United Way helps our community gather the resources it needs to thrive. We work with donors, businesses and volunteers to raise funds for community reinvestment through United Way’s Community Fund. Each year, charities in Lethbridge and South Western Alberta apply to receive Community Fund grants to operate local programs that align with our vision and funding priorities.
Our Focus Areas
Poverty to Possibility
No matter the circumstance, people are deserving of support and guidance.
Poverty is a far-reaching, complex issue. It is also a lasting one. Once in the cycle of poverty it is extremely difficult to overcome and can affect future generations.
Poverty has negative impacts on health, well-being, development, employment, access to resources, education, and participation in community life. Poverty is a community issue. It impacts all of us. Many circumstances lead to a life of poverty. Sometimes poverty results from poor choices, other times these choices are imposed upon people.
United Way invests in programs across South Western Alberta to allow Albertans to stabilize, avoid, or move out of the cycle of poverty.
- 35,000 Canadians experience Homelessness on any given night
- There are close to 13,000 people living with low income in Lethbridge making up approximately 11.2% of the population.
- Southwestern Alberta’s population low-income rates are estimated at 13%.
GOAL
To build a community where Albertans are connected, safe, and involved in their communities allowing them to avoid or move out of the cycle of poverty.
STRATEGY
United Way Lethbridge & South Western Alberta helps to provide access to programs and services that support individuals and families including new Canadians, persons with disabilities, Indigenous people and lone-parent families who are struggling.
Healthy People Strong Communities
The strength of the community is in the well-being of the people who live there.
The focus of Healthy People, Strong Communities is to engage and mobilize residents to take collective action to improve access to and increase the availability of resources needed to revitalize and strengthen neighbourhoods.
United Way invests in programs that help create communities that are vibrant and inclusive, where residents can experience a sense of safety and well-being. The foundation for a strong community starts with investing in services and support for people and families in need.
- 6.2 million Canadians aged 15 years and older have a disability.
- Lethbridge is home to a higher than provincial average of lone-parent families
- More than one in five non-binary people live in poverty
GOAL
To create communities that are vibrant and inclusive and where residents can experience a sense of safety and well-being.
STRATEGY
United Way Lethbridge & South Western Alberta helps to provide access to programs and services that support mental health, supportive and independent living and safe environments.
All That Kids Can Be
Children and youth are the future of our communities.
To become successful, independent adults, children and youth need a good start in life, access to early literacy and development programs, positive school experiences during the middle years and to graduate from high school. They also benefit from recreational activities, mentor relationships with adult role models and opportunities to discover and develop their talents and interests.
Children live deeper in poverty than adults – with children aged 0-5 experiencing the highest rates of low income across age groups. Poverty, food insecurity, mental illness and a lack of early-year support can have life-long effects on children. United Way provides support to help kids get the support they deserve, starting at the earliest possible age and continuing on from cradle to career to make them the most successful in life.
- In Lethbridge, those that identify as Indigenous children ages 0-17 low income is greatest at 42%
- 1 in 5 children live in poverty in Lethbridge & South Western Alberta
- Poverty is often more prevalent for children of racialized groups
- 1/3 of Canadians experience some form of child abuse and neglect
GOAL
To get a good start in life by having positive family, social, and educational experiences that will provide them with the tools to be successful members of the community.
STRATEGY
United Way Lethbridge & South Western Alberta invests in where kids can get a healthy start in life and where they can be supported in their relationships, education, and mental and physical health.
