United Way Opens Second Round of Guaranteed Income

Local residents can apply for a second round of funding through United Way California Capital Region’s Guaranteed Income program, which will provide 80 eligible households with $500 of unconditional guaranteed income each month for one year. Eligible applicants must live in the City of Sacramento and meet household income requirements. The online application will be open until April 14 at 11:59pm. Qualifying households will be selected randomly and confirmed by the end of May. First payments will begin in July. For more information or to apply: YourLocalUnitedWay.org/Guaranteed-Income.

“With rising housing, food, gas and electricity costs, too many residents of our state’s capital are struggling to make ends meet,” said Dr. Dawnté Early, president and CEO, United Way California Capital Region. “Through this second round of funding, United Way’s Guaranteed Income Program will continue to address poverty directly by giving even more community members money to meet basic needs, no strings attached.”

United Way announced the new round of funding at a press conference with Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Mayor Pro Tem Mai Vang, Sacramento City Council Member Lisa Kaplan, and former state senator and United Way board member Dr. Richard Pan. The City of Sacramento allocated $750,000 in American Rescue Plan dollars to expand United Way’s Guaranteed Income program.

United Way’s Guaranteed Income program is the first of its kind in the California Capital Region. United Way launched the program in July 2021 with a portion of the $10 million gift it received from renowned philanthropist MacKenzie Scott in December 2020.

“This program helps alleviate the daily financial stress many local families face,” Early said. “We trust that participants best know how to spend their money to meet their family’s needs. Participants in our first cohort reported that guaranteed income each month helped to decrease income volatility, stay housed, pay for childcare, buy food and increase savings.”

United Way will partner with Sacramento State University to conduct a detailed study of the second round of households, including a comparative analysis. Data will be used to improve and expand the program.

For 100 years, United Way California Capital Region has worked to end poverty by creating stronger, healthier, more compassionate communities. Since 1923, the local United Way has raised more than $500 million to fight poverty in the region and help families succeed. The local United Way has found one place in each community to reach the most families in need: School is square one for ending poverty. United Way uses its Square One approach to end poverty for local families by helping children excel in school, investing in families, and strengthening schools with resources to address increased poverty and deep roots of racial inequality. For its 100th anniversary, United Way is working to raise $3 million to help 10,000 kids excel in school by 2025. To make a donation to the 100th anniversary campaign or learn more about United Way: YourLocalUnitedWay.org.  

United Way Expands Guaranteed Income with City of Sacramento

The Sacramento City Council recently approved an allocation of $750,000 in funding from its American Rescue Plan dollars to expand United Way California Capital Region’s guaranteed basic income program. The additional funding will expand the number of families served from 100 to 180, providing 80 new families with $500 in unconditional guaranteed income every month for one year. United Way’s current program is providing 100 families with $300 a month for two years.

“We are excited to partner with the City of Sacramento to expand our Direct Investment Program to more community members,” said Dr. Dawnté Early, president and CEO, United Way California Capital Region. “At United Way we’re committed to ending poverty for local families and what we know through our work and our relationships with community is that poverty is a policy choice. To truly end poverty, we must have meaningful policy changes at the local, state and federal level. The City of Sacramento is making the choice to address poverty directly by giving community members the money they need to meet their basic needs – housing, food cost and childcare for example. We are hopeful that this program can provide some relief to families in need during these difficult economic times.”

United Way’s Direct Investment Program is the first guaranteed income program launched in the California Capital Region. Eighty-six percent of current program participants indicate they cannot pay cash or cash equivalent for an unexpected $400 expense. Seventy-two percent of participants are women and people of color, and 1 out of 3 participants is working multiple jobs. The average participant would need two and a half full-time minimum-wage jobs to meet the Real Coast Measure for a household size of four, according to United Ways of California.

“We know that other basic income programs have been very successful in improving the financial stability of households currently living on economic margins,” said Mayor Darrell Steinberg. “We are putting dollars directly into the hands of our residents and empowering them to decide how best to use it.”

