Community Impact

Making a Difference Every Single Day

For almost four decades, supporting member agencies has been an integral part of the important work carried out by United Way of York Region (UWYR). Together with our donors and volunteers, we’ve been working to improve people’s lives by funding agencies and programs that meet urgent needs within the community – and working towards building a strong network of people helping people. In recent years, following a Nielsen Company survey of York Region residents, meetings with community members, front-line program staff, business leaders and academics, our research revealed three important priority areas that are essential for our region to thrive, and which we at United Way of York Region have invested in:
• Helping our kids be all they can be
• Moving people from poverty to possibility
• Creating strong, healthy neighbourhoods

We’re working to address the root causes of social problems

As United Way’s mission has evolved, we’ve learned we must go beyond immediate needs and focus our attention on the underlying, root causes of social issues. Strengthening bonds between neighbours through community projects is an important part of United Way’s focus. Our research has shown that to address the root causes of social problems, we must go beyond our traditional role of funding programs and invest in simple and new solutions to our most urgent issues. This is why, in addition to our Community Fund, we launched Strength Investments as part of our new Community Investment Model.

Community Investment Priorities

United Way of York Region is pleased to present its Community Investment Priorities Report 2011 to 2016 – a comprehensive framework of UWYR’s funding priorities moving forward. This five-year forecast is based on extensive community research across the region and identifies three community priorities that residents, social service, community and business leaders asked United Way to invest in.
Click here for a copy of the Community Investment Priorities 2011-2016 Report.

Committed to ongoing evaluation and process improvement, UWYR also undertook a review of its Community Investment Model. The recommendations, approved by the Board in May 2010, outline how we will allocate funds to address our 2011-2016 community priorities.
Click here to access a copy of the Community Investment Model Report.