Income

Community Challenges

For Rhode Islanders between the ages of 25-64, less than 60% have a high school diploma or less as their highest education level. According to estimates, roughly two-thirds of all jobs nationally, and in Rhode Island, will require some form of post-secondary education by 2018.

United Way in Action

Rawn Duncan and Bill Hatfield of Bank of America are partnering with Lisa Guillette of Rhode Island Foster Parents Association and United Way of Rhode Island to promote financial literacy to youth in our community.

United Way of Rhode Island is focused on helping people learn the skills necessary to find gainful employment to support their basic needs. The majority of our workforce has a high school degree and no more. In response, we are helping them to move rapidly through training programs like Stepping Up, Building Futures and TEAMhealth2 that create job opportunities in health care and the building trades that both pay a decent wage and allow them continue their education. We combine these programs with financial literacy training, access to mainstream banking services and the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Impacting Our Community

• In 2010, United Way Financial Stability Programs assisted 3,065 people, both youth and adults, enabling 94% of them to achieve greater financial stability such as opening a savings or checking account, saving money for emergencies, and building appreciating assets like college funds, home purchase and retirement accounts.
• United Way job-skill training programs served 671 individuals in 2010, with more than 40% finding jobs.
• Through the use of the Voluntary Income Tax Assistance sites, $13,442,682 was returned to Rhode Island taxpayers in the way of the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Education Tax Credit (2010 returns), which is an increase of 13% over the previous year.
• Additionally, taxpayers saved $1,542,200 in tax preparation fees.
• And, the total number of returns filed at sites funded by United Way of Rhode Island this year was 7,711, as compared to 7,402 the previous year.

We are making progress, thanks to people like you. Yet, we also know that many in our community still need help. So, please LIVE UNITED by making a contribution to United Way of Rhode Island’s Community Impact Fund today..

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