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Poverty as a priority: Strategic overhaul in motion for United Way

TaMaryn Waters
Tallahassee Democrat
Katrina Rolle, president & CEO of the 
United Way of the Big Bend speaks during their 75th Annual Community Campaign Kickoff luncheon at the Tucker Civic Center on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017.

The United Way of the Big Bend is pushing a historic overhaul of its mission to focus resources toward the growing number of working poor residents. 

This population is A.L.I.C.E. or Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. A 2017 ALICE report showed 50 percent of residents living in the local agency's eight-county service area can't afford to meet basic needs. That represents a 23 percent increase from the inaugural statewide report done in 2015, which was part of a national effort by the United Way. 

Five out of the eight counties are higher than the 50 percent threshold, said United Way of the Big Bend President and CEO Katrina Rolle. 

“These are the focus areas we’re going to be looking at with a collaborative approach to addressing some of these pressing problems,” she said.

The rise in the working poor and dip in campaign fundraising have forced the agency to shift its mission. The move has been bolstered by reams of research that say poverty needs to be a priority. 

Rolle said her office operates a $3.7 million budget, which includes community impact money, for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. The previous year's budget was $3.9 million. Officials say a downward tick in contributions is a national trend hurting nonprofits. 

This mission shift creates uncertainty about which agencies will receive funding in the future. Agency leaders say they've cleared the brainstorming phase, received unanimous support from their board and established a vision and a renewed focus.

"We know there are some forks in the road and decisions we'll have to make about what that looks like," said Skip Foster, chairman of the Board of Directors for the United Way of the Big Bend. "We want to work through those details before we spill them out."

Foster is also president and publisher of the Tallahassee Democrat.

Tallahassee Democrat Publisher Skip Foster

The new strategic plan is driven by four components: enhanced strategy, community priorities, outcomes and research. Goals within this new mission include access to dependable housing, affordable childcare and education to meet future workforce needs.  

Non-profits 'waiting to hear'

Big Bend Hospice CEO Cathy Adkison saw the change coming. She's surprised it didn't happen sooner.  

Her organization received $60,000 this fiscal year from the United Way. All of it came from designated funding from donors. Adkison said she's not sure if hospice services will qualify for the ALICE-focused mission. 

"It was not a surprise for Big Bend Hospice or our Foundation. We had been expecting something like this for the last 18 months and two years," she said. "I get it. They have to appeal to donors and the changing times ... it’s not a bad idea for their survival long-term."

Hospice leaders hope to reach their United Way donors if they don't make the cut. And, they plan to boost fundraising efforts through their foundation, which has raised more than $1 million. 

The Big Bend Hospice building

Others, especially nonprofits without an active fundraising foundation, say United Way funds are critical to their service programs. 

Mandy Bianchi, executive director of the Epilepsy Association of the Big Bend, said her nonprofit has been a United Way certified agency since it launched in 1988. Its most recent United Way allocation was $17,000, down from the $27,000 received in the past. 

That decrease, along with less state funding, strains the organization's ability to do more. Still, Bianchi said United Way funds are a safety net for their uninsured clients. Funds are used to pay for medical treatment and certain medications.

"I hope our agency, as well as the direct human service agencies that provide life-saving services, are a part of the plan," she said. "I’m waiting to hear. I definitely hope that we are still going to be part of the family.”

'The most important thing we can address'

As nonprofits wait to learn the United Way's next step, the region's economic picture shows 1 in 2 households are struggling. 

Rolle said 44 percent of Florida households land in the ALICE threshold. Compared to the 50 percent average for the Big Bend region, Leon County fares better at 41 percent meeting the ALICE threshold out of 109,209 residents. The number of people in a household determines whether it meets the ALICE threshold.  

Nearly a third of local households spend a large portion of their income for housing and nearly a quarter of their income toward childcare. Half of the households have no cash savings. 

In recent years, more decision makers view poverty as a threat to a community's economic vitality and more public talks are taking place toward addressing it.

For example, Leon County commissioners voted to allow a ballot measure to move forward in 2020 that could create a Children's Services Council and a special property tax toward children's issues.

Both the Tallahassee and Florida Chamber of Commerce see poverty as a major issue, Foster added.  

"It's super serious, and it's the most important thing we can address as an organization right now," said Foster. “It’s the biggest problem that we’ve got in this market."

United Way

The United Way of the Big Bend teamed up with North Highland Worldwide Consulting, which committed six consultants on a near full-time basis to guide the agency through uncharted strategical planning waters. 

North Highland has more than 3,000 employees worldwide in 30 different locations, including Tallahassee.

As part of its philanthropic efforts, the company undergoes a vigorous annual selection process to find locations with poverty-focused causes. Denver, San Francisco and Tallahassee were this year's picks. Since March, the company has committed more than 2,000 in-kind hours toward the United Way’s strategic planning efforts. 

“North Highland has a long-standing relationship with the United Way, so we’re thrilled to have been a part of this,” Trent Sawyer, a consultant to North Highland, said. 

This strategic plan is also a tool toward boosting the agency’s fundraising efforts. Foster said the agency can point to research and proof of the community’s focus areas, which he described as a “huge problem.”

“If we can show the community amazing results in the most pressing areas of concern, that’s going to be the thing that’s going to help us drive fundraising better than anything,” he said. “This is about leadership and us taking on that role.”

Contact TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com or follow @TaMarynWaters on Twitter. 

The United Way of Florida released its 2017 ALICE report, which offers a multi-state comparison of financial hardship for struggling families living above the federal poverty level

Who is A.L.I.C.E.?

This population is considered the "Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed" or the working poor. 

ALICE households have incomes above the federal poverty level but still struggle to afford basic household necessities.

For example, $52,260 is needed for a family of four's survival budget, which includes two adults, a preschooler and infant. It's $20,700 for a single adult. 

ALICE and poverty-level households increased steadily from 2007 to 2012. While households in poverty fell slightly from 2012 to 2015, the percent of ALICE households continued to rise.

In Florida, 67 percent of jobs pay less than $20 per hour, with three-quarters of those paying less than $15 per hour. Another 27 percent of jobs pay between $20 and $40 per hour. Only 5 percent of jobs pay above $40 per hour.

Source: 2017 Florida ALICE Report