“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” -Mr. Fred Rogers

Now, more than ever before, our community is in desperate need of “helpers” like you.

During these uncertain and constantly changing times, our human nature longs for something stable, something trustworthy, and something positive happening in the world around us. For nearly 50 years, Lake Area United Way has been fighting to create stable and healthy families. On any given day, staff and community partners of Lake Area United Way are working to provide job training for livable wage jobs, expanding opportunities for hard working families to access quality childcare, providing safety net services such as rent and mortgage assistance, food access, and utility assistance.

With record unemployment numbers, families who were already struggling to make ends meet are now losing sleep with concerns of how they will financially survive this health and economic crisis. Lake Area United Way has seen an increase of 1,800% of Lake County residents looking for help. Kids home from school have increased the amount of food needed in the house. 14,000 hospitality workers have been furloughed, not knowing when they may get unemployment insurance, but knowing that their rent is still due. Families who now find themselves with no income know that, while late fees and disconnect notices on utilities have stopped, they will still have 2-3 months due all at once, even once they go back to work.

These families- your neighbors, your customers, your co-workers, your friends- need you.

We launched the NWI Covid-19 Economic Relief Fund on March 18 to raise the funds that would allow those who have been directly impacted by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in maintaining their basic needs, primarily around rent and mortgage assistance, utility assistance, and access to food. We are also providing financial assistance for child care for low-income first responders to keep them working. Over the past several years, we have built a robust infrastructure, comprised of a shared case management system, called Charity Tracker, that allows Lake County service providers to work collaboratively to more holistically serve families and make immediate, real time referrals; www.resourceroundup.com, the online database of resources referenced above; and a cross sector network of elected officials, service providers, religious organizations, and business partners convening to support and guide our work. Because of this incredible infrastructure, we have been able to assess current and emerging community needs and respond at a rapid pace to help as many families as possible. 

In this recent story by The Times of Northwest Indiana, you will see that partners in the community and a generous gift from the Lilly Endowment Foundation have contributed an amazing $3,209,551 to the Northwest Indiana Covid-19 Economic Relief Fund. You should also know that we have granted $1.3 million to organizations such as Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, and Food Bank of Northwest Indiana who are diligently working to alleviate some of the burden our families are facing, with intentional, strategic distributions planned for the coming weeks and months.

While we are incredibly grateful for the gifts we have received, the honest truth is…it is not enough. Consider this- according to the United Way ALICE Report, the average housing cost in Lake County is about $900 a month. If we were to help just the 14,000 hospitality workers who are currently out of work with their housing expense for just one month, we would need $12,600,000.   

We have so many of our neighbors, counting on our community to help get them through this incredibly uncertain and stressful time. Without your help, many of them are facing a financial future that will take them months, if not years to recover. We are asking you to help our community with a meaningful gift to the Northwest Indiana Covid-19 Economic Relief Fund . 100% of the funds raised will go directly to help stabilize those impacted by the pandemic.

We need you. They need you.  Please give meaningfully.