We’re on a mission to permanently break the cycle of poverty for our most vulnerable neighbors: families, students, veterans and the homeless. We hope you’ll join us in this vital work.

Pathways Out of Poverty

Here at United Way, we’re committed to fighting poverty at its roots. We focus on long-term solutions to the fundamental problems facing those in need in L.A. County.

Education

Only 71% of L.A. County students graduate. In the LAUSD system, it’s only 61%. A quality education can be all a young person needs to escape the cycle of poverty. We understand the unique challenges facing our at-risk students. And we’re committed to preparing them for college and the workforce by increasing the LAUSD high school graduation rate to a minimum of 85% by 2017.

Financial Stability

1 in 5 of our children lives in poverty. That’s too many. But it can change. The right tools can set people on the path out of poverty. We provide opportunities for people at risk to achieve financial stability and upward mobility. Our goal is to provide asset building services to 10,000 households, with an emphasis on those with school-age children. For post-9/11 veterans, we believe we can cut unemployment in half—placing 5,400 veterans in jobs [by 2017].

Ending Homelessness

Over 58,000 people in L.A. County are homeless. Almost 7,000 of them are veterans. We want to decrease homelessness in Los Angeles County by 75% and eliminate veteran and chronic homelessness altogether. We believe in the resilience of our most vulnerable neighbors. They can escape the cycle of poverty if we take the opportunity to empower them. At United Way of Greater Los Angeles, we work side-by-side with public, private and non-profit organizations to support the most effective programs and strategies. In addition to enabling direct services, our advocacy and public policy work focuses on changing the ineffective systems that sustain the cycle of poverty.

With your support, we can work toward a united Los Angeles, free of poverty.