News & Media

A Daughter of a Senior widow called the UW office for help with her Father, who has the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s and is losing his house due to back property taxes owed. He hadn’t done his taxes since his wife passed and was not receiving all his income. The United Way Staff member helped him with his taxes and talked to the City of SSM to ask them to wait on his house; through getting his taxes he received enough to pay off his property taxes and help with other bills. Now he is able to keep his house and receive the support he needs from his family.

My parents could not afford to send me to college and as a young mom I was unable to work. But, that didn’t stop me from chasing my dream. The Options Navigator program helped make my dream come true. The worker spoke to one of his connections in the community and became aware of the United Way Bursary Program at Sault College. I applied and was accepted. I was connected to an opportunity I didn’t know I had available to me. It changed my whole life.

JHS worked with an individual for roughly two and a half years who lived with severe trauma from his past. Due to these traumas, he had unmanaged mental health, addictions, and anger management concerns. This individual was repeatedly victimized in the community while homeless. Through the Options Navigator program, he is now successfully maintaining housing, practicing harm reduction, and seeing his young child regularly. By having the supports offered through this program, we were able to provide him with food and other supplies while homeless, assist him in finding housing, refer to appropriate programs, and continue to work through his barriers with him. He has now been able to build a life he is proud of through self-determination and assistance from the Options Navigator program.

I am a single mother with two young children, working two part-time jobs to make ends meet. I had been doing ok, however I became ill and could not work for a week. With this loss of income, I got behind in paying my bills and my utilities were going to be disconnected. I was told to call the United Way Community Assistance Trust Program; the staff at this program helped me with the payment of the utility bill and I was able to get back on track without having to worry my daughters would be going without things they need. This one-time help was exactly what I needed to get back on my feet. I am very grateful for the help and hope that United Way gave me.