United Way launched the Direct Investment Program in July 2021 as part of a nationwide trend offering guaranteed income, particularly for communities historically undervalued and underinvested. Funding for the program came from a portion of the $10 million gift United Way California Capital Region received from renowned philanthropist MacKenzie Scott in December 2020. Rather than mandating conditional services or specific direction, families in the program come together to empower themselves and are trusted to improve their lives in their own way.  United Way works with a third-party academic institution to measure outcomes. The program aims to invest in 1,000 families by 2025.

United Way California Capital Region has been working for nearly 100 years to create stronger, healthier, more compassionate communities, now serving Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties. When the local United Way saw poverty rising in 2016, it found one place in each community to reach the most people in need: School was square one for ending family poverty. United Way’s Square One approach works with schools to help children excel in school, invest in families, and strengthen schools with resources to address increased poverty and further exposed racial inequality. For more information: www.YourLocalUnitedWay.org.

United Way Launches 3-Year Digital Equity Partnership

In a press conference today, United Way California Capital Region launched its three-year digital equity partnership with the City of Sacramento, SMUD, City of Rancho Cordova and community nonprofits to close the local digital divide – unequal technology and internet access – that has expanded during the pandemic. Building on its pilot project with the City of Sacramento in fall 2020, United Way and its partners are working to address the issue of digital equity long-term both inside and beyond the city limits.

“The digital divide is not new, but it has expanded rapidly with the pandemic when so many parents began working from home and kids began learning remotely,” said Amber Lovett, interim president and CEO, United Way California Capital Region. “We need to address this issue immediately, and we need to be looking at how we can continue working toward digital equity long after the pandemic ends. This program is doing exactly that, and we are grateful to have so many community partners who recognize that this is a systemic issue and critical for achieving equity across the region.”

United Way is partnering with select community-based nonprofits to identify and triage households eligible for broadband assistance, computers and devices, and basic digital literacy. These selected nonprofits will work with digital champions – community residents with technological skills who speak multiple languages – to provide outreach and case management in targeted geographic areas. Other partners, including local school districts, will provide outreach and referrals. Community hub partners, such as social service providers, will provide outreach, direct assistance and basic digital literacy and will work with the digital champions.

“Closing the digital divide is crucial to ensuring that everyone in our region can access educational and economic opportunity,” said Mayor Darrell Steinberg. “I’m proud that as a city, we have invested nearly $200 million over the past three years directly in community programs like these, working with dedicated partners like United Way, SMUD and our many nonprofits that work tirelessly to make Sacramento a more equitable place.”

With more than 24 million unconnected households nationwide, the digital divide disproportionately affects minority and low-income populations. According to the Federal Communications Commission, 35 percent of adults who do not use broadband at home are older, poorer, less educated, more likely to be a racial or ethnic minority, and more likely to have a disability than those with a home connection. In Sacramento, there are neighborhoods where 25 percent of households have no internet access.

“SMUD’s goal is to improve the lives of our customers, and we’re doing that through innovative partnerships that serve those in greatest need,” said SMUD Director Gregg Fishman. “Our Sustainable Communities program is working throughout the region to provide equity and access to under-resourced communities so everyone has the same opportunity to thrive. Closing the digital divide will play a key role in uplifting our community.”

Eligible households can complete an initial screening application, and once approved, will be considered for a variety of services, including internet access for up to 2,000 households a year, refurbished desktop computers for up to 500 people per year and digital literacy training through online resources and classes. Through the program, households will receive a year of free internet access either through Comcast Digital Essential Services’ broadband or through an AT&T hot spot, with priority given to low-income households with children and senior citizens. Those in need of digital literacy will receive a list of online sites or may be referred to partner nonprofits with access to virtual or in-person classes. The program’s digital champions will provide basic digital literacy support including web forms, email set-up, internet research and access to resources. For eligibility requirements: YourLocalUnitedWay.org/Digital or 211.

Over the course of three months in fall 2020, United Way’s pilot program with the City of Sacramento, which was spearheaded by Sacramento City Councilmember Angelique Ashby, distributed 949 laptops and 266 hotspots and trained 115 participants, creating the foundation for the broader partnership.

“Bridging the digital divide is a moral imperative,” said Mayor Pro Tem Angelique Ashby. “Championing this effort during the pandemic has been an honor and has created a path forward to continuing the work of connecting our neighborhoods to affordable, fast, reliable access to the internet.”

