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Over 500,000 Families in the Bay Area Struggle to Make Ends Meet Every Day.

Meet Juan: Thanks to Bay Area community members like you, a challenged adolescence did not stop Juan from turning his life around and enrolling at UC Berkeley.

Explore Juan's powerful Story

Support from his Bay Area neighbors helped change Juan’s path. Poverty has trapped tens of thousands more lives. Make a gift and change futures today.

Send My Gift

Poverty in the Bay Area: The Need & Our Impact

 

View the Data by County

 

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County

 

 

Did you know… 36% of Bay Area households (902,722) were housing burdened, spending 30% or more of their income on housing.

 

GIVE

Every dollar counts.

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ADVOCATE

Your voice matters.

Learn how you can advocate with us

VOLUNTEER

Give your time.

Learn about opportunities

OVER 500,000 BAY AREA HOUSEHOLDS STRUGGLE TO MEET BASIC NEEDS

We’re out to change that.

Join Us

Impact Areas: Our Major Areas of Focus in the Fight Against Poverty

Meeting basic needs

Our Basic Needs programs, partnerships, and policy work, support people in our community to meet their basic needs.

Learn more about meeting basic needs

Employment and career opportunities

We believe that access to education and employment opportunities is necessary to ensure that individuals are successful in school and in their careers.

Learn moreabout employment and career opportunities

Financial stability

Our programs address various aspects of financial stability to make sure individuals and families can thrive in their daily lives, reach their goals, and recover from a crisis quickly

Learn More about financial stability

Housing justice

UWBA is deepening our focus on improving access to stable, affordable housing and homelessness prevention resources.

Learn More about housing justice

Meeting basic needs

Our Basic Needs programs, partnerships, and policy work, support people in our community to meet their basic needs.

Learn more about meeting basic needs

Employment and career opportunities

We believe that access to education and employment opportunities is necessary to ensure that individuals are successful in school and in their careers.

Learn moreabout employment and career opportunities

Financial stability

Our programs address various aspects of financial stability to make sure individuals and families can thrive in their daily lives, reach their goals, and recover from a crisis quickly

Learn More about financial stability

Housing justice

UWBA is deepening our focus on improving access to stable, affordable housing and homelessness prevention resources.

Learn More about housing justice

Our Impact

67000000

$67M+ returned to the community in tax refunds though our free tax preparation program EKS

96850

calls and texts answered by our 211 helpline

2784

clients received long-term financial or career coaching through SparkPoint

Youth Opportunities Pathways Success Story – Meet Sophia

Did you know that 66,979 youth in the Bay Area are not attending school or working? Our Youth Opportunities Pathways Program helps youth like Sophia stay connected and engaged with resources that can set them on a path for future success.

Read Sophia's Full Story

Featured Content

Learn About Our Impact

We invite you to read about the work and impact of UNited Way Bay Area for the 2022 fiscal year. We addressed the many needs of our eight-county region, an area still impacted by a global pandemic and rising costs of inflation, serving nearly 650,000 community members.

Access Our Annual Report

Request for Proposals

United Way Bay Area (UWBA) is seeking proposals from consultants with Bay Area expertise to develop and advance strategies that will increase funding to support the scaling of our SparkPoint program.

Read the Details of the RFP

DEI Journeys

Discover the same curated content we use internally to help stimulate discussions and consider perspectives that are typically excluded from the conversation.

Learn More About Our DEI Journey

What We're Up To

Read our latest blogs, press releases and news.

Over 2,000 Bay Area Children Thrive Thanks to Collective Efforts

An endeavor to equip Bay Area students with essential school supplies became an example of what is possible when we come together as a community.

Read about our 2023 backpack drive

KEVIN ZWICK (CEO – UNITED WAY BAY AREA) – SPEAKS ON KCBS RADIO REGARDING CHILD POVERTY DOUBLING ACROSS THE NATION

In response to a New York Times article that found national poverty rates soared from 2021-2022, Kevin Zwick, CEO of UWBA goes on air to talk to local radio station, KCBS.

Hear the Interview

Statement: California Legislature Advances ACA 1 to the November Ballot

This is a HUGE win! ACA 1 — which would Amend the Constitution of the state of California — has the potential to right the wrongs of the past.

Read our statement on ACA 1

Financial Support & Coaching Improves Graduation Rates

A new evaluation of United Way Bay Area’s SparkPoint program finds substantial evidence students assisted are more likely to stay enrolled and earn a degree.

Learn more about the findings of this study

New Study Reveals Giving Disparities

Over the last year, we worked with ASR to analyze poverty, unemployment, and housing burden data, as well as foundation giving – here’s what we found!

Learn More About These Disparities

6 California Bills to Keep an Eye On

We continue to track state legislation that would increase the overall well-being of our Bay Area neighbors. Here’s the breakdown so far.

Read About What to Watch For

This is the Work!

United Way Bay Area’s Chief Community Impact Officer, Kelly Batson, stops by to discuss values, how we adapt, and creating a lasting impact.

Kelly Batson on Values and Lasting Impact

Keep Reading!

If your interested in learning more about what is going on, check out our blogs.

Read More of Our Blogs

Stories of Impact

Learn how your gift supports services and programs that change lives in the Bay Area.

MEET RACHEL

Rachel discusses the impact SparkPoint services have had on her journey to financial stability.

See Rachel's Story

MEET SUI

Sui talks about her journey to financial stability with the help of SparkPoint & Free Tax Help.

See Sui's Story

MEET MARIO

Mario on the difference one phone call can make.

Read about Mario's story

MEET ELIZABETH

Elizabeth talks about economic opportunities, community development, and the partnership between EBALDC and UWBA.

Read about Elizabeth's story

MEET DAN

Dan describes his time volunteering with the Free Tax Help program as eye-opening and rewarding. He worked with a team of volunteers to provide tax preparation services, helping individuals and families from all walks of life, which he says can be “visceral” seeing the difference it can make in their lives.

Read about Dan's story

MEET MARIA

"When I retired, I wanted to volunteer…I wanted to give back to the community," said Maria. "I tried different organizations and what I liked about United Way was that I was working mostly with volunteers."

Ready about Maria's story

Get Involved Today!

Give

Help struggling Bay Area residents break the cycle of poverty.

Support the Cause!

Advocate

Take action to break the cycle of poverty.

Your Voice Matters!

Volunteer

Volunteer to dismantle the root causes of poverty and build equitable pathways to prosperity.

Make a Difference!

Connect

Connect with like-minded individuals that want to make a positive impact in the Bay Area.

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