United Way of the Great Basin cares about your health.

United Way of the Great Basin cares about Seniors and Family.

Previous Page

Focus Areas

Through the following focus areas, learn about how United Way is able to face those community issues which have been chosen as our priority impact areas. It is by these target areas that agency programs are assigned funding from the annual Community Fund allocation process. And it is through these target areas that results will be measured to assess the real impact United Way is having in improving lives in the Great Basin communities.

Strengthening Families – Helping families of all kinds to achieve their highest potential collectively and as individuals.

We help families strengthen their ability to face challenges through parenting classes, family support services, crisis counseling and domestic violence intervention.

Family Violence: Supports a wide range of community resources that end the cycle of family violence. This includes prevention and education services; tertiary prevention and intervention services for victims, witnesses, and perpetrators of child abuse, spouse/partner abuse, and elder abuse.

Family/Individual Support: Community resources needed by individuals and families to collectively manage developmental and situational stresses including financial crisis, job loss, illness, death and divorce. Services can include counseling, case management, support groups, self esteem building, crisis intervention, and protective services.

Assistance for Caregivers: Assist caregivers of children and adults with disabilities to successfully fulfill their roles as primary caregivers and to maintain an acceptable quality of life by providing a system of affordable, appropriate respite and support services.

Teen Pregnancy: Strive for a reduction in teenage pregnancies in recognition of the associated risks for the adolescent, child, parents, extended family, and the broader community. This category includes services for pregnant and parenting teens and their children, families, and significant others. It also includes parenting skills, supportive services, self esteem building, mentoring and positive youth development for teens and their children.

Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drug Abuse: Programs that provide a continuum of care for alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (e.g., prevention, early intervention, crisis services, and long term treatment, after care services).

Increasing Self-Sufficiency – Achieving self-worth, self-determination, and self-sufficiency to the extent possible for all members of the community. We offer individuals resources to resolve immediate financial crises and maintain self-sufficiency through employment counseling, literacy help, budget counseling and emergency sheltering. Programs address the following issues:

Basic Needs: Support for individuals and families facing a basic needs crisis defined as, lacking or at risk of lacking food, shelter and/or clothing.

Basic Skills / Workforce Development: Access to supports and services necessary for individuals to participate fully in the economic life of the community. This may include services directed at securing and sustaining steady employment with an adequate income, consumer credit programs, literacy programs, and programs for English language learners.

Support for Persons with Disabilities: A variety of supports required for persons with disabilities to achieve an optimally independent community life. This area is designed to foster programs that enhance access of individuals with disabilities to the essential categories of independent life. Community education may also be considered if it fosters constructive alternatives to institutionalization and dependence.

Nurture Youth and Children- Ensure that youth are nurtured protected, guided and educated with respect so that they reach their highest potential and become contributing, productive citizens.

Child and Youth Development: Provide opportunities and supports necessary to grow up happy and healthy and to become competent and principled adults who can contribute to the larger society. This category funds programs that help children acquire the values, skills and confidence to be thoughtful, learned persons who can communicate effectively with others and lead productive and meaningful lives. It also includes programs that help prevent youth from engaging in destructive behaviors or lifestyles.

Childcare: Quality childcare providing safe, secure and healthy environments, facilitates age-appropriate development, prepares children for school.

Schools and Community: Programs for children that lead to success in school with intent to be prepared for lifelong learning. This category may also fund partnerships and collaborations between public schools and community institutions in addressing the academic and social success of young people.

Juvenile Justice / Child Welfare: Supporting strong juvenile justice and child welfare systems to foster permanent, positive, and safe environments for youth. Services include programs that intervene in cases of child abuse and neglect, place children in safe and protective environments, and support children when the parent(s) are unable to provide for basic needs.

Supporting Older People – Services needed to enable seniors to continue as contributing members of their families and community, helping them to maintain quality of life and prevent premature or inappropriate institutionalization.

This category includes any program which may fit within another category described elsewhere within the target areas but is exclusively directed at the senior populations within the community it serves.

Promote Health and Healing- A healthy community is one in which residents have affordable and easy access to services and resources they need to lead healthy, happy and productive lives. These services and resources include social, economic, political, spiritual, and emotional services/resources that meet the needs of a multi cultural, multi ethnic, multi racial and multi linguistic population.

Community Preparedness: Category includes programs that reduce the risks of potential disasters/hazards; that prepare response plans and implementation process; and that provide for life support systems and basic needs assistance.

Information and Referral: Provide information and referral systems to the families, individuals, groups and communities in need of services, and the service provider who is trying to identify additional resources for a consumer. This category can include programs that improve data collection and community planning processes. The category may also fund collaborative case management programs.

Health and Well-Being: Promote access to appropriate, quality health care services and create safe and healthy physical and social environments. This category can include Worksite Wellness Programs, prevention programs that educate and motivate the public to adopt healthy behaviors.

Transportation: Provide individuals in the community diverse, convenient, economical and environmentally sustainable transportation alternatives. Can include programs that increase awareness of and therefore accessibility to transportations systems.

Community Building: Provide community members a way to meaningfully participate in determining and implementing community goals and feel a connection to the community. Also, programs integrating community development and human service strategies. This category includes affordable housing programs.

Violence and Safety: Community members should not only be safe but feel safe in the community. This category includes community based programs that reduce potential for societal violence while increasing opportunities for social justice. Includes legal services, workplace violence education/prevention programs, neighborhood mediation programs, etc.

Racial, Ethnic and Cultural Relations: Programs that encourage all residents and community institutions, religious organizations, private sector organizations, governments and other community decision making bodies to promote, appreciate, respect, encourage and protect racial and cultural diversity. Includes programs directed at helping citizens overcome social barriers and helping clients access culturally competent services. Includes programs that provide community education about cultural diversity so that discrimination and inequality are eliminated.

United Way of the Great Basin cares about youth.