Community Impact Strategy
2023-2028
In 2022 United Way Hastings & Prince Edward re-engaged with our community to deepen our understanding of how people experience life here and how that experience may be different now than it was pre-pandemic; in the spirit of ‘nothing about us without us’ we listened to and learned from people from all walks of life, with different experiences and different perspectives. This learning, paired with data, has informed the development of a community impact strategy that will guide our work moving forward. It will inform how we invest in programs and services locally, how we will mobilize the power of the people who live here, how we will advocate for change, how we will collaborate and how we will continually learn about what matters most to the people who call our community home.
Our community impact strategy is guided by our organization’s vision, mission and values and has been developed with input from our community, agency partners, donors and volunteers. This strategy builds on the United Way Centraide Canada National Focus Area Frameworks (2014) and United Way HPE’s previous impact strategy developed in 2014.
OUR PRIORITIES
Help Kids Be All They Can Be
Ensure children and youth have the support they need to get a great start in life, do well in school and reach their full potential.
Move People from Poverty to Possibility
Meet the basic needs of our community’s most vulnerable people, giving everyone the opportunity to realize a better future.
Build Strong & Healthy Communities
Support personal well-being and strengthen communities & neighbourhoods so everyone experiences a sense of belonging and connection to one another.
HOW WE MAKE CHANGE
ADVOCATE – Work with government, community planners, community service partners, and decision-makers to shape social policy championing solutions that improve people’s lives
INVEST – Make smart, strategic investments in local programs and services that get results and create lasting, measurable change
MOBILIZE & COLLABORATE – Maximize the collective power of the social sector, donors, governments, business, volunteers and the community as a whole by mobilizing effective, collaborative approaches to community conditions. Bringing diverse voices to the table helps us build strong strategies for community change
FUNDRAISE – Fundraise, leverage grants, government funding and other resources to create positive community impact and change
BUILD CAPACITY – Provide access to resources, learning opportunities, research, and data to enable community and organizational planning and development
KEY STRATEGIC PARTNERS
It takes a community!
• Individual Donors • Corporations • Businesses • Foundations • Workplaces • NFP Organizations
• Elected Officials • Community Members • Media • Volunteers • Public Sector
THE WAY WE WORK
Guiding Principles:
Focused on priority issues
Accountable & transparent
Equitable Diverse and Inclusive
Impactful & measureable
Balanced across the region with prevention and acute response
HOW WE’LL KNOW WE’RE MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Our community has increased access to:
• Mental health and healthy development supports/services for children & youth
• Substance use/misuse & addiction support for children and youth
• Accessible, safe, inclusive recreational opportunities and spaces
• Opportunities that develop life skills and support school success
• Mentorship, leadership, and community engagement opportunities
• Supportive, transitional and/or affordable housing
• Decreased homelessness
• Supports for people experiencing homelessness
• Food security and emergency food supplies
• Employment related skills, services and training
• Affordable healthcare and wellbeing supports
• Affordable childcare supports for families
• Supports for mental health, addictions, substance use and wellbeing
• Affordable transportation
• Personal safety, education, and awareness around technology
• Caregiver supports
• Supports for people affected by violence and trauma
• Strong, diverse, well-resourced not for profit sector
Contact Information
For more information, please contact
Kaitlyn Lalonde,
Outreach & Impact Coordinator
United Way Hastings & Prince Edward
613-962-9531