As hardship hits more homes, more neighbors facing crisis make desperate calls for help

United Way HelpLine

A mother in Franklin Park calls to say her husband lost his job and she’s dropped out of college to find work. In the meantime, the family is facing eviction, scraping for money to buy basic necessities such as diapers and formula, and they don’t have a working stove. She is not alone.

More of our neighbors are facing financial hardships and they are calling the United Way HelpLine in record numbers asking where to turn for help with food, rent, utilities and other basic needs. In the first three quarters of 2009, calls for rental assistance rose 273 percent over the same period a year earlier. Calls for utility assistance increased 195 percent; food referrals, 58 percent; calls from families and individuals seeking emergency shelter, 83 percent; and calls for furniture jumped 108 percent, a third of which were for cribs and beds.

Many of these people have never before faced such hardships or had to ask for help or figure out who among the more than 2,500 nonprofits in Allegheny County to approach. Helping them find the right assistance is a vital community service.

For nearly 60 years, the United Way HelpLine has linked neighbors in need to social services that can help. HelpLine’s staff of social service professionals provide confidential, personalized referral plans to connect callers to available community resources. Through the United Way Direct Help Fund, they also provide emergency grants to help callers with rent, utilities and other basic needs. And efforts are being made to raise public awareness of HelpLine and upgrade its software to better report on issues such as service gaps, which can result in more effective grant making.

United Way of Allegheny County is uniquely qualified to lead this initiative with nearly 60,000 donors, more than 700 workplace campaigns, an emphasis on evidence-based solutions, and the experience and commitment to help people meet basic needs. United Way has operated HelpLine for nearly six decades. Its Direct Help Fund provides callers with emergency grants for basic needs. And United Way is a partner with the Pittsburgh Foundation in Neighbor Aid, a related community fund that supports nonprofits whose resources have been depleted by the recent rise in demand for basic needs assistance.

The United Way is seeking investments toward the cost of $275,000 to continue HelpLine, improve its reporting and expand its reach. This investment will cover staff, administrative, equipment and other operational costs, software upgrades and a public awareness campaign to make sure all families in crisis know to turn to United Way HelpLine for help finding ways to meet their basic needs.