Trident United Way

COMMUNITY PlaNFor

BOlD ChaNge

Trident United Way

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new decade has begun in

2011, and with it, a new

way of solving problems

and changing conditions

in the Lowcountry.

Trident United Way

now embarks on an exciting new

chapter that will reverberate from

Cross to Ravenel, from The Battery

to Lake Moultrie.

Ahead is a blueprint for systemic

community change – big change

that will affect hundreds of

thousands of our neighbors and

strengthen our community for

everyone.

healthTrident United Way is now taking the next big step.

a

financial stability

education

Trident United Way is now taking the next big step. financial stability

education

OUr gOals are:

education88% of students enrolled in 8th grade will

graduate high school five years later prepared

for higher education and/or employment

financial stability30% of tri-county residents living

at or below 200% of poverty

will move into financial stability

health25% more tri-county residents

will adopt a healthy lifestyle and

reduce preventable conditions

Key principles for this agenda are:

Partnerships and collaboration- that take an integrated approach to issues

Innovation based on evidence- deepening our focus on program evaluation

Replication and sustainability- providing resources to replicate successful

programs and ensure their future success

Capacity building- helping partners develop the skills to evaluate and sustain

their programs.

Included in this report are detailed plans and partnerships for the community

to achieve these goals. TUW understands that these issues are interdependent

and that the best way to effect community changes is through an integrated

approach that incorporates education, financial stability and health issues

together.

educationThe Issue:

Nearly 30% of youth drop out of school

and fail to develop employment skills

Objective: Helping youth achieve academic and

life success

10-year Goal: 88% of youth enrolled in 8th grade will

graduate five years later prepared for

higher education and/or employment

Linking School Children To Success

Denisha Smith has everything she

needs. Though born into poverty,

this 11-year-old girl gets three

meals each day. She goes on field

trips each week and participates

in the Girl Scouts. She gets help

with her homework from certified

teachers each day after school and

she has mentors.

Things weren’t always this way. In

fact, prior to 2007, Denisha wasn’t

doing very well in school and she

was often cited for poor behavior.

In 2008 Denisha enrolled in the

Links to Success initiative at her

elementary school.

Links to Success was created by

Trident United Way as a way to

seamlessly integrate social service

programs in schools for the ben-

efit of economically disadvantaged

children. It’s paying off: 87% have

increased their reading test scores

and 83% their math scores in the

10 schools in which it operates.

The initiative is active throug-

out the three counties producing

more girls and boys like Denisha,

succeeding in school and headed

for a lifetime of positive

achievements.

eaching the 10-year goal requires the interventions that target the child, family, educational systems and community supports. Specific

measures for assessing children’s success include:

r• Starting school ready to succeed• Reading on grade level by third grade• Graduating high school on time with academic, social and civic skills • Beginning work or higher education by age 21 • Actively passing on skills for the next generation

TARGET ISSUE:

Children Enter Kindergarten Ready To Learn

We’ll measure:• % increase in child care providers demonstrating enhanced ABC rating• % increase in children testing ready for kindergarten• % increase in first grade promotion rate Currently, access to quality childcare is severely

impeded by multiple systemic issues:

1) No quality rating system in SC2) Licensure is not required for child care providers3) Financial assistance for child care is severely limited4) Resources for off-shift, weekend, sick and special needs chaild care are negligible.

Additionally, there are very few low-cost options for parents to access on-going parent education and support services.

Our key initiative:Child Care Resources & Referral of the Lowcountry – a program that promotes quality improvement in and access to affordable child care by providing technical assistance and training to child care providers and information and referrals to parents and caregivers.

ONLy TWO AReA CeNTeRS have achieved the highest level, an “AA” and only nine child care centers in our area have attained NAeyC accreditation.

MORe THAN 50% of child care centers and family group homes in the tri-county region have only met the minimum standard to be eligible to accept ABC vouchers for child care.

19.6% OF NeW kINDeRGARTeN STUDeNTS in the tri-county region tested “not ready” using early literacy and early math skill indicators.

