Since 1941, our United Way has worked to strengthen lives by bringing together the financial resources of the region – business, labour, individuals, government, and funders - in support of a network of social service and health agencies. Through these agencies and their programs, people found help and, in many cases, opportunity for a better life.

While we remain committed to this very important work, we recognize that we, as a community continue to face complex social challenges.

We know that early development is the key to prevention.   We know that our communities have a number of youth who find themselves in difficult situations, often making choices that have serious consequences for them and their families.  We know that many in our community struggle to make ends meet.

Through research and analysis, we know there are neighbourhoods in our community that need help. Often in these neighbourhoods, youth are not engaged, leaving them vulnerable. Children frequently go to school hungry, and with parents working multiple jobs to make ends meet, are left unattended after school.

We are aware that homelessness is an issue in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A). Our community plan on homelessness has identified a number of the challenges faced by those who suddenly become homeless, due to a sudden illness, changes in their family or employment situations. 

To address these challenges, United Way needs to tackle the root causes, needs to understand social trends and needs to identify partners who will help with what are often very complex issues.

To do so, in addition to funding programs and services delivered by funded agencies, we are working on a second approach. This model focuses on mobilizing people from all walks of life and gathering resources through unique engagements, volunteerism and partnerships.

Our United Way is working closely with key partners, individuals and organizations to develop a long term strategy to address many of these issues. Our partners come from the community including education, government, policy-makers, businesses, labour, not-for-profits and others working together to change the conditions of individuals, neighbourhoods and the community. This approach is what we call Community Impact.

We achieve impact through a process of determining long-term community goals with our partners, deciding how we will measure success, implementing the right strategies, and measuring results over time.