Family Financial Stability: Suggestions for How to Submit a Strong Proposal

Family Financial Stability – Who are We? UW has consolidated efforts around Affordable Housing, Sustainable Employment, Financial Education, Asset Development and Basic Needs – these pieces are inextricably linked. This alignment will help us improve coordination and collaboration Our strategies remain very similar, but we hope you’ll experience them as more streamlined. The newest emphasis is in collaboration and linkages between organizations or programs.

Obtain or Retain Housing This measure is focused on programs that maximize the number of people experiencing homelessness or housing instability who obtain or retain safe, affordable, permanent housing. Successful applications will convey intentional housing-focused supports that lead to greater stability for families over time. An agency need not apply to both obtain and retain categories to be eligible for funding under this measure Under Question 4 (verification) successful proposals will provide a specific description of how the agency knows the family has been stabilized as well as a description of how the agency tracks stabilization over time Under Questions 5-7 (your approach) successful proposals will show a commitment to proven housing-focused placement and stabilization activities, such as mediation and other legal services, screening/assessment/planning, search and placement, and home-based case management. Any successful proposal must demonstrate a clear commitment to and history of working under the Housing First framework Under Question 6 successful proposals will demonstrate strategic planning and program design based on promising practices and current research, articulate how program design has led to better housing outcomes, and demonstrate efforts related to integrating stabilization services

Gain Basic Skills or Job Skills The aim of this measure is to increase the number of individuals who attain basic skills or job skills needed to obtain and retain employment. An agency need not apply on both categories (basic skills and job skills) to be eligible for funding under this measure. UWMBMV supports high quality programs with intentional focus on connecting participants to employment, training, and post-secondary education opportunities. (see: Collaborations) Successful programs will track and verify proficiency and progress of participants (verification of at least one level during a program cycle). Job Skills programs must explain (Q4) how they measure progress and participant proficiency. Associate and bachelor degrees will be counted as “soft assets” in Measure #4: Gaining Economic Milestones. All other vocational or occupational training will be captured here.

Obtain (and Retain) Employment This measure demonstrates the progression of obtaining, retaining and advancing in employment for financial stability, incorporating the pre-condition of legal status/work authorization. Your agency needs to meet at least one of the eligibility requirements, but not necessarily all of them, in order to submit application for this measure. Be specific in your target population (Q1) if you have success with particularly hard-to-place folks, and draw the link with your approach (Q5-6). For obtained employment …and you track retention, but for less than 12 months, still note this! (Q6) Keep the milestones going past “obtain employment.” If jobs are “good jobs,” then, please be specific in wages/benefits (Q6). UWMBMV values retained employment (>12 months). Again, the features that make you successful (Q6) will be important to note. If you have an approach in a particular sector with job advancement opportunities (in terms of wage and/or promotion), note this in the “Your Approach” (Q5-6) sections of the proposal. Describe sector, wage/benefit scales, and career ladders, as well as any significant employer partners. Verification for the retaining and advancement aspects sets the bar high. Make sure you can describe your verification process for 12 months of retained employment, and/or document wage and position advancement.

Gain Economic Milestones Outcome Statement: Individuals who do not have certain economic/benefits information or practice certain financial management skills will gain the knowledge and engage in activities they need in order to make the most of their income/savings. Eligibility Requirements and Definitions need close attention (Q2 & Impact Paper) For public benefits/entitlements/EITC, actual enrollment and/or tax filing necessary. Verification for financial education with pre/post evaluation demonstrating behavior change (not only knowledge gained) is required. (Q4) See The approach and features (Q5 & 6) questions provide you with an opportunity to showcase the connection between what you accomplish in this measure in relation to other measures or counterpart programs, if applicable. (see Collaborations). It is possible that within one year, a contribution (financial education) may be a milestone for another contribution (long term asset gained). If you bundle multiple contributions with a deliberate approach, let us know in Q5 & 6. If you track clients over years, speak to how your agencies’ efforts help an individual or family move from a more vulnerable economic position to a more stable economic position. This reaches beyond numeric targets with past (annual) performance successes to movement toward more sustained outcomes (Q7).

Affordable Housing Supply This measure is focused on the creation, preservation and maintenance of quality affordable housing for low to moderate income individuals and families. An agency need not apply to all categories (produce, preserve, manage) to be eligible for funding in this measure. Organizations seeking funding in this measure must create, preserve or maintain housing targeting individuals at or below 120% Area Median Income (AMI). Although United Way prioritizes funding for housing that targets families with children, UW will count units created, preserved or maintained for both individuals and families – though proposals serving individuals alone will be at a disadvantage. All units held in portfolio (whether managed internally or outsourced to a property management company) will be counted/recognized for this measure.

Collaborations United Way seeks to promote collaboration and linkages between organizations and/or programs that provide affordable housing (and/or obtain and retain services) and organizations that provide workforce development, financial education and asset development. True collaboration is helpful in bringing about better outcomes for clients. United Way would like to foster enhanced collaboration over the next three years while being sensitive to the on the ground challenges organizations may face in this endeavor. Organizations are not required to have formal linkages or collaborations in order to qualify for United Way funding however as United Way recognizes the costs associated with creating/maintaining such relationships it may be a factor in determining funding amounts to partner agencies. Applicants must describe the specific programs that are linked with counterpart programs (i.e., housing placement or retention programs with internal or external workforce development programs; workforce development programs with internal or external linkages with financial education programs etc.) Applicants must specify the goals of the partnership from both an organizational and/or mission perspective and a client perspective. Please consider each of the questions asked in this section and provide a thorough description of how the collaborations are implemented.

Public Policy: Family Financial Stability The content of this measure does not significantly differ from what we have looked for previously as it relates to housing and employment. What is new this cycle is an added focus on asset development and basic needs policy efforts. The eligibility requirements for this measure have been tightened. United Way will only fund: –Statewide efforts where the agency takes a leadership role –Agencies that have paid or volunteer staff dedicated to policy –Agencies that measure their advocacy activities or have an internal logic model and –Agencies that are able to measure success over time Successful proposals will be able to clearly articulate the characteristics of the beneficiaries of a successful policy effort (number benefiting, demographic characteristics) and how they will benefit (financial, access to services, etc.), and articulate how success will support the overarching framework of increasing access to family financial stability.

Questions?