Basic Needs - Helping Individuals & Families in Crisis Meet Their Most Immediate Basic Needs 

 

The Need

·      892 students (in grades Pre-K through 12) live in motels, 441 live in shelters, and 143 live unsheltered in cars, parks or campgrounds. [Orange County 2010 Community Indicators Report]

 

·         890,000 people are at risk for hunger at some point every month in Orange County. [CAPOC 2008 - 2009 Community Action Plan]

 

·         Publicly-funded mental health programs in Orange County serve between 33% and 72% of the estimated need for mental health services. [Orange County 2010 Community Indicators Report]

 

Addressing the Need
OCUW views gaps in basic needs services as a serious problem that severely affects our community. Without access to adequate food, shelter and medical care, individuals and families are unable to break free from the vicious cycle of dependency and poverty to achieve their full potential. OCUW supports a safety-net of care that ensures basic needs are met today while providing solutions for long term change focused on education and financial stability to build self-sufficient lives tomorrow.

 

Orange County United Way Strategic Approaches

Community Impact Competitive Grant Program
OCUW’s Competitive Grant Program provides grant support to leading nonprofit programs under the following strategies:

• Food programs that supply and/or distribute food items to vulnerable populations and link clients to additional social services and/or work supports.  Programs include food banks, community food distribution sites, food pantries, and food delivery programs.
• Shelter programs that provide emergency shelter and/or transitional housing and directly link clients to additional social and/or work support services. 
• Medical programs that provide free or low-cost direct medical and/or behavioral health care services such as primary or urgent health care, health care screenings, dental care, and/or mental health services to no or low-income individuals.

 

Click here to review a listing of 2010 Community Impact Grant Partner Agencies.

 

Other Strategic Community Partnerships

• 2-1-1 Orange County

• Orange County Emergency Food and Shelter Board

• Health Funders Partnership of Orange County

• Point-In-Time Homeless Survey

• Orange County Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness

• Insight Center for Community Economic Development