United Way’s New Funding Priorities

I wish to take exception with the underlying logic of the San Gabriel Region of United Way’s shifting of funding priority to community groups (Oct. 3).

The United Way has traditionally raised dollars from payroll deductions of thousands of workers to fund a variety of needed social services programs. Employees who donate to United Way assume that their dollars will be distributed to effective community agencies who have demonstrated histories of providing services to problemed populations. Now, United Way is arbitrarily tinkering with this community-based system that works well.

United Way is shifting $216,000 or 10% of last year’s donations to a discretionary fund. This money is then targeted at new priorities such as the homeless and very low income minority persons. There are few informed people who would question the need for new services. However, the problem comes in taking existing dollars from already hard-pressed programs and directing them to new programs.

In a time of shrinking donations and a depressed economy, initiating new funding for different needs at the expense of established and effective existing programs is ludicrous. Let’s take an example that everyone can relate to. If it is determined that your house needs a new roof at a cost of $5,000 and your household budget has already been trimmed and retrimmed in the last three years then you must either redistribute your household dollars or you must generate new dollars in order to fund a new roof.

United Way has not generated new dollars in the last three years. No one denies the validity of the need for a new roof, but unless there is a way to pay for it, it has to wait.

FRED LOYA

Executive Director

Santa Anita Family Service

Monrovia