Advocacy/Public PolicyDevelop and implement a statewide quality rating system for child care programs. Create quality universal 4k programs for all SC children.

Strategic PartnershipsParent Information and Resource Centers - focuses on increasing parents’ involvement in their children’s education.

MUSC Family Literacy Program - provides core literacy skill development for children and their parents.

Nurse Family Partnership - provides services to low-income, first-time mothers and their babies from pregnancy through the first two years of life to educate, enhance healthy pregnancy outcomes and promote self-suffiency.

Countdown to Kindergarten - a partnership between area school districts and several non-profit organiza-tions that engages families, educators, service provid-ers and businesses in a community-wide effort to celebrate and support the transition into kindergarten.

TARGET ISSUE:

Youth Graduate High School Ready For Higher Education or Employment

We’ll measure:• % increase in students’ reading and math proficiency• % decrease in the effective drop out rate of eighth graders• % increase in the high school graduation rate• % enrolled in post secondary education directly after high school

Successful transition from middle to high school is a strong predictor of graduation. This failure to transi-tion from middle school to high school successfully is considered, in both national and local research, to be a reliable indicator of risk for high school drop out.

2009 Pass Scores in Tri-county Region

Measurement Intervals

Reading MinimumStandard Not Met

Math MinimumStandard Not Met

3rd Grade 20.57% 30.10%

6th Grade 27.10% 30.80%

8th Grade 35.90% 41.90%

Our key initiative:Links to Success – See page 26 for a description.

Advocacy/Public Policyenhance state education standard from “minimally adequate” to “high quality”

Promote equitable education funding formulas as part of comprehensive tax reform

Advocate for increased funding for school guidance personnel

Advocate for periodic testing for high school reading levels

Strategic PartnershipsThe Education FoundationA Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce initiative that fosters partnerships between the business community and schools to help prepare students for success in the workplace. Focus on STeM (science, technology, engineering and math), education, health care and culinary arts.

New Day of LearningA nationwide initiative led locally by College of Charleston that sponsors professional development for school staff and technical assistance to 14 low-income, low-performing schools.

Charleston Promise Neighborhood A highly-collaborative local initiative based on the successful Harlem Children’s Zone seeks to create academic, social and economictransformation in a 5.6-square mile area of Charleston County anchored by four high-poverty, low-performing elementary schools.

financialstability

The Issue: 187,000 people subsist at

200% of poverty level or below

Objective: Helping families and individuals at

200% or below of poverty become

financially stable and remain that way.

10-year Goal: 30% of tri-county residents living at

or below 200% of poverty will move

into financial stability.

Free Tax Service Aids FinancialStability

Ty Williams was a hard-

working single mom with

a 12-year-old daughter strug-

gling to make ends meet.

Some people in her position

might have been tempted to

give up work altogether.

Through free tax service pro-

vided by Trident United Way

and partners throughout our

three counties, Ty discovered

she was eligible for a $3,000

earned Income Tax Credit.

The eITC incentivizes work for

low- and moderate-income

families. “I have dreams for

myself and my daughter,” Ty

said.

TUW, Trident Urban League

and the IRS helped hard-

working families claim $3 mil-

lion in refunds last year that

they could use to improve

their lives and pump into our

Lowcountry economy.

iven the cost of living in the tri-county region, a family needs to earn at least 2.5 times the federal poverty level to be considered

financially stable. Currently 187,550 tri-county individuals live at or below 200% of poverty. When we meet the 10-year goal, an additional 56,265 individuals will be financially stable.

To achieve the 10-year goal, it will be necessary for the community to work collaboratively across a spectrum of issues.

g

Financial Stability Framework: A Stepped Approach

Our key initiatives:

Charity Tracker – Web-based database allows partners to input client information and track service delivery in the provi-sion of basic needs for improved efficiency and effectiveness of service. Tracks clients, reduces duplication and increases communication among basic needs providers. Since 2009, more than 100 providers have documented over $2 million in basic needs assistance in the tri-county area. This does not include food, clothing or furniture.

