fastest growing for suburban poverty among the largest 100 metro areas. 4 Corporation for Enterprise Development, Asset & Opportunity Scorecard, 2010-11 Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 The socio-economic reality of King County dictates that many of our asset poor and low-income residents are from immigrant/refugee communities, where lack of English language skills and familiarity with mainstream financial systems result in disproportionately high usage of paid tax preparers, predatory lending, and high-cost financial products. When people lack income to meet their needs, they are often forced to choose between housing, utilities, transportation, child care, health care, and food. Income supports are available for many working poor and unemployed households in our community, but they are often underutilized by the people who could benefit from them the most. When low-income families try to access support, they are often faced with challenges caused by the reality that the key programs supporting low-income working families do not function as a system. Each operates under a separate set of rules (such as eligibility requirements tied to income, household size, etc.) that can deter low-income families from successfully applying for and receiving these benefits. Working families must navigate complex eligibility rules that differ across programs; and for this reason, most low-income working families do not receive the full set of supports. Over the last decade United Way of King County has developed a portfolio of high-impact programs, partnerships, and investments to increase financial stability and reduce the high cost of being poor for low-wage working families. We direct United Way investments toward strategies that leverage public and private dollars, improve access to income supports, and incorporate best practices for moving the target population toward greater financial stability. Racial Equity People of color are significantly more likely to face difficulties in meeting basic needs. African American, Native American, Hispanic and certain immigrant groups have consistently faced higher rates of poverty, higher unemployment, barriers to adequate health care and other resources. United Way’s financial stability work focuses on limited English speakers and immigrants and refugees. In 2010, immigrants who were not citizens had a much higher poverty rate than native-born Americans (19% versus 9%) and naturalized foreign-born residents had a poverty rate of 10%. Refugees over age 16 who have been in the U.S. less than five years have an average unemployment rate of 15%, compared to 7% for the general population. Nationally, only 12% of refugees own their home compared to 67% of native-born residents. Immigrant and refugee families struggle with homelessness at a disproportionate rate. Nineteen percent of foreignborn King County residents have not attained the education level of high school graduate or equivalent, compared to 4.4% of native-born residents. Immigrants and refugees in our community face substantial challenges. United Way developed the Immigrant and Refugee Employment Project in 2011 to provide work readiness training and job placement/retention services for immigrant and refugee community members. Program participants come from more than 20 countries. While some have mastered English, many Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 have limited if any English language skills. Some are illiterate in their native languages. Most have limited knowledge of the American workplace. United Way of King County has also mobilized resources to address the need for increased financial education. Since that time, we’ve learned that in order for financial education to be successful, the strategies must be deployed in a culturally competent manner. Existing resources are not adequately adapted to meet the needs of the immigrant and refugee populations so we are working with our partners to launch a financial empowerment campaign that meets the unique needs of this population. Finally, we have learned a lot from our work with the Free Tax Campaign. More than half of our 15,000 customers have a primary language other than English. To meet the needs of this population we actively recruit a multilingual volunteer force that speaks more than 40 different languages; translate all outreach materials into multiple languages; and partner with organizations such as Asian Counseling and Referral Service, El Centro de la Raza and Federal Way Multi-Service Center for outreach and site hosting. We also provide Individual Taxpayer ID Number acceptance services at tax sites through Express Credit Union staff, which allows us to help people without a Social Security Number, typically those who are undocumented, file their taxes. Public Policy Issues United Way recognizes that government funding reductions have had and will continue to have an impact on the ability of low-income people to meet their basic needs. We are particularly concerned about insuring that low-income people have access to public benefits for which they are eligible. Federal discussions about tax reform could affect tax credits (such as child tax credit and Earned Income Tax Credit) that now lift millions of people out of poverty as well as the charitable tax deduction which could impact all of private philanthropy. United Way will continue to identify opportunities to leverage public funding, engage volunteers and AmeriCorps/VISTA members, influence public policy both at a legislative and administrative level and eliminate systemic barriers to accessing public programs and funding. What Works? We know that federal, state and local resources to address poverty and its effects on families are underutilized. These resources can lift an individual or family out of poverty and give people the step up they need to reach their full potential. For example: an adult earning $10 per hour ($1,760 per month) caring for two children could qualify for: Up to a 40% reduction in utility bills $300 for food purchases Free health insurance for the children More than $600 in child care subsidies and/or free preschool More than $500 in tax credits Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Free job training and employment assistance Financial empowerment services, including financial counseling, education and training on budgeting, reducing debt and improving credit, and connection to affordable banking services These benefits could increase family resources to as much as $4,000 a month, lifting them out of poverty. Mobilizing hundreds of volunteers and community partners to connect low-income people to the income supports, resources, and expertise they need to become financially stable is an effective way to reach families at a large scale. By maximizing these resources we can help low-income people in King County on a path toward financial stability. STRATEGY Investment Strategy and Results In fiscal year 2015, United Way will invest more than $973,000 to increase the financial stability of low-income people, under the result “increased income.” Investments and intended results include: Increase utilization of Free Tax Preparation Services by serving 20,000 low-income taxpayers Increase utilization of income supports by 20% (including Earned Income Tax Credit, utility assistance, Free Application for Federal Student Aid, health insurance options) Increase access to job training and family-wage jobs for 2,000 vulnerable people. Target populations include: chronically homeless veterans; homeless individuals; immigrants and refugees; young people who are disconnected from school and work Connect 2,500 low-income working families to targeted financial empowerment services We are working to increase the number of immigrants and refugees who increase their income through our investments by 25%. Influence Strategy and Results United Way works to improve systems at the local, state, and federal level to improve access to income supports and jobs. We are specifically focused on efforts that: Streamline enrollment in income supports (e.g. Washington Connection an online service that provides information and enrollment in multiple state and local benefits all on one site) Support establishment of a local Financial Empowerment Center Support development of job training programs that leverage AmeriCorps resources Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Maintain funding for tax credits and public supports that help low-wage working families. Leverage Strategy and Results Leveraging federal benefits is the key strategy in our financial stability effort. Increased benefits for families have significant ripple effects in the community. As an example, each dollar provided to a low-income person through the Earned Income Tax Credit generates at least $1.50 in economic activity. Our financial stability investments leverage: AmeriCorps VISTA program resources More than 1,000 volunteers annually to support our financial stability work United Way’s relationships with the business sector More than $25 million in federal income supports including the EITC and Food Stamp Employment and Training program Finally, in addition to financial grants and our own mobilization of volunteers to achieve United Way goals, our work to create financial stability in vulnerable populations benefits from the United Way Volunteer Center‘s capacity building efforts targeted to our grantees and other partners. Partners United Way is working with a number of partners to increase the financial stability of lowincome vulnerable populations. We work closely with the Seattle King County Financial Empowerment Partnership which includes more than 80 public, private, and nonprofit agencies. Our Free Tax Campaign partners with more than 60 organizations to host tax sites, distribute outreach materials, and mobilize volunteers. More than 60% of funding for our financial empowerment work comes from targeted grants from public and private institutions. Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Ending Homelessness Strategy and Investment Plan Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Ending Homelessness Strategy and Investment Plan Background United Way of King County is committed to ending homelessness by ensuring that every person in King County has a safe and decent place to call home. United Way invests in programs that provide immediate shelter, short-term assistance and permanent supportive housing for our community’s most vulnerable people. We also invest in mental and physical health and chemical dependency services that help individuals experiencing homelessness gain and retain stable housing. We are fortunate in King County to have a mix of compassionate service providers, innovative programs and motivated funders dedicated to fighting homelessness. Yet there remain many vulnerable people in King County who do not have a safe and stable place to call home: The 2013 One Night Count of homeless people in King County found 2,736 unsheltered people living under bridges, sitting in bus shelters, huddled in campsites or sleeping in cars On the same night, 6,319 additional homeless people were in area emergency shelters and transitional housing programs 854 of the individuals identified in the One Night Count were chronically homeless, meaning they had been homeless for more than one year, or had experienced homelessness at least three times in the past four years On any given night, more than 700 young people are homeless or unstably housed – including more than 100 sleeping in places not meant for human habitation As of October 2013, more than 5,000 families were on the Family Housing Connection placement roster waiting for a referral to emergency housing Despite the many challenges significant progress has been made in helping meet the needs of people in our community experiencing homelessness. Over the last eight years our local TenYear Plan to End Homelessness has successfully ended homelessness for thousands of Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 individuals and families. A national leader in this effort, we have developed more than 5,000 units of new housing, launched coordinated entry systems for families and youth which help ease access to services, and prevented thousands from ever entering the homeless system. The emerging work to build a more systemic and robust Crisis Response system will do even more to meet the needs of those who are homeless and who do not have access to a roof over head. The Federal McKinney-Vento Act, as amended in 2009 by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act has developed metrics that communities must use to compete for federal funding to address homelessness. Our community has committed to measuring these results through shared data systems, and United Way contributes to and monitors these results through our grantmaking. These community-wide goals include: Reduce the number of people living on the streets and/or staying in places not meant for human habitation Reduce the length of time people are homeless Increase income of assisted households Decrease the number of households entering homelessness for the first time Reduce returns to homelessness after exits to permanent housing Reduce disparities in homelessness for African Americans and Native Americans and for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth United Way makes investments to improve the quality of the data that underlies these indicators, and to allow for the effective use of data for performance measurement and learning. Our community impact focus for fiscal year 2015 will be reducing the number of unsheltered people on the streets of King County. We believe that by working with our partners and focusing resources to move people quickly out of shelter, rapidly rehouse families, and divert runaway youth from the streets, we can drive down the number of people sleeping outside. As a community, we anticipate we will decrease this number by up to 10% per year. We will simultaneously address the flow of people into homelessness by enhancing our prevention work directed toward people at risk of homelessness. Racial Equity People of color are vastly overrepresented in the homeless population. Specifically, African Americans make up six percent of the population of King County, 15% of the population with incomes below poverty and 37% of the population served in homeless assistance programs. Native Americans make up less than one percent of the population of King County, two percent of the population below poverty and five percent of those served in homeless assistance programs. Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 The reasons behind the overrepresentation of people of color within the homeless population are multifaceted and complex, and include the fact that people of color exit other systems where they are similarly overrepresented, including criminal justice and foster care, into homelessness. United Way is a key partner in the County-wide goal to reduce the overrepresentation of homeless young people of color by 10% (from 67% to 57%) by 2015. United Way’s strategies to meet this goal include: Conducting “upstream” work through leadership and implementation of a federal Health and Human Services planning grant to address the flow of youth from the foster care system into homelessness o includes designing a service array to best meet the needs of child-welfare involved youth at greatest risk of homelessness. o population group predominantly consists of African American males with a history of trauma Piloting family reunification programs for youth in foster care such as “Lifelong Family Connections” at the YMCA, which serves 85-90% young people of color to identify and reconnect youth with caring adults Incorporating the input and advocacy of homeless and formerly homeless youth of color into planning processes through the Mockingbird Society’s Homeless Youth Initiative Providing technical assistance to ensure that culturally specific programs in South Seattle are able to expand their reach and impact Targeting investments to serve populations impacted by racial disparities, e.g. focusing new investments in South Seattle and South King County Assessing potential grantees’ cultural competence as part of funding recommendations Diligently requiring, interpreting and comparing data on program performance and outcome achievement, broken down by client demographics Our community has not adopted a community impact goal and joint strategies specifically designed to alter the racial composition of the overall homeless population. While the complexity of this challenge demands a collective response like the one that has evolved for homeless young people, United Way began convening parties to develop a cross-system approach in 2014, and will continue to advance more “downstream” strategies such as ensuring grantee housing placements and retention equitably and accurately reflect the makeup of the homeless population. Public Policy Issues United Way of King County recognizes that government support and funding reductions have had a major impact on housing and homelessness programs in the state. United Way is particularly concerned about reductions to the State Housing Trust Fund, the cornerstone of support for affordable housing for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 homelessness, and the proposed federal reduction for homeless assistance grants. We closely monitor other federal funding impacts such as reductions to funding for outreach services for homeless youth, impacts from the federal sequester on public housing vouchers, and any proposed changes to funding associated with the HEARTH Act. At the same time opportunities are emerging with implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and our public policy efforts are exploring how to connect the most vulnerable homeless people with coverage for the services they need to keep them safe and stable. What Works? Research-based best practices recommended by the National Alliance to End Homelessness and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness include specific services and system reforms that we have adopted in King County. These include: Coordinated entry and assessment. This helps homeless people know where to go for help, tell their story once, and receive a housing placement that best fits their needs. Prevention for those most at risk. Narrowly targeting prevention resources to those most at risk (for example, households that have received a final eviction notice) ensures effective use of these scarce resources. Rapid rehousing. Overall stability and progress are improved by reducing time on the streets or in shelter and avoiding long delays in achieving permanent housing. Housing First. This approach moves homeless individuals immediately from the streets or homeless shelters into their own apartments, rather than waiting until they are “housing ready,” which has historically meant clean and sober. Housing First holds that an individual’s primary need is to obtain stable housing, and that other issues can be addressed once housing is obtained. Support services focused on housing stability. The homeless system should focus on housing stability, and link to mainstream systems for other needed services. Increased collaborations with other systems. People experiencing homelessness often need a range of job training, financial supports, counseling and other services. Rather than duplicating these systems’ programs, the homeless system should support homeless clients in linking to these existing resources. STRATEGY Assumptions behind the Theory Homelessness affects a wide variety of people with a broad array of barriers to stable housing. It therefore requires a range of strategies best accomplished in partnership with other funders and providers. Accessing and aligning public and private dollars to prevent and end homelessness, while effectively using data for performance measurement and learning, will allow us to effectively make and assess progress. Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 We believe that if we support sound practices, unify efforts with other public and private funders, and make investments to help elements and regions of King County’s homelessness system work better together, we can keep single adults, youth and families off of the streets, and return them quickly to a safe place when they do confront homelessness. Investment Strategy and Results United Way will invest $9,616,000 in a continuum of services for people experiencing homelessness, including: Outreach and engagement Shelter Rapid rehousing Transitional housing Permanent housing Strategies to increase the incomes of people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness including job training Prevention services We make additional investments to address needs amongst specific populations, such as shelter beds for commercially sexually exploited youth and permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless adults. United Way of King County invests $1,204,000 in the areas of mental and physical health and chemical dependency (Outcomes 2419 and 2420). The Affordable Care Act has dramatically affected the delivery and funding of health care in Washington State, and homeless people are among those most affected. United Way expects to engage grantees in this area to ensure funds are being used in ways that maximize the potential of both the United Way funds and the Affordable Care Act. United Way will continue to review the funding strategies in place to serve homeless youth and young adults, and support strategies set forth in King County’s Comprehensive Plan to End Youth Homelessness by 2020 with new resources (at a level to be determined by fundraising efforts). As data comes in from investments under the Comprehensive Plan, and from Youth Housing Connection (Coordinated Entry), we will move United Way funds to support those efforts producing the strongest results. Existing investments in capacity building and potential investments in family reunification, both of which target the disproportionate overrepresentation of LGBTQ youth and young people of color in the homeless population, are under review for their ability to address existing disparities. Strategies to ensure equitable results for populations disproportionately affected by homelessness will be developed over the next year. Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Investments across all ending homelessness outcome areas will be reviewed to ensure each grant supports the new United Way Investment Results Framework. Grants that do not directly align with the new results framework, and new resources (at a level to be determined) will be invested to revitalize the Crisis Response System in King County. These investments will focus on moving people off of the streets, and aggressively working to lower the number of people trying to survive outside. Improving King County’s Crisis Response System will require: Highly targeted diversion strategies Increasing the availability of short-term emergency housing Increasing the availability of market rate housing options by taking effective programs like the Landlord Liaison Project to scale Increasing effective outreach to connect people living on the streets to case management, mental health services, and housing In fiscal year 2015, we will also review investments in survival services (Outcome 2104), transitional housing (Outcomes 2105 and 2108) and employment for people experiencing homelessness (Outcome 2508) to ensure alignment with the new United Way results framework. Grants that do not directly support the results may be reduced or eliminated. Competitive processes may take place in survival services and employment to ensure United Way is investing in evidence-based strategies that contribute to the new results framework. Within the community-wide HEARTH goals listed above, we have set the following specific goals for fiscal year 2015: Transition 300 families into housing through the Landlord Liaison Project and Rapid Rehousing Pilot Develop 20-30 new units of housing and shelter for homeless young people Decrease the homeless street count by 10% Ensure that people helped to prevent homelessness and access permanent housing will be representative of those in need in terms of race and ethnicity: 37% African American and 5% Native American 1,978 people receive supportive services in housing Influence Strategy and Results United Way builds the public and political will to end homelessness through education, policy, advocacy and volunteerism. Specific strategies include: Leadership within the Committee to End Homelessness, a broad coalition of government, business, faith communities, nonprofits, and homeless advocates working to implement the Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness in King County Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Advocacy for state and federal housing programs, including the state Housing Trust Fund, the state Housing and Essential Needs (HEN) program and the extension of foster care to age 21 for more youth to help prevent them exiting foster care to homelessness Federal advocacy for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) policies that affect local service delivery Advocacy partnerships with the Low Income Housing Institute, the Housing Development Consortium, the Mockingbird Society and Seattle King County Coalition on Homelessness Addressing the unique needs and resources available to address homelessness in each region of King County by funding planning efforts in South and East King County Investing to increase the capacity of smaller agencies in South Seattle that primarily serve people of color, in partnership with the City of Seattle and Building Changes; this racial equity grant will provide technical assistance to improve the competitiveness of these agencies as they seek public and private resources Mobilizing more than 1,500 volunteers each year to support strategies to end homelessness Hosting the Community Resource Exchange to raise public awareness about homelessness via media and volunteer engagement and allow more than 1,400 homeless clients to receive immediate services such as haircuts, public benefits and dental care, all in one place, on one day Providing continued support for Medicaid expansion to vulnerable populations, including exploring with the state a Supportive Housing Services Benefit through Medicaid for chronically homeless individuals Finally, in addition to financial grants and our own mobilization of volunteers to achieve United Way goals, our work to end homelessness benefits from the United Way Volunteer Center‘s capacity building efforts targeted to our grantees and other partners. Our intended results for fiscal year 2015 include: Federal, state and local funding for housing and homelessness programs will be maintained or increased Increased funding specifically for agencies working to prevent and end homelessness for people of color and in South Seattle and South King County Increased public awareness of the causes behind youth and young adult homelessness Increased public engagement in homelessness through volunteerism and private resources Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Leverage Strategy and Results We value projects and programs that produce excellent results and leverage other community resources including volunteers and public and private funding. United Way staff focused on ending homelessness participate in regional combined funding processes, and collaborate with other funders and other United Way teams to support joint projects with common goals aligned toward ending homelessness. In fiscal year 2015, our strategies will support: The joint funding process for homeless housing and services, conducted jointly with King County, City of Seattle, Building Changes, King County Housing Authority, and Seattle Housing Authority. The 2012 joint NOFA allocated a combined amount of $14.5 million. The Homeless Youth and Young Adult Initiative, in partnership with the Committee to End Homelessness, King County, the Raikes Foundation, the City of Seattle, Building Changes, and many other agencies and public and private funding partners. The Washington Families Fund, a public-private partnership dedicated to funding housing and support services, such as job training, parenting classes and financial planning, that help homeless families stabilize their lives and become self-sufficient. The Washington Families Fund has leveraged $2.6 million in King County since 2012 and $14 million statewide. The Emergency Food and Shelter Program local board, staffed by United Way, which last year allocated $830,000 of federal funds to support the provision of emergency food and shelter in King County. Safe Harbors, our community’s centralized homelessness database, sponsored jointly by the City of Seattle, King County and United Way. Projects that will strengthen the outcomes of other United Way strategies, including school readiness, meeting basic needs and the Reconnecting Youth pilot. Our fiscal year 2015 leverage results include: Leveraging $14 million in joint funding through aligned processes to achieve progress on each HEARTH community-wide indicator Conversion of reporting system for homelessness investments to Safe Harbors (the Countywide homelessness database) Partners To close the gaps and to find more ways to keep people off the streets, a large and diverse mix of local stakeholders has been working together for many years to unify efforts, share best practices and help elements of King County’s homelessness system work better together. United Way of King County will continue to serve as a key partner in this work. Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Early Learning Strategy and Investment Plan Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Early Learning Strategy and Investment Plan Giving Every Child an Equal Chance to Succeed Background United Way of King County invests in early childhood so that young children, their families, their caregivers and their communities have the support needed to ensure that children will thrive from birth, enter kindergarten ready to take advantage of school’s opportunities, and succeed throughout their school careers and their lives. We know that when we engage and build skills in parents and care providers, behaviors that foster young children’s development will increase and children will be prepared to succeed in school. Our vision is that 100% of entering kindergartners in King County are kindergarten-ready, and embedded in that is the necessary condition that racial, income, and language disparities in readiness are eliminated. All of United Way’s early learning investments and involvement work toward that goal. We are interested in expanding the scope of our work to include the kindergarten through third grade years- also considered part of the early learning years- and will seek opportunities to leverage other resources toward this end without reducing our support for children before the school years. The community measure we want to improve is: Children meeting or exceeding the kindergarten readiness level as measured by the Teaching Strategies GOLD (TS GOLD) assessment used as part of the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) process. The inventory looks at six domains: cognitive; language; literacy; math; physical; and social-emotional. Fall 2012 WaKIDS data for King County showed just 37% of children as being prepared in all six of the domains. Fall 2012 data also shows that the achievement gap is already present as a preparation gap, or opportunity gap, in the first weeks of kindergarten. The following graph illustrates differences in results by race; other data show similar disparities for low-income students and for English Language Learner students. Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Racial Equity We are focused on eliminating the racial disparities that are evident at kindergarten entry and persist in later education. United Way therefore has a significant focus on populations with identified school preparation and achievement gaps, including but not limited to African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Latino, and immigrant and refugee populations of color. We are currently exploring ways to better respond to needs in the American Indian/Alaskan Native community. Our racial equity strategies include: Taking to scale the Parent-Child Home Program, a school readiness-focused home visiting program that is particularly suited to work in communities of color and immigrant and refugee communities Providing additional technical assistance around racial equity to programs delivering the Parent-Child Home Program Striving for diversity and cultural relevance in the materials used in the direct service work we support Targeting investments to serve populations impacted by racial disparities, e.g. a goal for our Parent-Child Home Program is for at least 85% of families served to be from populations affected by racial disparities Assessing potential grantees’ cultural competence as part of funding recommendations Being diligent when presenting or interpreting data so that we are accurate, respectful, and forward-moving Influencing grantees through contractual requirements to engage staff that is reflective of the communities being served Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Diversifying our own volunteer participation through specific outreach and recruitment strategies Exploring issues of possible cultural bias in the TS GOLD measure, how they are being addressed, and advocating for changes, if warranted Public Policy Issues United Way follows and engages with the early learning proposals at the federal state and local levels, including tracking and supporting the City of Seattle Families & Education Levy (which provides some funding for the Parent-Child Home Program) and the emerging City of Seattle Universal Pre-K plan. We also advocate at the federal, state, and local levels to ensure that support for early learning is not limited to preschool, but includes significant emphasis on the years before preschool -a time when so much of brain, language and socio-emotional development occurs. We work with partners on preparation for reauthorizing federal support for home visiting, and identify opportunities to leverage public funding and influence public policy in both the legislative and administrative arenas. We are committed to ensuring better integration of early learning programs with the K-12 system, and eliminating systemic barriers within public programs and funding. We recognize that reductions in government support and funding have had a major impact on quality early childhood education programs and integration of early learning with K-12 education, and are particularly concerned about federal reductions to the Early Head Start and Head Start programs as a result of sequestration. What Works? The nurturing a child receives and the learning that occurs during the first few years build the brain’s architecture and shape that child’s continuing ability to thrive. Children who are ready to take advantage of all that kindergarten has to offer are those who have: been in the safe care of nurturing adults who spent time talking and playing with them had their physical and emotional needs responded to been given adequate nutrition and medical/dental care had social experiences with other young children been read and sung to and told stories been stimulated by and interacted with the world around them The world of young children is holistic; they learn in their natural environments and through relationships, so support to families, formal and informal care and education settings, and to children themselves, needs to be integrated to be effective. Similarly, young children do not learn early math concepts separately from early literacy or social concepts. For young children more than for humans of any other age, everything is intertwined. Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Improving school readiness requires a combination of strategies that support and inform parents and child care/preschool providers, as well as provide direct services to children that meet their individual needs. High quality care and education programs make an enormous difference for those young children that have access to them, and some children need support in overcoming barriers such as developmental delays or histories of abuse or neglect. The earlier that we identify and intervene with these issues, the more dramatic the progress children can make. Identifying and strategically addressing disparities and inequities for particular segments of the population is essential to achieving broader readiness. STRATEGIES Assumptions behind the Theory The education children receive in the K-12 system is critically important to their lives, but education does not begin at the kindergarten door. The data is clear that there is much we can do in the earliest years to prepare children for success in school, and that those who enter school without that preparation enter at a disadvantage- a disadvantage that it will be hard to overcome. Data also clearly identifies disparities in preparation by income, race, and language. Experts from fields ranging from public education to criminal justice to economics assert the importance of intentionally supporting children’s learning well before they enter kindergarten. Early childhood work often focuses on the preschool years, from ages three to five; while this is a critical part of children’s preparation for school, we want to emphasize that working with children and families earlier than that is essential for success. It’s important to reach children and families in the variety of settings (and variety of combinations of those settings) where they spend their time. While formal programming such as preschool and center-based activities is a critical part of the continuum of necessary services, they reach only half of our young children, and only for part of their days, weeks, and years. We have the most impact when we support, educate, and engage parents so that they are prepared to support their children throughout the years of their education. Investment Strategies and Results All of our early learning work is focused on achieving three overarching results: Parents are informed, supported, and engaged Early care and education providers deliver high quality services Young children meet developmental milestones Our interest in young children meeting developmental milestones covers all children, with a particular focus on early intervention for children with developmental delays and support for children who have faced or are at risk for abuse or neglect. Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 We know that all young children and their families need support in the early years, but given the opportunity/preparation gaps seen in the data above, we target our work toward the most vulnerable—the populations that statistically show up less prepared for school and have lower levels of achievement later in school. In order to help children meet the developmental milestones that will ensure that they are prepared for kindergarten, we will invest $9,069,000 to address their individual needs – whether a low-income child’s need for preschool, an immigrant child’s need for culturally and linguistically relevant services, or a developmentally delayed child’s need for specialized therapy. We also invest in helping early care and education providers –whether formal or informal- achieve the highest quality possible in their services and operations. Our primary area of investment remains informing, supporting, and engaging parents. Our scaling of the Parent-Child Home Program, culturally relevant home-based services that support school readiness in low-income two- and three-year-olds by engaging and building skills in their parents, will continue to be our key community impact investment in FY15. Expansion of the program in King County began in the 2011-12 funding year, moving into regions of the county outside Seattle and increasing the number of families served from 160 to 500. In 201213 we expanded again to reach 750 families, and in 2013-14 we are expanding further to reach 1,000 families. In fiscal year 2015 we anticipate reaching 1,200 families. We selected this program for expansion because of its effectiveness with the populations we are trying to reach, and because of its focus on parent-child interaction and language development. Its age of enrollment, around two, is intentional because of the emergence of verbal language skills at that time. Vocabulary development, which we know is tied to kindergarten readiness and later reading proficiency, is strongly influenced by how much parents talk to their children, and the most important aspect of children’s language experience is quantity, and therefore the amount of conversation and positive interaction between children and their parents is critical. Strategies: Invest in parent support/engagement, quality improvement in early care and education, and direct support for children and their particular needs, with an eye toward reducing disparities Parent-Child Home Program home visitors model conversation, reading and play between parents and children, and refer families to resources to meet other needs Results: Parents know how to support early learning and understand the expectations of school Formal and informal care providers know how to support early learning Low-income families, immigrant and refugee families and families of color are served Parents promote a nurturing and educational environment at home Children with delays achieve the highest level of functioning possible Formal and informal care providers support children’s learning Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Our fiscal year 2015 funding will be determined by several things: a) grants that are being renewed, assuming grantees are meeting performance and compliance expectations, b) one area of funding (parents are informed, supported, and engaged) being open for competitive application in January 2014, c) expansion planning and fundraising for the Parent-Child Home Program, which may involve adding grantees through an application process, and d) collective planning by our early intervention grantees. Influence Strategies and Results Supporting young children and their families is a community endeavor. To that end, we engage members of the community in direct work with children and families, and through advocacy designed to influence and leverage change at the policy level. Our strategies include: Mobilize volunteers to read weekly to low-income preschoolers Educate community members about early literacy Advocate for: integration of early learning with the K-12 system; early learning fundingespecially for children birth through 3; eliminating systemic barriers Work with providers to enhance services through parent engagement Diversify volunteer base to reflect children and families served Finally, in addition to financial grants and our own mobilization of volunteers to achieve United Way goals, our work to get all kids ready for school benefits from the United Way Volunteer Center‘s capacity building efforts targeted to our grantees and other partners. Intended fiscal year 2015 influence results include: King County residents support early learning Financial support for early care and education is available to families Early learning programs receive public funding support K-3rd system understands early learning concepts and strategies K-3rd system is connected with the early learning system Advocacy and volunteerism efforts reduce disparities Leverage Strategies and Results United Way actively leverages the work of our community partners whenever we can. Our strategies include: Active involvement in the King County Early Learning Coalition, SOAR Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Active involvement in local collective impact initiatives: Eastside Pathways (Bellevue) and the Road Map Project (South King County/South Seattle) Convene and support King County Early Learning Funders Collaborative Leverage school district funding, particularly as a strategy for ongoing support for the Parent-Child Home Program Intended fiscal year 2015 leverage results include: Coordinated and integrated early learning system Aligned resources to achieve common goals Broad community support and coordinated efforts around early learning goals Early learning is funded sustainably Community partners recognize and act on disparities data Metrics Our community measure is: Children meeting or exceeding the kindergarten readiness level as measured by the Teaching Strategies GOLD (TS GOLD) assessment used as part of the WaKIDS (Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills) process. We look to TS GOLD as our community level source of data because: It is the state’s legislatively mandated kindergarten readiness measure It has widespread and growing use in King County There is a consistent group of participants (entering kindergartners), so improvement within specific areas/populations should be clear It is used as the key measure by many of our community partners, enabling collaborative work; in particular it is a key collective impact measure for the Road Map Project in South King County and Eastside Pathways in Bellevue While the WaKIDS measure is still new and there is not yet community consensus about baselines, we are moving forward with setting targets and milestones with the best information we have to date, and will have our measures developed by the end of January 2014. Two key pieces of input are the targets currently being developed by the Data Work Group of the Road Map Project, and the WaKIDS data from fall 2013, just the second year of broad adoption of this kindergarten readiness measure. We anticipate that our target goal will be for a particular region or school district or neighborhood, and it will have a component addressing racial disparities. Partners We work with many partners in accomplishing this work, including other private and public funders, direct service providers, community volunteers, other local groups working on racial Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 equity in school readiness, business groups interested in early learning, the Early Learning Action Alliance, the statewide Home Visiting Coalition, the two local collective impact initiatives (Community Center for Education Results/Road Map Project and Eastside Pathways), Thrive by Five Washington, Department of Early Learning, City of Seattle, Seattle Housing Authority, schools and school districts, SOAR, and Seattle Public Library and King County Library System. Approved by the United Way of King County Board