Financial Security Is the Foundation Everything Else Is Built On.
INTRO
In our community, too many households are one unexpected expense away from crisis. They are working. They are trying. And they still cannot make the numbers add up.
The ALICE Report (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) shows us the real picture. Across Rock County, a significant share of households earn above the federal poverty line but still cannot afford the basics: housing, food, childcare, transportation, and healthcare.
United Way Blackhawk Region funds programs that build financial security from the ground up, so more people in our community can get stable, stay stable, and build toward a future.
Our Initiatives
ALICE: A Study of Financial Hardship in Wisconsin
The United Way ALICE Initiative is a collaborative research effort identifying and communicating the needs of the voiceless part of our communities; allowing for local change-makers to understand, measure, and advance change to improve the lives of ALICE households, ultimately strengthening our communities.
MyFreeTaxes across the United States
MyFreeTaxes provides free federal and state tax preparation and filing assistance for qualifying individuals and families. Through the partnership of United Way and H&R Block, it is the first online initiative allowing free federal and state tax prep and filing in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Individuals or families with a household income of $66,000 or less can prepare and file taxes for free.
Only one in five people who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) take advantage of it. Many do not even know they qualify. That’s why MyFreeTaxes promotes critical tax credits like the EITC and Child Credit.
Program Partners Spotlight
United Way partners with and provides funding to the following local organizations to increase financial stability in the Blackhawk Region:
