United Way seeks to ensure all people across Southeastern Michigan have the educational and economic opportunities needed to succeed and thrive. To do this, it has launched the Agenda for Change, which focuses on the three building blocks everyone needs for a good life: Education, Income and Basic Needs.

The facts

• More than 28,000 people dialed 2-1-1 for help in April 2008, an all-time record and a 150 percent increase over the prior year
• Calls to 2-1-1 for mortgage payment, property tax and foreclosure prevention assistance increased over 80 percent from January 2007 to 2008
• Poverty has a positive correlation to unemployment, substance use, child abuse, domestic violence, homelessness and adult illiteracy

Helping families access basic necessities
We all share a stake in metro Detroiters being able to get help when they are struggling or in crisis, so that they can stabilize their lives and move toward self-sufficiency. Every person we can transition away from dependence on some type of assistance and to a place where he or she can contribute to the community will help stabilize the region. To do this, we plan to:

• Improve access and navigation of services
• Improve delivery of services

Partnership
The United Way 2-1-1 call center is multi-lingual and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to connect users to more than 6,610 helpful programs as well as opportunities to volunteer or donate. In 2007, 2-1-1 handled more than 163,600 calls, up 65 percent from the previous year. In addition, 2-1-1 has launched a mobile unit, 2-1-1 On the Go, to combat homelessness in metro Detroit.

The Ray West Memorial Ramp Project has been helping homebound individuals gain independence for the past six years. In that time, we’ve built more than 140 wheelchair ramps to help people leave their homes and lead full lifestyles.