The program is funded through City of Sacramento, SMUD, City of Rancho Cordova and United Way California Capital Region. The portion of funding from United Way comes from the $10 million gift it received from renowned philanthropist MacKenzie Scott in December 2020.

For nearly 100 years, United Way California Capital Region has brought local people together to make community change happen. With a mission to build stronger, healthier and more compassionate communities, the local United Way starts at square one: helping every family succeed so their community can too. Serving Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties, the local United Way is working to meet its 20-year commitment to significantly reduce poverty in the region by building capacity in undervalued communities, creating meaningful partnerships, seeking equity in education and making social justice investments in families. For more information or to make a donation, visit YourLocalUnitedWay.org.

As the nation’s sixth-largest, community-owned, not-for-profit electric service provider, SMUD has been providing low-cost, reliable electricity for almost 75 years to Sacramento County and small adjoining portions of Placer and Yolo counties. SMUD is a recognized industry leader and award winner for its innovative energy efficiency programs, renewable power technologies and sustainable solutions for a healthier environment. SMUD’s power mix is about 50 percent non-carbon emitting. For more information, visit SMUD.org.

United Way and City of Sac Partner to Offer Free Broadband, Computers and Training During Pandemic

Up to 10,000 Sacramento households affected by the pandemic, particularly low-income households with children and seniors, will receive free broadband access this fall through a new pilot program launched by the City of Sacramento and United Way California Capital Region. Funded through the federal CARES Act, the Digital Equity program also will provide free computers to up to 1,000 households as well as digital literacy training on how to use the technology. To qualify, an applicant must be a City of Sacramento resident and eligible for public assistance programs such as the National School Lunch Program, Medicaid or WIC. To apply and learn more, call 211 or visit  sacramentocovidrelief.org/digital.

The Digital Equity program aims to address unequal access to technology, known as the digital divide, which has expanded during the pandemic.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected our low-income communities and made it even more crucial that we close the digital divide,” said Mayor Darrell Steinberg. “Providing reliable Internet access to families in Sacramento means more children can learn and more adults can work or take advantage of education and retraining that will help them succeed in today’s job market.”

Participating households will receive broadband at no cost through December and will be offered service through the Comcast Internet Essentials program at a discounted rate after that. Households receiving computers will be offered refurbished Dell Chromebooks. The program will contract with community-based nonprofits and school districts to provide outreach, identify households in need and house “digital champions” who will work on outreach, case management and training in targeted geographic areas. Digital champions are community residents with technology skill sets who are trained to help households with broadband application and provide basic digital literacy education.

“The pandemic has brought the digital inequities in our community to the forefront, and I am happy to see our city working to provide residents with access to Internet and computers to be able to learn, work and stay connected with others,” said Mayor Pro Tem Angelique Ashby. “This program will help close these digital gaps by providing equipment, connection and digital literacy to those most in need.”

Of the more than 24 million unconnected households nationwide, the digital divide  disproportionately affects minority and low-income populations. According to the Federal Communications Commission, 35 percent of adults who do not use broadband at home are older, poorer, less educated, more likely to be a racial or ethnic minority, and more likely to have a disability than those with a home connection.

 “We are honored to partner with the city to provide Sacramento residents in need with equal access to the technology necessary to succeed during the pandemic,” said Stephanie Bray, president and CEO, United Way California Capital Region. “This project is an important element of United Way’s Square One Project that is working to make sure families have the tools and resources they need so kids can graduate from high school ready for success in college or career. There is no doubt that Internet access and technology will play an increasingly vital role in kids’ success in school.”

For nearly 100 years, United Way California Capital Region has brought local people together to make community change happen. Today, the nonprofit is bringing people together across Amador, El Dorado, Sacramento, Placer and Yolo counties for its Square One Project, a 20-year promise to significantly increase the number of students in our region who graduate from high school ready for success in college and beyond. United Way believes ending poverty starts in school and is working to ensure kids meet important milestones and their families receive support and resources. To learn more and make a donation, visit YourLocalUnitedWay.org.