of Directors January 14, 2014 Community Impact Pilot: Reconnecting Youth Strategy and Investment Plan 48 Community Impact Pilot: Reconnecting Youth Strategy and Investment Plan In addition to our priority community impact goals, we identify community issues to test our ability to generate change. We develop time-limited and focused goals and evaluate our results to determine the potential for developing a new priority. We currently have one community impact pilot underway. Our Reconnecting Youth Initiative will be implemented through strategic investments in grantmaking, partnerships and policy – aimed at connecting youth and young adults to successful educational and career pathways. Youth and Young Adult Success United Way is investigating and investing in new strategies to help youth and young adults navigate transitions and stay connected to school and the vital services they need to successfully complete the secondary and post-secondary education and/or job skills training that will put them on track to achieve a living wage job. In the Puget Sound region, it is estimated that by 2018 67% of jobs will require a certificate or degree beyond a high school diploma. Unfortunately, many of our youth are not on a pathway to livable wages and/or career success. BACKGROUND On-time high school graduation is critical to future success - we know that high school graduates are more likely to be eligible and prepared for post-secondary education and/or credentialing, have higher wage jobs, contribute to the local economy and have better health outcomes. Youth who do not have their high school diploma or equivalency are more likely to be homeless, earn less than their peers, have drug/alcohol involvement and be incarcerated; 68% of all men in state and federal prison do not have a high school diploma. Racial Equity We know that youth who have not completed high school or who are in danger of dropping out are disproportionately youth of color, and those youth are disproportionately affected by negative school discipline policies and a lack of access to supportive services. The overall dropout rate for the class of 2010 in King County was 15%, masking the disparity between Asians and Whites at 11% and the African American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander and American Indian rates of 24-34%. In addition, students with limited English had a 39% dropout rate. We also know that African American, American Indians, Latino and certain immigrant groups have consistently faced higher rates of poverty, higher unemployment, and barriers to adequate 49 health care and other resources such as out of school time programs and child care for younger siblings creating multiple barriers to school success and graduation. The dropout rate for low income students (who are more likely to be youth of color) was 26% for the class of 2010. Public Policy Issues Government funding and policies and entities such as the K-12 school system and the child welfare and foster care systems have an enormous effect on the lives of youth and their successful transition to adulthood. United Way is particularly concerned about: continuation of foster youth in foster care settings until they are 21 (rather than the current aging out for some foster youth at 18), and re-engagement of youth who have dropped out of high school using mechanisms such as those established under HB 1418 and Adult Basic Education funding. United Way will identify opportunities to leverage public funding, engage volunteers, influence public policy both at a legislative and administrative level and eliminate systemic barriers to accessing public programs and funding. In 2013, United Way successfully advocated for an expansion of the Extended Foster Care program to allow foster youth who are engaged in activities that reduce barriers to employment to remain in care until age 21, giving them the safe housing they need to successfully transition to adulthood. What Works? For youth that have dropped out of school and are not working, national and state level research (e.g., the national Path Net initiative) and existing/emergent dropout re-engagement projects and programs in King County indicate that dropout re-engagement efforts that successfully connect high need youth to school and work, include these elements: Mentoring from caring adults Access to necessary social supports (e.g., transportation, child care, public benefits) – including connections where possible to opportunities to earn supplemental income to meet basic needs while youth complete post-secondary training Access to post-secondary education and training that follows the GED-plus philosophy – that is, integration of student-centered career planning, high skilled and accessible career and school counseling/system navigation, adult basic education for low literacy young adults, higher-level community and technical college course offerings, high school equivalency attainment, real-world skill training, and paid or unpaid work experience leading to a career credential and livable wage employment and careers. 50 RECONNECTING YOUTH STRATEGY AND INVESTMENT PLAN In 2010, the state legislature, under House Bill 1418 (now referred to as Open Doors), allocated resources to a comprehensive dropout re-engagement system that provides 16-21 year old youth access to $5,400 per year in basic education allocation to help them complete high school equivalency. Completion is carried out through a network of services provided by school districts, community and technical colleges, public and nonprofit agencies. Unfortunately, only about 600 18-21 year old youth have been served with HB 1418-funded programs in King County since its implementation in 2012. United Way will work to eliminate systemic barriers to accessing these underutilized state dollars from HB 1418. Community Impact Goals The target population is 18-21 year olds who are out of school with no high school diploma or equivalent, from a population of disproportionately represented youth of color. Year one goal: At least 250 targeted youth will enroll in Open Doors services by and/or before the end of the 2013-2014 school year Year two goal: At least 1,000 targeted youth will enroll in Open Doors services by and/or before the end of the 2014-2015 school year Five year goal: 7,200 youth will be cumulatively enrolled by the end of the 2017-2018 school year with at least a 75% completion rate Racial Equity Results The Open Doors effort will address racial disproportionality reflected in the higher dropout rates and lower post-secondary attainment rates of youth of color by focusing on these racial equity goals for student achievement (i.e., attainment of post-secondary credits counting towards a career credential and high school equivalency): For These Youth of Color African American Latino Native American White With These Base Rates for Completing 45 Post-Secondary Credits 29% 27% 27% 43% Racial Equity Goals in the Open Doors Demonstration Project (% completing 45 credits in one to two years) 38% 36% 36% 51 We are particularly focused on eliminating the racial disparities that are evident in the 18-21 year old high school dropout population. Our strategies for racial equity in dropout reengagement include: Focusing youth outreach in the United Way/ Puget Sound Educational Services District (PSESD) re-engagement demonstration project particularly on communities of color and immigrant and refugee communities Providing additional technical assistance around racial equity to programs delivering school and work re-engagement services Striving for diversity and cultural relevance in the materials used in the direct service work we support Targeting investments that United Way makes to support re-engagement, to serve populations impacted by racial disparities Assessing potential grantees’ cultural competence as part of funding recommendations Being diligent when presenting or interpreting data so that we are accurate, respectful, and forward-moving Influencing grantees through contractual requirements to engage staff that is reflective of the communities being served Diversifying our own volunteer participation through specific outreach and recruitment strategies Assumptions behind the Theory High-need 18-21 year-old dropouts face significantly more barriers to school and work success. In order to succeed in completion of post-secondary skill training and high school equivalency, high-need 18-21 year-old youth who tend to be emotionally and physically disconnected from K-12 resources require access to an integrated, smoothly functioning post-secondary education and training system that links intensive case management, basic adult education, skill-driven post-secondary training, social support, and work experience where possible. Investment Strategy and Results United Way will invest $400,000 to fund competitively selected community based organizations to organize and deliver outreach and case management services for the Open Doors demonstration project during the first year of the five-year (2013-2018) demonstration project. Outreach and enrollment will reflect the representation of 18-21 year-old youth of color in high school cohort dropout rates (32% Hispanic, 34% American Indian, and 24% African American). 52 At least 1,000 18-21 year-old high need dropouts in King County who are: enrolled in postsecondary training programs and activating up to $5.4 million in Open Doors funding towards completion of skills training during the 2014-2015 school year and position United Way to seek additional private funding to leverage these public dollars. Influence Strategy and Results We will create a compelling financial analysis and business plan that identifies funding needs and resources for re-engaging these dropouts. This plan will be used to engage community and technical colleges, community based organizations, and one or more K-12 systems in a demonstration partnership that will benefit high need 18-21 year old dropouts. By establishing partnership agreements with at least 3-4 of the four communities and/or technical colleges serving South Seattle and South County, 4-5 community-based organizations, and at least one K-12 system by March 2014, we will be positioned to meet our year one goal of 250 youth. The intent is to partner these organizations with the PSESD and United Way of King County in the implementation of a robustly integrated Open Doors demonstration project that helps boost post-secondary completion outcomes for 18-21 year-old dropouts. Leverage Strategy and Results United Way, in partnership with the PSESD, will access and use the $5,400 plus per student, annual stipend available to identify 18-21 year old dropouts and help them enroll in and complete post-secondary training with at least 45 credits within one to two years leading to a career certificate and high school equivalency. We will work closely with United Way staff focusing on ending homelessness to integrate and align outreach and service strategies for homeless and foster youth, with strategies for reconnecting youth -- to assure that homeless and foster youth in King County have an opportunity to re-connect to education (specifically post-secondary) opportunities that equip them for good paying jobs and careers. We will also focus on approval and a contract from the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to operate a Puget Sound Educational Services District (PSESD) and United Way of King County-led Open Doors demonstration collaborative to tap state Basic Education Allocation funding through the Open Doors program for the 2014-2015 school year and seek additional private funding to leverage these public dollars – with a focus on serving high need 18-21 year old dropouts, particularly those who have aged out of the foster care system and/or are homeless. Finally, United Way will work with our Volunteer Center to provide technical assistance around volunteer engagement to programs delivering school and work reengagement services and help recruit volunteers based on the needs of both participating youth and service providers. Partners Our partners include Community and Technical colleges, community-based organizations, and School Districts. Other critical partners include PSESD for partner development and operations management support for the Open Doors demonstration project and Community Center for 53 Education Results, providing project coordination for a Collective Impact Initiative for Opportunity Youth, within which the Open Doors demonstration project is one of several projects. 