United Way of Southeast Louisiana

Serving Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington Parishes

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Our Work

Education
Health
Income

How We Work

United Way’s mission is: “To increase the organized capacity of people to be independent and self-sufficient." Working within the seven-parish area of Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington, UWSELA funds programs, supports collaborations, convenes experts and fosters new and needed community services based on best practices. We work to ensure quality health and human services for the citizens of southeast Louisiana and assess the success of programs based on the achievement of pre-defined outcomes.

Since Hurricane Katrina, UWSELA has made grants totaling just over $66 million to area health and human services agencies. UWSELA-funded programs in calendar year 2010 that addressed priorities such as housing, medical and mental health care, child and adult care and academic supports served 481,422 unduplicated clients by program. Through grants, donor designations via workplace campaigns and partnerships with other funders, UWSELA invests around $18 million per year in the region.

Community Impact

In the early 1990’s, UWSELA was one of the first local United Ways to transition from giving to community agencies to investing in solutions to community problems. The Community Impact model has as its goal: to improve lives by mobilizing communities to create sustained changes in community conditions. This approach goes beyond the agencies to the citizens they serve. UWSLEA’s central role in this process is to provide leadership in identifying the root causes of community issues and to work with local leaders to strengthen the community’s ability to address them, including the investment of United Way campaign resources.

Goals

Our United Way is addressing the region’s most critical needs with a goal of maximum impact. Our work is organized around three impact (program) areas:

  • Education: Success for Children & Families… programs and community partners working collectively to help children and youth develop to their fullest potential, support healthy, nurturing family relationships, and improve access to quality, affordable child care;
  • Health: Health & Independence for All…  programs and community partners working to assure that community residents have access to timely and effective physical and behavioral care, and that seniors and those with disabilities have the best possible quality of life;
  • Safety Net: Financial Stability for Hardworking People & Those in Crisis… programs and community partners working together to assist people in times of need or emergency, empower people to increase household income, build savings to weather crises, and help families gain, sustain, and protect their assets, such as a home.

Impact areas are led by two volunteer co-chairs having a big picture understanding of community change and benefit with the membership consisting of volunteer professionals with topical expertise relative to that impact area.

 

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United Way is working to meet the ever-changing needs in our community so we can have a healthy quality of life, a strong workforce and brighter economic future.

 

Money raised here stays here and could help someone you know.

 

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What Do We Do?

“Community Impact” is the tremendous potential of United Way to change our communities for the better with flexibility, funding and community involvement. We want strong families that can provide supports necessary to assure that their children are successful, a safety net for our frail or disadvantaged populations, and the ability to maximize health and independence for all people – all leading to self-sufficiency and independence. 

United Way Wins National Award for Work With Children and Families

 

The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) has announced United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area as the 2009 recipient of its Champion for Children award.

Each year CWLA presents an award to an individual or organization who has made a difference in a child's life and/or who has dedicated their work to helping and encouraging children, and United Way of Southeast Louisiana is committed to the success of its communities’ children and families.  United Way’s Success By 6 collaborative focuses on children being ready to learn when they enter school.  Its public policy work has been successful in the creation of a statewide quality rating system for childcare centers; meanwhile, home-based childcare providers receive instruction through United Way’s First Teacher program.  Also, childcare centers demolished by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are being rebuilt by the Greater New Orleans Rebuild Child Care Collaborative with $3.3 million to bridge the gap between private resources and the cost to build to quality standards.

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