The Benefit Bank of South Carolina – To help families become self-sufficient they first have to be financially stabilized. Web-based tool allows individuals to apply for benefits in one in-take process. Benefits include: earned Income Tax Credit; income tax returns, federal student aid, SNAP (formerly Food Stamps), Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program. Locally, more than 250 counselors have been trained and have established more than 50 sites.

Safety Net Assistance Network – More than 100 basic needs providers, communities of faith and other human services organizations addressing the collective issues of those providing basic needs.

Advocacy/Public Policy

Advocate for electronic application submissions capability for The Benefit Bank of South Carolina

Strategic Partnerships

• Financial Stability Coalition• Safety Net Assistance Network• Banking Partner Coalition• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program• The Benefit Bank Coalition

TARGET ISSUE:

Coordination of Basic Needs

We’ll measure:• % increase of basic needs providers using CharityTracker• % increase in emergency assistance dollars tracked in CharityTracker• % increase of providers using The Benefit Bank• % increase in work support benefits dollars tracked by The Benefit Bank

TARGET ISSUE:

Increase Income / Gain and Sustain Assets

We’ll measure:• % increase in low-to-moderate-income individuals claiming eITC• % increase of eligible individuals claiming benefits• % change of lower income families and individuals moving between levels in the poverty index (e.g., from 150%-200%)• % increase in median income• % increase in income by gender• % increase in home affordability

Number of Financially Stable Households

Poverty rates as of Dec. 2010:

Dorchester County 14.3%. Berkeley County, 15.7%. Charleston County, 16%. Below 200% of poverty level – approximately one-third of the 659,191 residents in the tri-county area

SIxTeeN MILLION DOLLARS in earned Income Tax Credit (eITC) are left unclaimed in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties. Of households eligible for eITC, SNAP (formerly Food Stamps), subsidized health insurance and child care subsidies, only 7.2% claim all four. Unclaimed ben-efits result in higher poverty and increased reliance on emergency assistance services, such as rent and electric/utility assistance.

Our key initiative:

Financial Stability Project – An effort to move people out of poverty to financial stability and ultimately to self sufficiency. Begins by addressing basic needs, then increasing basic skills, followed by increasing income, increasing savings and finally gaining and sustaining assets. Financial education is the underpinning of the continuum.

TUW has brought financial stability services to conve-nient sites for people who need them. Sites include Links to Success schools and TUW service centers. Next, we’ll work with multiple partners to bundle the following services at more sites around the tri-county area:Access to benefits; eITC and work supports for which individuals are eligible; access to financial coaching, education and services; access to high quality employment and education-related services.

Strategies include: The Benefit Bank, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs and inter-agency refer-rals, personal finance workshops, financial education coaching and homeownership counseling, job readiness workshops, educational counseling and basic computer courses.

Advocacy/Public Policy

• Advocate for a state eITC• Support tri-county advocacy efforts for job creation, employable skills training and higher education for low to moderate income persons

Strategic Partnerships

• Financial Stability Coalition• Safety Net Assistance Network• Banking Partner Coalition• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program• The Benefit Bank Coalition• emergency Food and Shelter Program

healthThe Issue:

Nearly two-thirds of Lowcountry

residents are failing to live a

healthy and active lifestyle.

Objective: Helping People Get the Right Care at

the Right Time in the Right Setting

10-year Goal: 25% more tri-county residents will

adopt a healthy lifestyle and reduce

preventable conditions.

A 34-year-old male head of

household has recurring attacks of

abdominal pain. Without insurance,

he delays care until he has an emer-

gency. He finally goes to the eR with

a bad case of gallstone pancreatitis.

During what turns into a one-year stay,

he endures 20+ operations and ends

up with diabetes and end-stage renal

disease requiring dialysis and a bill of

over $1 million. For less than $10,000,

he could have been seen earlier, had

his gallbladder surgically removed and

continued to work.