54 Appendix A CROSSWALK OUTCOMES TO RESULT AND SUMMARY OF FUNDING CHANGES The investment results in the right column are part of the new United Way of King County Results Framework. The outcome numbers and investment areas in the second column show which grants have been included in the new result categories. The list of former outcomes and their text is in Appendix E. Core Services Investment Result Youth and young adults gain education and work skills Youth achieve positive social development· Individuals and families live in safe home environment· People experience optimal mental and emotional wellbeing· People are empowered to manage their own health· People have easy access to services Former Outcome Numbers/ Investment Areas 2212 1467 2204 2211 2310 2303 2308 2312 2304 2309 2306 2311 2410 2416 Core-2420 2402 2408 2404 2417 2405 2418, 1463 2003 BN & Core-2011 2010 2012 BN-2415 2009 2509, 1441 Investment Plan Open and competitive process with some investments set aside for system level interventions. Middle grades investments $750,000, reconnecting youth $218,500 and $279,090 system interventions, $54,212 shift from 2211 To be released in competitive process, includes $200,000 set aside for YPQI capacity, $54,212 shift to 2212 Contracts will be renewed with no application process Total Planned Investment July 2014-June 2015 $1,301,802 $2,458,660 $1,025,204 Contracts will be renewed with no application process Youth services are engaged in designing new performance measure for their contracts. Contracts will be renewed with no application process $1,809,464 $1,689,839 Contracts will be renewed with no application process $1,863,584 55 Basic Needs End Childhood Hunger Impact Investment Result Former Outcome numbers/Investment Areas Food insecure people Increase access to nutritious food Increase the number of eligible people participating in Federal Nutrition Programs Basic Needs Impact Investment Result Financial Stability 2101 1454 FINRA Grants 3002 Access to Benefits 3006 Summer Meal RFP 3007 Child Nutrition Mini Grants 3008 RAVE Mini Grant 3009 Hunger free King County Investment Plan Contracts will be renewed with no application process Competitive processes for $600,000 in funding to support participation in federal programs including summer meals, after school meals, and breakfast after the bell will occur throughout 2014 and 2015. Former Outcome numbers/Investment Areas Immigrant and refugee employment cohort 2508 Free tax preparation campaign Investment Plan We anticipate reviewing employment-related investments in early 2014 for alignment with the new United Way results framework. Competitive funding processes may take place in summer or fall of 2014. Individual investments will be reviewed for alignment with new results framework in 2015. Investments that do not align may be reduced and eliminated. Agency allocations may change or Competitive funding processes may take place in summer or fall of 2014. No Change Total Planned Investment July 2014-June 2015 $836,348 $1,202,770 Total Planned Investment July 2014-June 2015 $482,000 $375,000 $176,000 56 End Homelessness Impact Investment Result Reduce the number of people sleeping outdoors or in places not meant for human habitation (All Ending Homelessness investments contribute to this result.) Former Outcome numbers/Investment Areas 2102 2103 2104 2105 2108 2109 2113 2112 2419 2420 Investment Plan Prevention strategies will be reviewed for alignment with new results framework and to ensure effectiveness. Competitive process may occur in 2015. Agency allocations may change. No change Individual investments will be reviewed for alignment with new results framework in 2014. Investments that do not align may be reduced and eliminated. Agency allocations may change. Individual investments will be reviewed for alignment with new results framework in 2015. Investments that do not align may be reduced and eliminated. Agency allocations may change. Individual investments will be reviewed for alignment with new results framework in 2015. Investments that do not align may be reduced and eliminated. Agency allocations may change. No change No change No change Reviewed for alignment with new results framework and relationship to Affordable Care Act. Probable competitive process in 2014. Agency allocations will change. Reviewed for alignment with new results framework and relationship to Affordable Care Act. Probable competitive process in 2014. Agency allocations will change. Campaign to End Chronic Homelessness 1450-Rapid Re-housing 1414-Landlord Liaison Project 1414-Tenant Services 1418-WA Families Fund 1462-Coordinated Entry and Assessment 1449-Housing Locator 2110-Youth Wraparound project Total Planned Investment July 2014-June 2015 $287,200 $1,200,908 $240,807 $572,770 $159,141 $901,871 $150,000 $100,000 $458,203 $746,060 $2,178,010 $336,283 in new resources moved from Prevention (Outcome 2102) to support Rapid Rehousing for Families Pilot $436,283 No Change $200,000 No Change No Change $18,000 $60,000 No Change $100,000 No Change Scheduled ramp down of Groundwork Project. 57 $5,000 $225,000 End Homelessness Impact Investment Result continued Reduce the number of people sleeping outdoors or in places not meant for human habitation ( All Ending Homelessness investments contribute to this result.) Former Outcome numbers/Investment Areas 1425-Foster Youth IDA Program (or Lifelong Family Connections?) 1438-Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth Project Phase I YYA Plan: Coordinated Entry National Safe Place Youth Homelessness Prevention Program Phase I YYA Plan: data and King County Staff Implementation of King County Youth & Young Adult Homelessness Plan: Phase II Count Us In Project Cool/ SKCCH Committee to End Homelessness Regional Coordinator Community Resource Exchange Prisoner Reentry – evaluating program model 1440-Balance of Implementation of Youth Young adult Initiative Ending Homelessness Capacity Investment Plan Total Planned Investment July 2014-June 2015 No Change $121,500 No Change $100,000 No Change $120,000 No Change $200,000 $140,000 To be allocated through competitive process in late 2013 or early 2014. $250,000 No Change $20,000 $4,000 No Change $95,000 $25,000 $10,000 $25,000 $60,000 58 Give All Kids an Equal Chance to Succeed Impact Investment Result I Increase the percentage of children who enter Kindergarten ready to learn/ Parents are informed, supported and engaged Former Outcome numbers/Investment Areas 1433 Parent Child Home Program Investment Plan Current provider contracts will be renewed, some with increased numbers, with no application process. RFQ for new providers, if any, by invitation in spring 2014. Planned growth to 1200 families, but timing and size of growth subject to fundraising results. 1437 Racial Equity Project Funding 1466 Parent Child Home Program - Research and Evaluation 1468 I-LABS Thrive by Five Parents are informed, supported and engaged Early care and education providers are deliver high quality services Young children are supported in meeting developmental milestones (This results includes specific areas of focus on early intervention and child abuse/neglect) 2201, EL-2007 1433 (Parent-Child Home Program)also contributes to this outcome, but is in Community Impact EL-2005, EL-2011, Family Friend & Neighbor Caregiver support, SOAR (1420, 1424) 2209 2305 2409 Total Planned Investment July 2014-June 2015 $5,000,000 $50,000 Contract with independent evaluator negotiated year-to-year based on evaluation needs. Amount for FY15 will be determined in late FY14. Maintenance of support for partnership; Amount to be determined in late FY14. Maintenance of support for partnership; Amount to be determined in late FY14. Competitive application process for 2201 grants ($932,000) in January 2014. Contracts will be renewed with no application process. Performance measures will be renegotiated. Contracts will be renewed with no application process. Performance measures will be renegotiated. Early intervention grantees participating in the systemic work on serving families of color and immigrant/refugee families will be eligible for a portion of $10,000 that has been added to this result amount; specific allocation of those dollars to be determined in spring 2014. 59 TBD$150,000 TBD $25,000 TBD$25,000 $1,017,000 $483,597 $2,595,126 Crosscutting Investments Former Outcome numbers/Investment Areas * Dollars not to Grantees Contingency Funding Capacity Building Increasing volunteerism Agency infrastructure/Support Agency infrastructure/Support VISTA Contingency/Vice President Contingency/Vice President Volunteer Center Contingency/Vice President Planning New Solutions New Solutions - dues and memberships New Solutions New Solutions Investment Plan Total Fiscal Year 2015 Investments Total Planned Investment July 2014-June 2015 $1,106,915 $32,908,061 60 APPENDIX B Open Applications, Requests for Proposals and other funding changes proposed for Fiscal Year 2015 This document includes specific goals and requirements for funding in each investment area to supplement the information in Attachment A. A total of $5,552,000 will be opened for competitive application for 2015 another $1,100,000 is under consideration for opening for competition. In addition, $2,176,000 in grants will be reviewed for alignment with current goals and potentially changed without application. Core Services Middle Grade Success (formerly outcome 2212) United Way of King County will invest $750,000 beginning July 2014 to support a coordinated set of resources to ensure that middle grade students enter ninth grade on a pathway to success. The coordinated, strategic network of services will: Support families to address barriers and/or obstacles to their child’s success Provide high quality out of school time opportunities that reinforce and enhance learning Engage adults and/or businesses and/or faith communities to support student success Indicators: Barriers to success in school are reduced for middle grade students (self-report from parents and teachers) All identified youth make progress on attendance in middle grades Youth make progress on at least two of the three threshold indicators: school attendance, behavior, math and/or English success A portion of the funding ($100,000) will be allocated to a pilot in the Renton School District. Partners in that pilot will be identified through a process that is currently underway. For the Renton Pilot and the remaining $650,000 investment, successful applicants will have to demonstrate a data sharing relationship with the School District where they intend to work as well as the ability to collect data on attendance, grades and behavior and coordinate the wraparound supports and referral system at a scale that will lead to success in the indicators. 