Our Work - Income - Earn Well - United Way of Tarrant County

Earn Well: The Financial Stability Initiative

2013 BOLD GOAL: 9% (16,000) more low-income, working families will become financially stable

Year 1 Evaluation Report Executive Summary (4-page .pdf)

Earn Well Initiative Fact Sheet (2-page .pdf)

Wages have not kept pace with the rising cost of living, and few low-income workers are able to improve their skills to keep up with industry changes.

25% of Tarrant County households spend more than 35% of their income on housing.
29.8% of Texas households do not have the assets to survive for 3 months unemployed (Assets & Opportunity Scorecard, 2009-2010).
28% of people earning above the poverty level cannot support their families.

We are focusing on three key strategies to help families increase net income, get job skill training and develop assets for future financial security.

HOW WE WILL SUCCEED:
1. Income Support. We will make more families aware that they are eligible for income support and help them obtain it, particularly through volunteer income tax assistance sites and benefit enrollment efforts. We will increase the number of programs that bundle services and link citizens with information on application procedures for financial support.

5,000 more families will receive $13 million in new Earned Income Tax Credits

2. Workforce development. We will increase the availability of job training, placement and workforce support in businesses. Workforce development will include financial education, income support, classes teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), Adult Basic Education (ABE) and career education programs for specific industries.

4,000 workers will increase their income by 5% or more through on-site work force training

3. Asset development. Financial literacy and savings are among the assets that are critical to the long-term financial stability of a family. We will increase the availability of financial education classes and the number of families with savings accounts containing at least $500.

5,500 will improve their financial and credit practices
2,000 will open savings accounts

OUR ROLE:

Champion the initiative by engaging employers, post-secondary education leaders and financial institutions to create systems to help low-income working families become financially stable.
Monitor progress through regular evaluations and course corrections.

LEARN MORE (Logic Model)

Earn Well Video

Watch how Earn Well volunteers make a difference. (Video courtesy of Catholic Charities, United Way's Earn Well partner.)

Your UW Gift at Work

$10 a week provides 28 hours of assistance to job seekers with disabilities who need help identifying suitable jobs, obtaining training, preparing for employment and getting and keeping jobs.