For immediate release - February 28 2007
Media contact: Taulene Ayoub (213) 630-2190, tayoub@unitedwayla.org
UNITED WAY OF GREATER LOS ANGELES ANNOUNCES ACTION PLAN TO TACKLE NEW FACE OF POVERTY IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Organization Launches Ten-Year Plan; Goals Include Increasing Graduation Rates of 9th Graders to 75 Percent, Increasing Income for Low-Income Workers through Financial Support Systems and Reducing Number of Homeless People
LOS ANGELES, February 28, 2007 – United Way of Greater Los Angeles today announced the launch of its new 10-year Action Plan to better address the issues facing Los Angeles County and provide the tools necessary to move more people out of poverty. Los Angeles County is at a critical cross-roads:
- 88,000 people sleep on the streets every night – two in five are women or children
- One in four children in Los Angeles live below the poverty line
- Only six out of ten high school students are graduating on time
United Way’s new Action Plan will sharpen the focus on three vital areas identified as key to reducing poverty: meeting basic needs like food, shelter and health care; improving the educational achievement of our youth; and helping families with the opportunities and skills they need to become financially stable. The Action Plan also calls for an increased focus on public policy at the city, county and state levels to influence laws and regulations that affect the lives of millions of Californians and Angelenos. In conjunction with the Action Plan, United Way announced the availability of funding for qualified nonprofit organizations to help advance meeting the plan’s goals.
“The face of Los Angeles has dramatically changed in the past 20 years, including significant growth in the working poor, the underperformance of schools and a crisis in homelessness,” said Elise Buik, president and CEO, United Way of Greater Los Angeles. “United Way is looking to align itself with partners so that we can collectively achieve measurable results in critical areas, as well as increase our efforts in addressing public policies that will help move more people out of poverty.”
“The factors that influence the impoverished in Los Angeles are truly affecting our entire community,” said Greg Stubblefield, president and general manager, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, California and Hawaii, and chairman of the board, United Way of Greater Los Angeles. “While we have an incredible asset in our young population, it is a population that is undereducated and destined for low wage jobs, unless we do something about it. A strong education means good jobs, a healthy economy and a safe and stable community. If we are to improve the quality of life in greater Los Angeles, we all need to come together now.”
The Action Plan is the result from a strategic planning process that included input from more than 200 community and business leaders, including current United Way non-profit partners. In addition to moving into a competitive funding process United Way will be increasing its focus on public policy in order to change systems at the local and state government level. United Way is in a unique position to bring together public, private and nonprofit organizations together to move action forward.
“We must treat the root causes of poverty. The best way to help children get out of poverty is to first help their parents get out of poverty. Everyone deserves a fair shot at a good education, a decent paying job and a home, and we intend to do our part in providing the paths to get there,” said Buik.
About United Way of Greater Los Angeles
United Way of Greater Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization that creates pathways out of poverty by focusing on meeting basic needs, improving educational achievement and increasing financial stability for the most vulnerable in our community. Through its research work, United Way identifies the issues and works in partnership with community leaders and supporters to solve them by funding targeted programs and advocating for change. For more information, visit www.unitedwayla.org.
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