United Way facilitates and collaborates on many community initiatives that positively impact the health and well being of local residents.

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Community Building Inititatives

Emergency Food and Shelter Program (FEMA)
United Way recommends the disbursement of federal funds to local agencies that provide services related to emergency food, shelter, and utilities.

Food Resource Committee - Emergency Food Resource Fund
A collaborative spearheaded by the United Way to assess the needs of our area food pantries and soup kitchens, this initiative provides assurance that our most vulnerable citizens are not without access to food. The committee's work is a collective approach to issues such as food stamp utilization, food selection and quantity at CT Food Bank, increased need during the holidays, and case management and access to other human service information. The network provides an opportunity for providers to come together, share information and best practices, in an effort to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our community. An emergency fund was established to provide assistance to emergency food programs in crisis due to insufficient resources.

Greater Waterbury Campership Program
Untied Way, together with the Camp Bureau at the Waterbury Republican Newspaper, administers this program which enables approximately 500 children to attend summer camp each year. United Way staff administers the application process, eligibility determination, placement of children in camps, and payment to camps.

Joy of Sharing
Each year the United Way, along with various community partners, collects holiday food and gifts for needy families and children in our community. Last year over 900 turkeys were distributed for Thanksgiving and approximately 500 children received toys.

Needs Assessment
The United Way recognizes the need to identify the changing needs in our community, and has made a commitment to produce a community needs assessment periodically. This document is a tool utilized in prioritizing needs and provides guidance for funding decisions for both the UWGW as well as for other nonprofits in their pursuit of funding.

Nonprofit Assistance Initiative
United Way and the CT Community Foundation established this program to provide organizational development support to nonprofit agencies in the area. Areas of focus include board development, management capacity, and strategic planning. NAI is the capacity building arm of our organization.

Outcome Measurement Initiative
United Way assists its funded programs in developing and implementing a system to measure the impact of their services on their clients. Using outcome measurement data, United Way communicates the value of these services more effectively, while providing individual programs with a tool to improve their effectiveness.

Repair and Replacement
The United Way, in collaboration with the CT Community Foundation, established this fund to assist funded programs with emergency repairs or replacement of capital equipment that is essential for the provision of services. This resource can be accessed by agencies that are experiencing a crisis that may result in the interruption of services.

Emerging Needs Fund
The United Way created this fund to address emerging community needs through an annual grant process. Nonprofits that provide services to the Greater Waterbury area are invited to submit grant requests within current guidelines of the RFP.

Continuum of Care
United Way, in collaboration with a Waterbury housing coalition of many health and social service agencies know as the Continuum of Care, has supported three HUD applications for affordable housing by providing funds for a grant writer. These HUD applications provide an opportunity to receive federal dollars to support community planning to end chronic homelessness and for support services. The growing need for affordable housing is a critical community issue. To date over 2 million has been received and another $800,000 application is pending.

Discovery: An Early Childhood Care and Education Initiative
United Way is the grantee of a Graustein Memorial Fund grant that works in partnership to support the Waterbury School Readiness initiative. Early childhood programs, elementary schools, families and the community work together to plan, coordinate and improve services for young children and their families. The goals are to improve the social, emotional and academic performances of preschool children, build strong connections between early care and elementary education, and to expand the supply of high quality early care and education.

Prevention Policy Board
The United Way was instrumental in the development of the Policy Prevention Board (PPB), which provides a network for children and youth serving organizations to come together to assess and plan for the service needs of this population. United Way and the CT Community Foundation have provided support for the development of this initiative and are currently funding Waterbury Youth Services to be the Intermediary Agency, coordinating services and a community youth plan. United Way also continues to fund four after school programs of the 21st Century Learning Center Downtown Academy, previously know as YouthNET.

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