United Way Needs Assessment CLOSED
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WiLL Transitions Dialogue
Women Living Leadership: Give. Advocate. Volunteer. The mission of WiLL is to improve women and children’s lives by mobilizing the caring power of women. The women of WiLL gained powerful insights that set the tone for future efforts when they sat down with community service providers to learn about gaps that prevent women and children from transitioning from crisis, poverty, and addictions into financial stability, independence and a life where it is possible for their children to reach their highest potential.
On August
29, 2006 a room full of front line workers from 17 community service
programs varying from prison chaplaincy to an early learning program gathered
together with women of WiLL, to explore system cracks,
gaps, and breakdowns. WiLL
wanted to surface ideas and most urgent needs as the group shared their insights and
experiences. From there, they hoped to identify focus areas for funding.
The discussion reinforced themes expressed in community needs assessments going back over many years: transportation, jobs providing a living wage, quality child care, affordable housing, and access to health care. A few more narrow gaps surfaced, such as the lack of help for women leaving domestic violence (without children); the need for help healing grief and loss for people in recovery; and, for seniors moving toward dependence after a life of independence, what a relatively small amount of assistance it would take for them to maintain their level of self-sufficiency.
WiLL gained powerful insights that set the tone for future efforts to help women at important points of transition in their lives. Some of the most significant insights:
- When speaking of people working to transition out of poverty and distress, we need to remember that 'they' are us, except with a different
life experience.
- To effect real lasting change, we must work to meet people where they are, recognizing that the standards we perceive as best for them may not, in fact, be what they see as best for themselves.
- Poverty is stigmatized and magnified in our culture. We need to work to change our view of those in poverty.
- Underlying all
that we do is the importance of facilitating a shift away from governments taking care of people to people taking care of people.