Category: Impact

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

CONTACT
Dana Carter
United Way of Greater Greensboro
(p) 336-378-6617
(e) dana.carter@unitedwaygso.org

Pilot Family Success Center For Neighborhoods in 27406 

(Greensboro, NC – March 9, 2015) — United Way of Greater Greensboro, with its lead partner Guilford Child Development, is driving the effort to implement Greensboro’s first Family Success Center to provide solutions that reduce poverty in Greensboro neighborhoods.

“Job placement and achieving family financial stability for low income families, the major objectives of the Family Success Center, may represent the two most difficult challenges in the field of health and human services,” says Robin Britt, Executive Director of Guilford Child Development. “Our goal is to achieve ‘systems change’ by collaborating with a broad array of agencies to align services, by removing barriers, and by empowering families to make progress toward self sufficiency.”

The Family Success Center pilot follows United Way of Greater Greensboro’s announcement that it will focus its work on breaking the cycle of poverty for the next decade and more. Guilford Child Development was chosen as the lead partner for Family Success Center for its expertise in helping children and families reach their full potential. Guilford Child Development operates Head Start programs that serve children ages zero to five and enhance early child development while assisting families create the strong educational foundation necessary to be successful in school and in life. By federal definition Head Start participants fall at or under 100% of the family federal poverty line ($24,250 for a family of four). Greensboro currently struggles with a 20% poverty rate, a number that has seen steady increase since 2008.

“Greensboro has great human service organizations currently addressing issues related to poverty,” says Michelle Gethers-Clark, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Greensboro. “Our intention is to create a new system of collaboration between nonprofit, government and businesses that works together to provide solutions for all members of a family. The system will deliver wrap around services that embrace new ideas for/from clients and implement known human service techniques that work. Members of the neighborhood pilot will be accountable for their success that leads to financial independence. When people feel successful, the community is successful.”

The Family Success Center will begin as an 18-month pilot in zip code 27406 that will offer integrated, place-based services to help meet the needs of the entire family with the goal that each family enters the path toward self-sufficiency. The new system views the family as a unit and plans to serve every member of the household. The primary features of the system include family engagement, client input, testing and learning, and increasing flexible access to services. The ultimate goals are to increase per capita income for low-income neighborhoods, improve community health, and enhance school readiness (which will help ensure children graduate from high school). During the next 36 months, United Way of Greater Greensboro will lead the development of Family Success Centers in at least three other zip codes in Greensboro.

Families currently enrolled in Guilford Child Development programs in zip code 27406 are being given the opportunity to opt-in to the pilot. Up to 100 families will work through the 18-month pilot to develop their own self-sufficiency plan which will be supported through workshops, trainings, and individual coaching sessions.

“Integrated servicing is not a new concept, but it’s new to Greensboro in this form,” says Frank McCain, vice president of community investment and impact at United Way of Greater Greensboro. “After benchmarking similar programs from San Francisco to Chicago and even neighboring Winston-Salem, we know this type of deep collaboration is a monumental change to how we have previously addressed poverty in Greensboro; a change in the right direction.”

The Family Success Center will officially kick-off on Thursday, March 26 where more than a dozen additional community partners will be announced.

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United Way of Greater Greensboro makes investments in our community to serve those in need so that all individuals and families can succeed. United Way is a worldwide network in 41 countries and territories, including more than 1,200 local organizations in the U.S. United Way recruits people and organizations who bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done. To give, advocate and volunteer, visit www.UnitedWayGSO.org.

(Greensboro, NC – February 10, 2015) – It’s tax season and there is a lot to know. United Way of Greater Greensboro is helping individuals and families access free tax preparation services available in our community to keep and grow their money.
“Our community’s free tax preparation services will help many families get Earned Income Tax Credit and the maximum refund they’re due,” says Frank McCain, vice president of community investment and impact at United Way of Greater Greensboro. “This is money they can save or use to pay off bills, help buy that car to get to work or contribute to a down payment on a home.”
FREE TAX ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE IN GREENSBORO

If your household earned $60,000 or less in 2014, you qualify for free tax preparation. United Way has partnered with many local organizations to provide free tax preparation services for low- to moderate-income households in the Greater Greensboro area.
There are TWO KINDS of free tax assistance.
1. In-person Tax Preparation and Filing: Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) offers IRS-trained volunteers to prepare taxes for people with a household income of $53,000 or less in 2014.
See the list of VITA locations and times in Greater Greensboro.
Taxpayers should bring to their appointment:
a. Any tax documents such as forms W-2, 1099, or 1098.
b. Social Security cards or ITIN letters for ALL persons on your tax return. If you don’t have the original Social Security card available, a photocopy of the card is acceptable, or an official government letter with proof of the Social Security number for the individual. The volunteer must see the document. You cannot just tell them the number from memory–no exceptions.
c. Picture ID (such as valid driver’s license) for you and, if you are filing jointly with your spouse, a photo ID for your spouse as well.
d. For direct deposit of your refund, you must have proof of financial institution information (like a blank check).
e. Not required but a good idea is to have a copy of your previous year tax return.
2. Online Tax Preparation: Individuals in households earning up to $60,000 can file their returns for themselves online at www.MyFreeTaxes.com, provided by H&R Block in cooperation with the Walmart Foundation, Goodwill Industries International, National Disability Institute, and United Way Worldwide. Taxpayers filing online have access to tax law experts through online chat or a toll-free phone number. This is a good option for people who have relatively simple returns, confidence in using the Internet, and a desire to be able to file their own taxes independently.
UNITED WAY’S FAMILY ECONOMIC SUCCESS DAY – Friday, February 27
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United Way and BB&T have teamed up to offer free in-person tax preparation services, financial management workshops, and free credit reports. Learn more at www.unitedwaygso.org

