Research & Publications

Poverty is an enormously complex challenge with root causes as diverse as its victims. To achieve our mission of ending the cycle of poverty in our community—and help the 1 in 4 Bay Area families struggling to get by—we must be diligent in our ongoing research and reporting. Check out our most recent publications below, then learn how you can get involved.

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View & Download Reports and Publications

UWBA Fact Sheet

Check out our impact statistics for a breakdown of the 250,000-plus Bay Area residents we served last year.

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Bay Area Poverty Brief: June 2016

A snapshot look at the rapidly changing Bay Area landscape, including recent demographics and poverty statistics.

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Leveraging Tax Time: A Two-Generation Approach to Poverty Reduction

Our qualified tax experts help ensure families get the refunds they deserve, helping them to meet basic needs throughout the year.

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SparkPoint's 2-Generation Approach

Read how the program adopted a family engagement approach that honored, welcomed, and connected with school families to strengthen each family’s relationship with the program and their schools.

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SparkPoint 101:

Learn about our SparkPoint model.

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Struggling to Make Ends Meet 2015

As of 2012, 29% of Bay Area households were struggling to cover the cost of basic needs. That’s 657,000 households that cannot afford critical needs like housing, food, healthcare, and child care.

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Self-Sufficiency Statistics

What percentage of Bay Area residents earn enough to afford the cost of living in our increasingly expensive region? The numbers may surprise you!

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SparkPoint's 10 Key Findings

This report explores program recommendations regarding outcome attainment and retention among SparkPoint clients.

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SparkPoint 101 Infographic

Learn about our SparkPoint model in a visual way.

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SparkPoint Skyline College Report

See what works and SparkPoint's impact on persistence rates.

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SparkPoint Bundled Services Analysis Report

The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the efficacy of a combination of services - informally called the “magic bundle" in helping SparkPoint clients achieve outcomes of interest, especially as the effect may differ across sites.

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SparkPoint Community Schools: 2015-16 Evaluation Findings Report

Read about the impact of the SparkPoint Community Schools (SPCS), a program of United Way Bay Area.

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Mayor’s Youth Jobs+ Final Report

In collaboration with Mayor Ed Lee, local community partners, and employers across the city, the Mayor’s Youth Jobs+ Initiative served 5,204 youth in its first year. Four years later we continue to grow our program and expand our reach as 6,365 youth were placed in jobs or paid internships across the city this year.

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The SparkPoint Difference: Student Persistence Improvement at Community Colleges

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