Financial Stability

The Challenge

Many local families are one crisis away from losing the lives they've built. While the cost of living has gone up 90% in the past two decades, incomes have only risen 25%. Washington, DC area residents need strong financial skills and access to sound financial advice to avoid high-cost borrowing, maximize savings, and build a strong credit record.

United Way NCA works to put the security that comes with financial stability and affordable housing within everyone's reach. We are part of a network of more than 300 United Ways across the nation that is making financial stability a high priority.

Major problems United Way NCA addresses include:

Unemployment: Over 500,000 people in our area are unemployed, and ours is considered one of the better job markets in the country, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. This figure does not include those who are underemployed or have stopped looking for work, which makes the numbers much higher.

Reduced Affordable Housing Options: Affordable housing in our region is difficult to find, to rent or own. More than 27,000 area home loans are in foreclosure in our area. Prince George's County is hardest hit with 4.6% of loans in foreclosure, according to the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor-Fall 2010,

Homelessness: In 2010, almost 11,500 people were officially homeless in our region. The homeless include 1,524 families, of which 1,884 are adults, and 3,000 are children.

The Goal

United Way NCA works in partnership with community groups, non-profits and businesses to help families and individuals rebuild their lives. We support programs that offer access to the financial resources, sound financial management options and housing options for those most in need.

Success Story: From Struggling to Self-Sufficient

The Cabasares family came to the Family Home, a shelter in Arlington, VA, which is supported by United Way NCA, after exhausting all of its other options. Through United Way NCA, the family is now in an apartment and has started a new life.

The Opportunity

Helping individuals and families find or keep affordable homes, earn a living wage and better manage their money provides a sense of empowerment that leads to a better life. Your United Way NCA focuses on three key areas:

Financial Stability initiatives:

Financial Literacy

We connect working families and individuals with targeted financial education on budgeting, spending, credit and tax preparation.

Affordable Housing

We provide support to help residents find and maintain safe, affordable housing.

Workforce Training

We provide and promote opportunities for occupational training, development and placement.

More of our Work

Education

Every child in the national capital region enters school ready to learn, succeeds in school and leaves well prepared for life and work in the 21st Century.

Health

United Way of the National Capital Area is committed to increasing the numbers of healthy children, young people and adults in our community.

Financial Stability

United Way of the National Capital Area works to increase the number of financially stable individuals and families.

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Did You Know

The Capital Area Food Bank reports more than 641,000 residents of the Washington region are experiencing or at risk of hunger, including more than 100,000 in Fairfax County alone.

Residents in Ward 8 have to travel far to gain access to a public library. This distance can make it hard for residents to continue to succeed in their education.

Residents in Ward 7 have to travel far to gain access to a public library. This distance can make it hard for residents to continue to succeed in their education.

Residents in Ward 5 have to travel far to gain access to a public library. This distance can make it hard for residents to continue to succeed in their education.

In Ward 8, over 40% of single-family home and condominium sales resulted from foreclosure completions or owners selling under distress.

45.0% of residents living in Ward 8 receive food stamps.

In Ward 7, over 40% of single-family home and condominium sales resulted from foreclosure completions or owners selling under distress.

35.0% of residents living in Ward 7 receive food stamps.

5.0% of residents living in Ward 2 receive food stamps.

9.8% of residents in Ward 4 are unemployed.

3.2% of residents in Ward 3 are unemployed.

6.0% of residents in Ward 2 are unemployed.

In Ward 1, over 40% of single-family home and condominium sales resulted from foreclosure completions or owners selling under distress.

12.0% of people living in Ward 1 receive food stamps.

6.0% of people live below the poverty level in Prince William County.

9.4% of students in Prince William County drop out of high school.

More than 130,000 residents in Prince William County do not have health insurance.

8.9% of students in Montgomery County do not graduate high school.

In Montgomery County, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

6.7% of people live below the poverty level in Montgomery County.

13.9% of students in Prince George's County do not graduate high school.

7.8% of people live below the poverty level in Prince George’s County.

In Prince George's County, approximately 1 in 4 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

30,000 children in Northern Virginia live in poverty.

In Northern Virginia, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In seven out of the eight wards in the city, residents are closer to fast food restaurants than large grocery stores, which could have a negative impact on residents’ health.

17.2% of residents in the District of Columbia live below the poverty level.

19.0% of residents in the District of Columbia receive food stamps.

11.9% of residents in the District of Columbia are unemployed.

22.0% of students in the District of Columbia do not graduate high school.

32% of children live below the poverty level in the District of Columbia.

In the District of Columbia, nearly 1 in 2 children under 18 is at the risk of hunger.

12.5% of residents living in Maryland do not graduate high school.

9.2% of people live below the poverty level in Maryland.

Last year 2-1-1 Maryland answered 240,000 calls around basic needs such as food, shelter, eviction prevention and financial assistance for prescriptions

Ward 8 public schools have the lowest average share of students testing at required standards, only 33% in reading and 32% in math.

Over 28% of residents living in Ward 8 are unemployed.

Nearly 20% of people living in Ward 7 are unemployed.

67% of children living in Ward 6 are below the poverty level.

15.8% of people living in Ward 5 are unemployed.

There are more than 40,000 uninsured residents living in Loudoun County.

6.1% of students living in Loudoun County drop out of high school.

Nearly 8,000 people in Loudoun County live on an income of $20,000 to support a family of four.

10.6% of people in Fairfax County do not have health insurance.

5.6% of people live below the poverty level in Fairfax County.

7.9% of students living in Fairfax County drop out of high school.

10.5% of children in Arlington County live below the poverty level.

9.4% of students in Arlington County drop out of high school.

More than 3,000 people in Northern Virginia are homeless, 10% of these live in Alexandria, Virginia.

In the past year, 2-1-1 has answered approximately 632,000 calls from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia from residents seeking services.

Last year 2-1-1 Maryland answered 240,000 calls around basic needs such as food, shelter, eviction prevention and financial assistance for prescriptions.

In Northern Virginia, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In Prince George's County, approximately 1 in 4 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In Montgomery County, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In the District of Columbia, nearly 1 in 2 children under 18 is at the risk of hunger.

Kids who attend a high quality preschool are more likely to graduate from high school and have higher lifetime earnings.

Every $1 invested in high quality early childhood education saves taxpayers $7.

Upon entering first grade, the average middle-class child has spent 1,000 to 1,700 hours of reading time with picture books; a low-income child averages just 25 hours.

Food stamps last an average of 2 1/2 weeks.

By age three, middle-class children have a vocabulary of about 1,100 words compared to 525 words for low-income children.

According to the Partnership for America's Economic Success, if 50 first graders enter school with reading problems, 44 of them will still have difficulties reading in the fourth grade.

The 2009/2010 official federal poverty level for a family of four is an annual household income of $22,050. 185% of poverty is $40,792, a level at which people still struggle with hunger.

The Rand Corporation states that 90% of a person's brain growth happens before the age of 3.

More than 130,000 residents in Prince William County do not have health insurance.

Our Impact

Success Stories

Autism Society of Northern Virginia: De la Cruz Family Finds Hope through Connection

Kolette De la Cruz tells in her own words how the Autism Society of Northern Virginia helped her family find a ray of hope through connecting with a supportive community.

"I became a member of the Walk shortly after my son was diagnosed with autism. I have two lovely children, Logan (3) and Grace (19 months). My son, Logan was diagnosed with regressive autism at 21 months of age (meaning that he had normal development and then lost all language, communication and social skills). We as a family were devastated. We had just given birth to our daughter when we noticed our son had somehow slipped away from us."