This is a true Lowcountry story. Unin-

sured residents suffer much higher rates

of diabetes, stroke and heart disease

because they don’t get preventative

care. They also utilize hospital emer-

gency rooms for issues that could have

been addressed more effectively and

less expensively by a primary care phy-

sician. Nearly a quarter of the tri-county

population is medically uninsured.

That’s why Trident United Way has

convened an unprecedented collabora-

tion among health care providers that

is working to improve access to health

care for low-income, uninsured adults.

Backed by all four acute care hospitals

and a bevy of other providers, and a

$750,000 Duke endowment grant,

AccessHealth Tri-County Network

aims to improve clients’ health

and prevent unnecessary

medical care.

Providing Access To Health Care For Everyone

he Lowcountry has some of the worst health problems in the nation, with high rates of diabetes, obesity, stroke and heart disease. To improve

overall health in our community, it will be necessary to target both individual and systemic change.

T TARGET ISSUE:

Increasing Access to Health Care

We’ll measure:• % decrease in uninsured emergency department visits• % decrease in uninsured in-patient visits• % increase of patients in identified medical home• % increase in eligible children enrolled in Children’s Health Insurance Program

Poverty and Poor Health

90% of Lowcountry uninsured struggle with financial stability.

Our Model of ChangeThis model demonstrates how a multi-pronged approach is necessary for improving health and

how motivating individuals to change their behavior is paramount.

Our key initiatives:

ACCESSHEALTH TRI-COUNTY NETWORK – The medical community works together in a coordinated system that makes health care accessible to low-income, uninsured people in the tri-county area.

Trident United Way is convening a group of more than 25 tri-county organizations and healthcare providers to develop a system that improves access to health-care services for the low-income, uninsured. With a grant from The Duke endowment, the network will create a community plan to provide an appropriate and affordable medical home that is the gateway to all other health services for every patient.

Community impact measures Improved health care utilization Reduced overall burden of unfunded care

Long-term outcome measures Improved perceptions of the local healthcare system by engaged patients Improved health outcomes and quality of life for engaged Network patients

HEALTH CARE COVERAGE FOR CHILDRENFamilies in the community have a simplified process for accessing public health benefits. Only 16,000 of the 70,000 eligible children are enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance Pro-gram (CHIP).

Remove obstacles that keep children from being enrolled in CHIP by using The Benefit Bank to consolidate into one in-take process applica-tions for various benefits and connect children to medical homes.

Advocacy/Public Policy

Removing state barriers to public health benefits enrollment, such as the face to face interview and document review

Risk factors including obesity, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet contribute to the leading causes of death among South Carolinians:

heart disease • cancer • stroke • accidentschronic lower respiratory disease • diabetes

Physical inactivity and poor nutrition are not only harming the health of children in South Carolina, they are negatively affecting academic performance and standardized test scores.

TARGET ISSUE:

Early Prevention of Chronic Disease

We’ll measure:• % increase in physical activity• % increase in consumption of 5+ servings of fruits & vegetables daily• % decrease in Body Mass Index (BMI)• % decrease in new cases of Type II diabetes in children and youth• % decrease in tobacco use

Trident United Way’s best-

known volunteer effort is the

annual Day of Caring, which

brings together hundreds of

companies and 7,000 people on

volunteer projects throughout the

tri-county area. But “Day” of Caring is

a misnomer. Many organizations, like

Rick Hendrick Imports in West Ashley,

have made their Day of Caring project

a launching pad for ongoing volunteer

activities. The Hendrick team partners

year-round with C.C. Blaney elemen-

tary School in Hollywood on projects

that improve the school buildings and

grounds and involve the students,

most of whom come from low-income

families, in educational activities

normally beyond the scope of the

normal school day.

“Wouldn’t it be great if it could be

more than a day of caring, but a year

of caring and a lifetime of caring,”

said Brad Davis, general manager of

the car dealership.

Dozens of companies have discovered

the same formula of year-round

volunteerism from Day of Caring

and are providing services to

schools and non-profits that

need their help. That spirit of

volunteerism, and the tangible

good it produces, is woven

into the fabric of our

community.

