What is Supporting A Caring Community?

United Way’s initiative, Supporting A Caring Community, sustains a network of critical care services that ultimately touch all of us. This network includes services for our elderly, for the victims of domestic violence and for those who are hungry, unemployed or in crisis.

Why does Supporting A Caring Community matter? It is an unfortunate fact that 26% of people in Bridgeport live in poverty. And that the Hunger Outreach Network must serve nearly 1,000,000 meals each year to those in our community who do not have enough to eat. A 2001 survey showed that more than 8% of Connecticut residents do not have health insurance. Where can people turn? How is United Way helping?

We have a healthy, vibrant community when we all work together to ensure that critical care services AND support services are available. By offering a “hand up” instead of a ”hand out,” we give people the tools they need to be self-sufficient and productive members of the community.

The vision of United Way’s Supporting A Caring Community initiative is that all people become self-sufficient by earning an adequate income and by participating as responsible citizens in community life.

Our Supporting A Caring Community strategies:

1. Fund basic human care services through a network of quality human service providers.

2. Provide free 24/7 multi-lingual information and referral
service through 2-1-1 infoline.

3. Identify community concerns, prioritize the issues and bring the community together to solve problems.

The problem:

• On any given day, nearly 35,000 area residents are at risk of hunger.
• A high number of working families earning $40,000 to $60,000 per year have no health insurance.
  

The solution:

United Way's Supporting A Caring Community works with local partners to assess needs, develop strategies, engage partners and resources to solve the most crucial problems facing our community.

The results:

• United Way partnered with The Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport, Inc. to create the Hunger Outreach Network, serving nearly 1,000,000 meals each year.
• United Way partners with care providers to help address the needs of ourmedically underserved citizens.

Download a copy of the Supporting A Caring Community 2006 Quarterly Investment Report.

Download a copy of the Supporting A Caring Community Brochure.