United Way Partners Work Together to Help a Struggling Man from Venezuela
United Way of Dubuque Area Tri-States promises to bring the community together to prevent and reduce poverty on a scale no one can accomplish alone.
The United Way’s hallmark is funding and fostering a network of 35 non-profit organizations that help people struggling with brain health, food insecurity, and homelessness. This non-profit network collaborates to provide whole-person care, removing barriers so people can help themselves out of poverty.
One recent example centers around Raphael, a man from Venezuela who came to Dubuque to escape dire living conditions. He didn't speak English and needed urgent help paying a bill and seeking transportation. United Way staff connected him with HACAP (Hawkeye Area Community Action Program) to address his immediate needs.
But what Raphael wanted most was a job. United Way connected him with the Presentation Lantern Center, where staff helped him purchase a phone, build a resume, and find employment as a custodian at Hotel Julien. They also connected him to Crescent Community Health Center for the dental care he needed. United Way funded all these organizations, working together to help Raphael build a better life.