Creating opportunities for all people to secure safe and affordable housing, acquire skills and training to maintain employment and achieve financial stability leading toward independence.

The New Haven region has the 7th greatest income disparity in the nation when comparing the poverty in our central city (and increasingly in our inner ring communities of West Haven, East Haven and Hamden) with the wealth of our outer ring suburbs.   While jobs are growing in low-wage sectors and shrinking in high-wage industries, the cost of housing is increasing. Today a worker needs to earn approximately $45,000 annually to afford a two-bedroom apartment.  The average number of homeless in New Haven each night is 1,200. 

United Way is committed to helping close this economic gap by working with partners to create a region where everyone has the opportunity to secure, safe and affordable housing, the skills and training needed to succeed in decent paying jobs and the means to be self-sufficient. United Way investments and leadership around supportive housing, job training, and foreclosure prevention not only improve the lives of individuals and families but also strengthen our entire region.