United Way sets new funding priorities to better meet Broome County needs 

(Vestal, NY)--United Way of Broome County has approved new priorities for 2003-2006 in the allocation of funds from its annual Campaign. Every three years, funding priorities are reexamined to ensure that the most pressing needs of the community are sufficiently funded. The Community Investment Strategy Committee, composed of local community volunteers, recommended the priorities after examining data provided by United Way’s member agencies. The priorities were approved by United Way’s Board of Directors.

"Through the process of data gathering, review, and analysis, the committee identified the most pressing community issues upon which the limited United Way resources can have the greatest impact," said Patrick Gleason, chair of the committee and vice president—compliance officer at BSB Bank & Trust.

Gleason stressed the need for collaboration between United Way, its member agencies, and other institutions in order to coordinate and integrate its services to better meet the needs of the community in a cost-effective way.

"By collaborating with local agencies that serve the community, we are better able to address the priority issues we feel need our attention the most," said Gleason.

The priority issues, organized into four categories, emphasize prevention and education, rather than treatment. The focus of these priorities are on individual programs, rather than agencies. Category I contains issues which are the heart and soul of what the United Way should support. The issues are: adolescent pregnancy prevention and adolescent pregnancy services, child abuse neglect and prevention, helping young people succeed, maintaining independence for older adults, parent education and support, and quality child care.

"Services addressing these issues prevent problems as early as possible, rather than treating them after they have occurred," said Gleason. "While the scope of these issues is large, the community can make significant progress addressing them with United Way support."

The issues in this category have changed slightly over the past three years, with adolescent pregnancy prevention jumping from category II to category I. Though pregnancy rates among young women under age 21 has remained steady in Broome County in recent years, there are pockets of high adolescent pregnancy rates in areas such as Binghamton, Johnson City, Endicott, and Deposit. Current government funding is insufficient to provide adequate prevention services in this area. Funding from United Way will go a long way in aiding programs that help prevent teen pregnancy through education and counseling, said Gleason.

Category II lists issues in which the United Way believes that it, working with other organizations in the community, can make a significant impact. These issues are: basic material needs, health, literacy, non-crisis mental health, and refugee and immigration services. The services addressing these needs directly affect a large part of the community.

Category III lists issues which often need serious attention, but also often receive priority funding from the government. Therefore, United Way doesn’t focus much of its funding towards services that address these issues. The issues in this category are: chemical abuse treatment, crime victim services, criminal offender diversion, elder victimization treatment, juvenile justice, and spouse abuse treatment.

"The United Way sees its funding of services as an investment in the community," explained Gleason. "When we give an agency funds to support certain services, we like to see the results of that funding. That way we know that we are putting the donor’s money to its best use. By prioritizing areas of service that need the most attention and that can benefit the most from United Way’s funds, we are making sure each dollar donated goes a long way in making a real difference in Broome County."

January 14, 2003