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The United Way of Whatcom County believes the three basic building blocks that provide the foundation for a good quality of life are: Education , Income, and Health . Whether it is the man standing on the side of the street asking for money or the recently displaced worker, when an individual in the community suffers a financial crisis the effects ripple throughout the rest of the community. To ensure the continued success of our community, the United Way of Whatcom County is focused on helping families become financially independent through:
- Supporting basic needs and increasing financial stability
- Helping hardworking people obtain new skills and achieve stable housing
- Increasing independence for elderly citizens and individuals with disabilities.
Why support Income?
Whatcom County poverty and unemployment rates remain to be high with 8% of all citizens in Whatcom County living in poverty and 8.4% of citizens ages 16 and older suffering from unemployment. These high rates of poverty and unemployment ripple through our community in the forms of lower tax revenues, higher crime rates, and a decreasing rate of local businesses.
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How are we making a difference?
- 2.3 million pounds of food was distributed through the 102,000 client visits the Bellingham Food Bank experienced.
- Lydia Place presented 24 individuals with safe transitional housing.
- Northwest Youth Services helped 30 homeless youth ages 16-24 receive stable housing and supportive wrap-around services for up to 18-months.
- The Opportunity Council’s Maple Alley Inn program provided 13,000 hot meals for 700 guests.
- 4571 families accounting for a total of 11,551 individuals have received emergency assistance and 295,607 lbs. of food from the Salvation Army.
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