Impact areas

At United Way we recognize that by working together we can do more and have a greater impact. By working with others and increasing our focus on root causes of social issues our community faces, we can work toward lasting solutions that improve the quality of life at an individual and community level.

There are significant needs in our community, and United Way is committed to work with service providers, residents, and donors, to respond in the way that will have an impact in London & Middlesex.

To determine our focus locally, we completed an extensive community engagement process  - asking London and Middlesex citizens and organizations - what are the most pressing human and social issues that they want United Way to deal with. The community was clear, and led us to the following impact areas:

Poverty
Supporting urgent needs and promoting independence and long-term financial stability

Mental health
Promoting healing, resilience and recovery for individuals living with mental illness

Beginnings & transitions
Helping children reach their full potential and enabling immigrants to engage, contribute and thrive

Volunteer Impact councils comprised of community members, individuals with lived experience and experts in the field are working to guide United Way in developing strategies and solutions and to appropriately prioritize and distribute dollars to our impact areas.

The approach of focusing on issues will get us working more closely than ever with community partners such as funded agencies, in a more meaningful and supportive way than ever - as a partner working side by side, each leveraging each other's strengths to make the best possible positive impact on our community.
 
Our review process
United Way’s impact areas were identified through a comprehensive engagement process in 2009/10. United Way reached to our community better understand the pressing issues in London and Middlesex. The consultation process included the following:

• Thinkcommunity.ca – close to 1,250 respondents provided their feedback online or at one of 16 community kiosks (in London Public Libraries, Middlesex County libraries and London community centres).  The tool was designed pro bono by Echidna Solutions and data analysis by University of Western Ontario (in kind contributions worth over $10,000)
• Literature review – United Way completed a thorough analysis of local and provincial data and trends
• Community participation - Understanding of priorities identified through United Way participation at community planning tables (i.e., Child & Youth Network, Local Immigration Partnership)
• Key stakeholder interviews with government (municipal, provincial and federal), corporate partners, and other community partners
• United Way funded agency input

  Click here to view or print our Community Impact Agenda 

 Click to read our Think Community report

 Click to read our research summary report:  Pages 1-32  Pages 32-69