BC/Kzoo
RentAble Revamp Removes Barriers to Stable Housing
The Kalamazoo Continuum of Care has revamped its RentAble program to help more people overcome barriers to keep or obtain housing. RentAble is a pilot program managed by the Kalamazoo CoC and funded by the City of Kalamazoo. It provides one-time assistance up to $2,000 per household to qualified individual or family renters. Whereas the…
Read MoreCelebrating Our 1st Birthday
President & CEO Chris Sargent reflects on our progress as we note the one-year anniversary of the merger that created United Way of South Central Michigan. “The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.” Mark Twain said that to poke fun at April Fools’…
Read More2023 B.E.T.A Graduation Ceremony
KALAMAZOO – The 2023 Black Entrepreneur Training Academy (BETA) Graduation Ceremony, held Feb. 8, celebrated the end of training for 14 new graduates of the Black Entrepreneur Training Program, a joint effort by Black Wall Street Kalamazoo and Sisters in Business. This effort was funded in part through the City of Kalamazoo ARPA dollars, and…
Read MoreTime For Taxes! VITA Offers Free Tax Prep
Doing tax returns isn’t usually much fun. For households that can’t afford to hire an expert, it can be a missed opportunity to get the full refund they’re owed. That’s where United Way of South Central Michigan’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program can make a vital difference. VITA provides free tax preparation to low- and…
Read MoreStabenow Support Lifts ALICE Initiative
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) successfully championed a $257,000 federal budget appropriation to support UWSCMI’s workplace initiative sustaining ALICE employees. United for ALICE@Work in Michigan is a business education and certification effort to help small- and medium-sized businesses better understand the needs of low-wage workers below the ALICE threshold. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained…
Read MoreSeeding Leaders Mini-Grant Applications
UWSCMI provided nine $2,000 Seeding Leaders mini-grants in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, intended to support the wellness, leadership, and/or professional development of nonprofit leaders, with a focus on leaders who identify as (or in the intersections of) being: Applications are now closed. To be eligible to apply, an individual must have had a documented affiliation…
Read MoreVolunteers Needed for Point-in-Time Count
KALAMAZOO – The Kalamazoo County Continuum of Care is seeking volunteers to help us conduct the unsheltered portion of the county-wide 2023 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. The Point in Time Count is a literal count of all the people experiencing homelessness in our community on a single night. The data gathered from the PIT count also…
Read More‘Amazing!’: Board Member Climbs Kilimanjaro
“Phenomenal. Amazing. Humbling.” That’s how Dr. Ashutosh “Ash” Goel described his incredible trek up Mount Kilimanjaro. Goel and his daughter, Amiti, along with his nephew Tilak Gupta and niece Shagun Gupta, set off in mid August to climb the famous dormant volcano in Tanzania. In the process, they raised over $8,000 to support childhood education…
Read MoreWhirlpool Appliance Sale Comes to Battle Creek
Hundreds of deeply discounted appliances supplied by Whirlpool Corporation will be on sale to the public in a special two-day event benefitting two area United Ways. On Dec. 11-12, major appliances such as ranges, refrigerators, dishwashers, washers and dryers from Whirlpool Corporation’s brand portfolio including Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid will be available at significant savings. Shoppers…
Read MoreAnalysis: Pandemic Hits ALICE Families Hard
Lower-income people struggled in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to financially stable households, according to a new analysis. “The Pandemic Divide: An ALICE Analysis of COVID Surveys” found a much higher percentage of lower-income people struggling to get by, having lost jobs and income, and wrestling with depression and anxiety. The report comes…
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