EITC COULD MEAN MORE MONEY IN THE BANK.
The IRS estimates that one in five eligible workers do not get the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) they have earned. United Way wants everyone who is eligible for the credit to receive it. If you earned less than $52,427 from wages or running a business or farm, see if you qualify for EITC.

EITC is designed to “make work pay,” by supplementing eligible workers’ earnings with additional income. The amount of the credit varies depending on filing status, the number of qualifying children, if any, and the amount of earnings. This money not only helps workers and their families, but the communities in which they live. On average, EITC adds $2,400 to working families’ refunds. Receive general guidance about EITC by calling MyFreeTaxes at 1-855-MY-TX-HELP (1-855-698-9435).
The 2015 Greater Greensboro Free Tax Prep Coalition includes: BB&T Bank, City of Greensboro, Greensboro Housing Authority, Guilford Child Development, Housing Consultants Group, Internal Revenue Service – Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC), Jamestown Public Library, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, North Carolina A&T State University, Piedmont Health Services and Sickle Cell Agency, Senior Resources of Guilford, Shepherd’s Center, The Arc of Greensboro, The Volunteer Center of Greensboro, True Salvation Outreach Ministry, United Way of Greater Greensboro, and YWCA of Greensboro.
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United Way of Greater Greensboro makes investments in our community to serve those in need so that all individuals and families can succeed. United Way is a worldwide network in 41 countries and territories, including more than 1,200 local organizations in the U.S. United Way recruits people and organizations who bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done. To give, advocate and volunteer, visit www.UnitedWayGSO.org.

(Greensboro, NC – January 28, 2015) — The City of Greensboro has proudly accepted the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Community Challenge launched by President Obama in 2014. The MBK initiative aims to improve life outcomes for all young people, including boys and young men of color, and to ensure that all youth can achieve their full potential, regardless of the circumstances into which they are born.

“This program provides a foundation to use to make a positive difference in the lives of young people in our community,” says Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan. “We need to ensure that young people in Greensboro are cared for, loved, and encouraged so that they can grow up to live successful lives and continue to make our city special, diverse, and vibrant.”

The initiative aims to bring together government, law enforcement, business, non-profit, philanthropic, faith, and community leaders around shared goals for young people in this country. Mayors, Tribal leaders, town and county executives are encouraged to build and execute comprehensive strategies that ensure:

All children enter school cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally prepared;
All children read at grade level by third grade;
All young people graduate from high school;
All young people complete post-secondary education or training;
All youth out of school are employed; and
All young people are safe from violent crime.

The City of Greensboro will partner with United Way of Greater Greensboro to build and execute a plan to implement coherent cradle-to-college-and-career strategies aimed at improving life outcomes for all young people, consistent with the goals and recommendations of the White House’s MBK Task Force’s May, 2014 report.

“Too many young people right here in Greensboro lack sufficient support to succeed in school and in life,” says Michelle Gethers-Clark, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Greensboro. “As a result, we see increased high school drop-out rates and increased rates of poverty in these young people. Each of us has the power to truly impact the future for these kids by simply being a caring adult in their life.”

Individuals interested in getting involved with My Brother’s Keeper are encouraged to sign up as mentors in their communities. Individuals can find mentoring opportunities through United Way of Greater Greensboro’s Mentoring Matters Initiative at www.UnitedWayGSO.org/mentor. Mentoring opportunities throughout the country can be found at WH.gov/mybrotherskeeper.

United Way of Greater Greensboro currently supports and operates programs and initiatives that work to improve educational success outcomes for children and families in our community including Thriving at 3 and Mentoring Matters.

Greensboro joins nearly 140 other MBK communities and tribal nations across the country including Durham, N.C.

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About the City of Greensboro

The City works with the community to improve the quality of life for residents through inclusion, diversity, and trust. As the seventh largest employer in Greensboro, the City has a professional staff of 3,000 employees who maintain the values of honesty, integrity, stewardship, and respect. The City is governed by a council-manager form of government with a mayor and eight council members. For more information on the City, visit www.greensboro-nc.gov or call 336-373-CITY (2489).