Day of Caring

volunteerismLong-term Goal:

To engage our diverse community

of volunteers, turning their good

intentions into greater impact.

Plan of Action

n Create a compelling call to action

n Provide information about volunteer opportunities

n engage media partners

n Highlight current volunteers to inspire others

n Cultivate spokespersons to put a face on volunteerism.

n Work closely with non-profit partners

n Maintain a comprehensive database of information

n keep accessible by phone, print and web 24/7.

n Provide additional support through one-on-one consultation and matching.

2-1-1 VOlUNTeer CONNeCTION

Research indicates that people often

volunteer because they were asked.

Recruitment generally occurs through:

friends, family, workplace, religious

affiliation, etc.

A growing corporate commitment to

social responsibility also boosts morale,

aids recruitment and retention, increases

public image and offers valuable

leadership development for employees.

Strategic Partnerships

Corporate Volunteer Council – develops workplace volunteer programs and provides a forum to exchange ideas and provide technical assistance.

Leadership Connection – training and connecting emerging leaders with volunteer leadership roles.

Tricounty Youth Service Day – engaging youth to address unmet needs in their communities.

Lowcountry Association of SC Volunteer Administrators – professional development of local volunteer programs and the staff that administer them.

Retired and Senior Volunteer Programs – engages adults age 55 and older to use their life experiences and skills to address community needs.

Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster – connects local non-profit and government entities in times of disaster.

County Emergency Management Departments – work closely with TUW’s 2-1-1.

The community works collaboratively to leverage the talent and resources of volunteers for greater community impact.

Integrated Strategies

Trident United Way is focused on

strategies that integrate education,

income and health services in one

location. Below is a summary of

those strategies.

Trident United Way is interested in expanding its support of integrated models by working with currently-existing place-based organizations. eligible partnerships for this place-based initiative will be defined as “an established, comprehensive service

delivery system for a defined geographic region that provides fully-integrated education, financial stability and health services across a wide range of participants using multiple providers in one setting.”

The initiative will be created as a social venture opportunity outside of the regular funding process.

Place-based Initiatives

Plan of Action

n Create a compelling call to action

n Provide information about volunteer opportunities

n engage media partners

n Highlight current volunteers to inspire others

n Cultivate spokespersons to put a face on volunteerism.

n Work closely with non-profit partners

n Maintain a comprehensive database of information

n keep accessible by phone, print and web 24/7.

n Provide additional support through one-on-one consultation and matching.

inks is a strategic model for delivering aca-demic, behavioral, financial stability, family and health support services in high poverty, low performing schools in the tri-county area. Links connects education, Financial Stability and Health in one initiative.

Links to Success brings support teams and services together creating measurable outcomes and sustain-able community impact including: higher graduation rates and the successful transition of students to higher education and/or employment.

The 11 Links sites in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester county schools are moving towards creating community learning centers. Integrated strategies include:

Adult education classes for family members Screen-ing for financial supports via The Benefit Bank Intro-duction of Financial Stability Project in select sites emergency assistance to remediate risks before they escalate Assistance with enrollment of uninsured children in statewide health insurance program.

eventually, Links will more fully develop the commu-nity learning center model by offering more financial stability and health services for adults as well as children.

l

Lasting community

change...This is the goal of

Trident United Way.

The goals are ambitious.

The leadership is in place.

The plan is bold.

There is much work to be done.

Let’s get started.

Trident United Way

TRIDENT UNITED WAY

P.O. Box 63305 North Charleston, SC 29419 www.tuw.org

Charleston office: 843-740-9000

Berkeley Service Center: 843-761-6033

Dorchester Service Center: 843-821-5000

Child Care Resource & Referral: 843-747-9900 877-227-3454 (toll-free)

2-1-1 Hotline: Dial 2-1-1 to give or get help.

COMMUNITY PlaNFor

BOld ChaNge

Trident United Way