Financial Stability
Promoting Financial Stability and Independence
As many as one-third of working Americans do not earn enough income to meet their basic needs. Wages have not kept pace with the rising cost of
housing, healthcare, and education and currently, 40 million Americans are working in low-paying jobs without basic health and retirement benefits.
To address the obstacles that prevent hard working families from getting ahead financially, we support programs that promote community-change
strategies to help families meet their basic needs, while gaining the financial capability to plan for, and accomplish, their long-term financial goals.
See the Change in the Kearney Area...
- Last year, the Minden Senior Center served over 8,103 meals and provided services to 130 unduplicated seniors.
- 4,111 individuals received food assistance through our CSC’s, WIC, CSFP, and the RAFT program.
- Over 670 people were served 3,043 food packages through the CSFP program; a majority of those were elderly citizens.
- Compassionate Connections provides services to helps to keep seniors living at home which saves them, their families and our community approximately $448,000 a year.
- In the Kearney area, 996 individuals in 435 households were housed or remained housed with the assistance of the Homeless Prevention program.
- 3,580 households were assisted last year by the Jubilee Center with rent/utility assistance or small medical needs.
Education
Helping Children and Youth Achieve Their Potential
Education is the cornerstone of individual and community success. It is essential to getting and keeping a job with a livable wage and health benefits. The strategies proven to work
are those that connect communities to their schools such as parent involvement, literacy volunteers in the classroom, mentors for disadvantaged students, and business leaders
engaged in early childhood advocacy.
See the Change in the Kearney Area...
- Along with mentoring services provided in all Kearney Public Elementary schools, the Friends Program also now resides in three rural schools, including Pleasanton, Ravenna and Elm Creek with a total of over 160 children matched.
- Head Start/Early Head Start actually served 485 preschool children and their families and 68 pregnant women, infants or toddlers through home based and center based services.
- In Buffalo County, 77 percent of the girls in the Girl Scouts program participated in projects to help connect them to their communities such as collections for local charities and landscaping work.
- Kearney Adult Education provided over 180 individuals with the proper GED and ESL classes to help increase their economic potential.
- United Way helped 40 children participate in developmental activities through the Recreational Scholarship Program.
Health
Improving Peoples Health
Whether it is a neighbor without health insurance, a victim of abuse, or someone struggling with mental illness or an addiction, United Way and our agencies are working to
ensure everyone has access to affordable and quality care. Access to quality health care keeps children on track in school and adults productive at work. Achieving our goal
requires us all to become more aware of health risks and the potential effects they have on ourselves and others, starting from before birth.
- More than 33% of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. That’s 25 million kids and teenagers.
- Children with health coverage are better prepared to learn in school and succeed in life.
- The number of Americans without health insurance has increased steadily since the beginning of the century, now totaling about 47 million. More than 80% are working families.
- 8.7 million children live without health insurance – more than the total number enrolled in the first and second grades in U.S. public schools.
See the Change in the Kearney Area...
- 3,650 infants and children received immunizations, medical, and dental care.
- CASA of South Central Nebraska - Franklin County helped to close 7 children’s cases last year.
- 182 children were helped by Kearney/Buffalo County CASA in 2019.
- 4,387 children’s health was improved due to proper nutrition.
- 84% of S.A.F.E Center clients attending support groups state that they know more ways to plan for safety, they know more about available community resources and they are more hopeful about their futures.
- The ARC of Buffalo County served 280 individuals with disabilities last year.