61 Social Development and Academic Pathways (formerly outcomes 2310, 2211 and 2204) United Way of King County supports high quality programs that keep young people connected and offer opportunities to explore and learn new skills that lead to improved social, emotional and academic outcomes. Four or five output measures (and alignment with Youth Development Executives of King County’s work) will be focused on youth increasing regular participation in programs with emphasis on youth with the greatest needs including low-income, immigrant youth, youth of color and limited English speakers. A Request for Proposals (RFP) will be open in January 2014 to allocate approximately $2,426,785 starting July 1, 2014, focused on quality programs providing an array of services that support social development and academic pathways. Investments will include a continuum of services that support social and academic development activities that promote family engagement in children’s learning, positive relationships with peers and adults, life skills, mentoring, homework help and tutoring, engagement in pro-social activities and volunteerism. As part of this alignment, beginning in July 2014, United Way will require organizations funded in this investment area to participate in the Youth Program Quality Initiative (YPQI). An additional $200,000 will be invested through an open RFP in January 2014 (contracts to begin July 1, 2014) to support organizations currently not participating in YPQI and serving low-income, youth of color and limited English speakers. Youth are Healthy and Safe (outcome 2410 and 2419) Youth service providers are participating in a prototype in developing a logic model including outcome statements. This area will not be open for application. Basic Needs – Ending Childhood Hunger Competitive processes for $600,000 in funding to support participation in federal programs including summer meals, after school meals, and breakfast after the bell will occur throughout 2014 and 2015. Basic Needs – Increasing Financial Stability for Vulnerable Populations We anticipate reviewing employment-related investments in early 2014 for alignment with the new United Way results framework. Competitive funding processes for $482,000 may take place in summer or fall of 2014. 62 United Way will review all investments ($375,000) in employment for people experiencing homelessness (Outcome 2508) to ensure alignment with the new United Way results framework. Grants that do not directly support the results may be reduced or eliminated. Competitive processes may take place in summer or fall of 2014 to ensure United Way is investing in evidence-based strategies that contribute to the new results framework. Ending Homelessness Anticipated funding changes in the area of ending homelessness will be effective as of July 1, 2014, with processes to occur between December 2013 and June 2014. Crisis Response United Way will identify up to $1,204,463 in funds within Outcomes 2104 (survival services), 2419 (health) and 2420 (chemical dependency/mental health) that are not serving or best-serving homeless clients. After conversations with providers, some funds may shift to make immediate (fiscal year 2014) investments in the Crisis Response system. Crisis Response investments will focus on moving people off of the streets, and aggressively working to lower the number of people trying to survive outside. Note that some of these investments may begin before the start of fiscal year 2015 and would be anticipated to carry through that fiscal year. Youth Homelessness In alignment with the King County Plan to End Youth and Young Adult Homelessness by 2020, United Way has approximately $250,000 in new resources to support the priority activities identified in this community-wide plan. Some allocations may be made through competitive processes. All investments will be made in alignment with other public and private funders supporting the Plan. Prevention (Outcome 2102) United Way will open $287,200 in funds supporting homelessness prevention to competitive application in early 2014. Allocations will be made to reflect new research and evidence-based practices in prevention. All prevention grants should support the goal within United Way’s new results framework: “Decrease the number of households entering homelessness for the first time.” Eligible programs for Prevention Funds will likely include rental assistance, legal assistance for people receiving eviction notices, financial assistance and case management associated with these prevention services. Other anticipated processes include: 63 Additional new investments may be made in Youth Homelessness in alignment with King County Plan to End Youth and Young Adult Homelessness (dependent on fundraising). As above, these may occur through a competitive process and will be made in alignment with other public and private funders. In addition, as data comes in from investments under the Comprehensive Plan, and from Youth Housing Connection (Coordinated Engagement), we will review historical United Way investments addressing youth homelessness, and anticipate moving United Way funds to support those efforts producing the strongest results in alignment with the Plan. United Way will review all investments (up to $972,718) in survival services (Outcome 2104), transitional housing (Outcomes 2105 and 2108) to ensure alignment with the new United Way results framework. Grants that do not directly support the results may be reduced or eliminated. Competitive processes may take place in survival services and employment to ensure United Way is investing in evidence-based strategies that contribute to the new results framework. United Way also anticipates review of remaining former Outcome 2419 and 2420 funds to align health grants with the new results framework and Affordable Care Act. United Way invests $1.1 million in these areas. The Affordable Care Act will dramatically affect the delivery and funding of health care in Washington, and homeless people are among those most affected. United Way expects to engage grantees in this area to ensure funds are being used in ways that maximize the potential of both the United Way funds and the Affordable Care Act. A competitive process would potentially be held in summer 2014. Early Learning Parents are Informed, Supported, and Engaged In January 2014 we will have an open, competitive process for $932,000 in fiscal year 2015 funding for parent support and engagement. Current providers and those not currently funded by United Way will be eligible to apply. Funding will emphasize addressing racial disparities. In a change from previous funding rounds when grantees applied for multiple programs under one outcome, dollars will be awarded by program within this Investment Result. Parent-Child Home Program Depending on expansion planning and fundraising status for this restricted campaign, we may solicit additional Parent-Child Home Program providers through an invited RFQ process in the first half of calendar year 2014. Young Children Meet Developmental Milestones 64 Early intervention grantees that have been participating in United Way’s systemic work on serving families of color and immigrant/refugee families will benefit from $10,000 that has been added to this Investment Result for fiscal year 2015. Specific allocation of these dollars will be determined in spring 2014, and may involve direct allocation to grantees and/or investment in resources that will be jointly used. Community Impact Pilot - Reconnecting Youth A total of $551,802 is being repurposed from existing outcome 2212: $400,000 of these funds will be distributed via a competitive RFP in January 2014 to front-load case management and social support services provided by nonprofit human service agencies. Services will be for high-need 18-21 year old dropouts that will enroll and move through post-secondary training in the Open Doors demonstration in 2014-2015. $150,000 will be allocated to support system change partnerships (e.g., a United Way/PSESD Open Doors partnership). Contracts will begin July 1, 2014. 65 Appendix C United Way of King County Funding Principles General Guidelines Overall guiding principle: Proposals should be consistent with our mission of bringing caring people together to give, volunteer, and take action to help people in need and solve our community’s toughest challenges. 1. United Way of King County investments will focus on achieving measurable results - community level and program level - which reflect the goals outlined in the Strategy and Investment Plans 2. United Way of King County investments are guided by our donors. As stewards of donor dollars, we match our investments in the community with donor intent 3. United Way prioritizes three bodies of work: helping people meet their basic needs, ending homelessness and giving all kids an equal chance to succeed 4. United Way prioritizes support for services to the most vulnerable and underserved people in our community, for example, very low-income families with young children, people experiencing long-term homelessness, older adults struggling to meet basic needs 5. United Way prioritizes funding for services and programs that address racial disparities. We are intentional about funding organizations that deliver effective, culturally competent services that work to reduce racial disparities 6. United Way prioritizes support for programs, services and strategies where our investment and involvement leverages other funds, is part of a larger partnership or plays an integral role in the human services system 7. United Way of King County serves all of King County and we balance funding support across the county in relation to need 8. United Way considers the impact of funding shifts from the public sector as well as other nonprofit agencies– to the extent that it affects our ability to accomplish our identified goals – when making our funding decisions 66 9. United Way funds high-performing agencies. Where there are low-performing or noncompliant agencies, funding will be affected. This can be based on outcome successes, or reporting compliance, material deficiencies or other noncompliance Additional information for grant applicants: United Way grants are for amounts of $30,000 or greater. Any exceptions to this guideline will be specified in individual Strategy and Investment Plans. United Way sets our grantmaking budget each year based on donor contributions. When and if there is a change in the amount of money available to grant from one year to the next (either positive or negative), United Way will not make across the board adjustments in our investments. Instead United Way will make strategic decisions 67 Appendix D United Way of King County Results Framework Glossary Community Impact Investment: Investment areas that support services directly connected to United Way’s community impact strategy. These are programs and services we want to work closely with to influence change in the service sector, implement new service strategies or learn together to improve impact and solve problems collectively. Examples: Parent-Child Home Program grants, we are working with providers to take to scale an evidence-based model; Emergency Shelter grants- we are implementing new measures and strategies to reduce the length of time it takes shelter guests to find permanent housing. Community Impact: a desired change in community conditions. Example: reduction in kindergarten readiness disparities between white and African American children Community Indicator: Something that can be measured to tell us whether a change in community conditions is happening. Example: the high school graduation rate is an indicator of academic achievement. The number of individual students graduate from high school is an indicator of individual success. The percent of all students in a particular population is