Building Pathways to Prosperity

The American Dream tells us that with enough grit and determination, anyone can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and their troubles will be fixed. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. 

“It’s not a lack of talent or hard work or resolve. These are not the root causes of poverty,” says United Way Bay Area Chief Advancement Officer Christopher Berini. “People are working hard. In some cases, the folks we serve are financial magicians, who are living on a tiny budget and are doing incredible things in order to make it. They are just on the wrong side of a system that is not adequate to support them.”

Celebrating 100 years of service, United Way Bay Area partners with over 300 organizations to dismantle the root causes of poverty and create pathways to prosperity. With such a wide reach of impact, United Way Bay Area plays a unique role within the community, acting as a convener between peoples, services, and policies. Serving over 640,000 Bay Area residents this year, United Way Bay Area has provided aid in a variety of ways from COVID-19 relief to housing assistance to financial literacy education.

“We need to make sure that these systems and policies are serving the people they are intended to serve. In the meantime, we get people the support, resources, and tools they need,” Berini says.

The first step in providing people with resources is understanding what they need. Because of their scale, United Way Bay Area is uniquely equipped to identify areas of need within the community. Operating in eight Bay Area counties, United Way Bay Area collects and synthesizes the essential data on resource need to pass along and coordinate with public systems and philanthropic partners. Collecting this data means that they always have an ear to the ground and are prepared to respond to the needs of the community. 

Through their emergency assistance network, Kati received safety net services to help her avoid homelessness; through their emergency food and shelter program, Jorge was able to provide for his children; through their SparkPoint program, Marcia, a first-generation college student, learned how to access the services she needed to thrive. This is the United Way Bay Area model for success: Give people access to the help they need while advocating for a system that works for the people, not against them.