a community indicator of academic success. We can demonstrate success in supporting academic achievement by increasing the percent of students in a population that graduate each year. Core Service Investments: Services focused on individual benefit that United Way intends to continue funding long-term because they meet a compelling need in the community that is foundational to all our work. We invest in quality, effective services delivered by high performing organizations through a competitive application process, and we monitor them through regular outcome and demographic reports. Core Service Investments may be directly connected to community impact strategies or foundational to all our goals. Examples: Information and referral systems, investment in food banks to provide access to emergency food; services to help people manage their own health. Framework Investment Result: The results that have been defined through the theories of change and included in the UWKC Results Framework. Example: Parents are informed, supported and engaged. Indicator: A measurable result of service, usually a change in knowledge, skill, attitude, behavior, or status that demonstrates progress toward an outcome goal. Example: avoidance of pregnancy before age 18 is the outcome goal, consistent use of contraceptives is an indicator. Influence strategies: activities we engage in with the purpose of changing policy and/or practices within other organizations to support our goals. Example: advocating with the state legislature to implement a kindergarten readiness measurement system. Investment area: An investment area is a defined set of investments with a distinct purpose. The term encompasses the way we define our specific goals for the investment, make investments through an application or other procurement process, and measure the extent to which our goals for the investment are 68 met. The term “investment area” replaces the term “outcome” to define a specific grantmaking purpose and associated funding requirements and allocation. Example: The result “Individuals/families live in safe home environment” encompasses several outcomes from the old framework. Each of those former outcomes could be an investment area, but if it helps us meet our investment goals better, we could develop investment areas based on the service type that distributes the funding differently. Investment Strategies: Resources we invest through grants to other non-profits for services to effect individual or organizational change. Example: funding to family support centers to pay for parent training classes. Leverage Strategies: Activities United Way engages in with the purpose of focusing resources of other individuals or organizations to achieve our goals. Example: developing agreements with King County Housing Authority to devote Section 8 housing vouchers to people experiencing homelessness who are enrolled in service programs we are funding. Measure: A way of collecting data to determine whether a result has been achieved or a goal has been met. For example if the goal is to increase skills, the measure may be the score on a skills test or staff observations recorded in a case file or score sheet. Outcome (obsolete definition): Result we are seeking for a specific investment area which also defines the name of the investment area. Example: Outcome 2509 People with disabilities acquire/strengthen skills and/or attributes that support successful employment. (We are phasing out the use of this term to identify our grants and investment areas/) Outcome: A desired change in knowledge, skill, attitude, behavior, or status. Example: increased parenting skills, increasing school attendance, becoming employed, achieving a high school diploma, gaining permanent housing. Outcomes are the result that should be measured in all cases unless the ultimate goal is not a change, but simply delivery of good or services, as in food banks. Sometimes the intended outcome is not feasible to measure. In that case an indicator of progress toward the outcome should be measured. Output: Goods or services produced by activities. Example: food bank visits, shelter bed nights. Outputs are an appropriate result to measure when the ultimate goal of the service or investment is for goods or services to be delivered in a way that cannot be expected to cause any measurable change in knowledge, skill, attitude, behavior, or status. Otherwise an outcome should be measured. Performance measure: How United Way measures the extent to which a grantee agency performs against a goal. This is generally an outcome or output that the agency agrees to produce through a contract for the grant funds we have awarded to them. The performance measures in our contracts are detailed in Attachment B, Scope of Work. Outcome Example: Students develop/strengthen skills and/or habits that support academic success. Number of participants that will achieve the outcome: 688. Output Example: Number of people that obtained basic food items: 15,000; Number of total outputs: 60,000. Result: What happens because of our effort or investment – may be output, outcome or impact. 69 Results Framework: The set of community impact goals and core service areas to be funded and the new set of results United Way will measure for our grantmaking activity. Strategy and Investment Plan(s): The Strategy and Investment Plans outline the strategy for meeting goals in each of United Way’s new result areas. The purpose of the plans is to provide information needed for approval of strategies and investments proposed for the coming fiscal year (July-June). Appendices provide additional details for grantees and other audiences such as funding levels and grant opportunities anticipated. Strategy: Activities United Way engages in that we believe will lead to community impact. Example: investing in services to help people find jobs, advocating for changes in employment laws or practices to remove barriers to employment, or working with businesses to develop internships or apprenticeship programs might all be different strategies for increasing employment rates among a certain population. Theory of Change: A statement summarizing the strategies we use and the belief that they will result in community impact. Example: When early warning indicators are utilized to target interventions to students, and a coordinated set of interventions are available to students and their families, students will improve attendance, avoid risky behaviors and academic progress will be made. 70 Appendix E United Way of King County Outcomes As of Fiscal year 2012 * Asterisk indicates the outcome appears in more than one impact area Early Learning Outcome Number Giving Kids an Equal Chance 2409 Children with developmental disabilities/delays achieve the highest possible degree of functioning 2305 Children who have been physically abused/neglected or are at imminent risk of physical abuse/ neglect live in a safe, functional home environment* 2209 Infants/young children meet developmental milestones and/or are prepared to enter kindergarten 2201 Parents/guardians acquire/strengthen parenting skills 2011 Human service organizations/ providers obtain assistance/ support that strengthens service-delivery capacity* 2007 People have access to child care services 2005 Child care providers are licensed and/or accredited 11+ grants funded outside the outcome funding framework Meeting People’s Basic Needs Outcome Number 2415 People experiencing emotional distress/crisis regain and/or maintain stability 2102 People at risk of becoming homeless retain stable housing 2101 People meet their basic food needs 2011* Human service organizations/ providers obtain assistance/ support that strengthens service-delivery capacity 2009* People have access to services and/or support 3009 14+ grants outside the outcome funding framework 71 Outcome Number Ending Homelessness 2508 People experiencing homelessness gain concrete job skills and/or obtain employment 2420* People with chronic health issues, chemical dependency and/or mental illness have access to integrated care and maintain optimum health including recovery 2419 People with mental illness and substance abuse/chemical dependency disorders improve their functioning on both dimensions of mental health and substance abuse/chemical dependency 2112 Youth/young adults experiencing homelessness receive outreach and/or engagement services 2110 Homeless youth/young adults secure stable housing 2109 Homeless people increase stability in permanent supportive housing 2108 Homeless people meet interim housing needs 2105 People transitioning out of homelessness secure permanent housing 2104 People are able to meet basic self-care and/or other survival needs 2103 Homeless people meet emergency/immediate shelter needs 1462 45+ Grants outside the outcome funding framework 72 Outcome Number Strengthening Our Community Bolstering Human Services 2509 People with disabilities acquire/ strengthen skills and/or attributes that support successful employment 2420* People with chronic health issues, chemical dependency and/or mental illness have access to integrated care and maintain optimum health including recovery 2418 Family/friend caregivers maintain/improve their physical, mental and emotional well-being 2417 People with progressive illness and/or severe disabilities live as fully as possible 2416 Older adults maintain optimal physical, mental and emotional health as they age 2410 Children/youth/young adults with emotional/behavioral disturbances develop/strengthen coping skills 2408 Improve/maintain a high quality of life and decrease social isolation for older adults 2405 People with physical, cognitive and/or developmental disabilities live independent/productive lives 2404 People living with chronic illness maintain optimum health 2402 People receive oral health care and/or treatment 2312 Children/youth who have experienced sexual abuse and/or assault make progress in recovering from the effects of the abuse/assault 2311 People strengthen attitudes and values that support ending interpersonal violence 2310 Youth learn and adopt attitudes, skills and behaviors that prevent/ reduce interpersonal violence 2309 Adult victims/survivors strengthen their ability to cope with the trauma of sexual assault 2308 Older/vulnerable adults are in a safe, non-abusive living environment 2306 Batterers who receive treatment stop abusive behaviors 2305* Children who have been physically abused/neglected or are at imminent risk of physical abuse/ neglect live in a safe, functional home environment 2304 Children/youth who are affected by domestic violence in the home develop/strengthen coping and/or interpersonal skills 2303 Adult survivors of domestic violence enhance tools and awareness that support personal safety and/or personal goals 2212 Educationally at-risk youth/young adults make progress toward their educational goals 2211 Students develop/strengthen skills and/or habits that support academic success 2204 Youth/children strengthen skills/assets that support positive social development 73 2012 People who experience a disaster receive emergency relief services/ support 2011* Human service organizations/ providers obtain assistance/ support that strengthens service-delivery capacity 2010 People obtain legal assistance 2009 People have access to services and/or support 2003 People/communities are prepared to take appropriate action/respond in an emergency/disaster Outcome Number Other grant funding outside the outcome funding framework, not connected to one impact area 1437 Racial Equity TA Project 4000 New Solutions 1429 Increasing Volunteerism 74 Appendix F United Way of King County Governance Structure 75
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