United Way Needs Your Help

Too often lost amid the glitz of Southern California are the working poor, men and women who toil long and hard at low-paying jobs with few or no benefits. One lost day of work or an unexpected illness can throw their households into precarious disarray. The United Way reminds us on this day of thanksgiving that helping the working poor improves the quality of life for all of us in the region.

In Los Angeles County, 24% of the population lives below the poverty level. Seven out of the 10 fastest-growing job categories are janitors, cashiers, waiters, dishwashers and child care helpers. These typically pay less than about $16,000 a year, the poverty level for a family of four. Fortunately these families can get help through United Way’s funding of local charities and organizations that provide food, health care and child care, including after-school development programs.

The United Way in Orange County, besides raising funds, has helped identify social problems that need to be addressed. Last year, for instance, United Way co-sponsored a report that warned of a divide between wealthy residents along the coast and in south Orange County on the one hand and the poor central areas like Santa Ana, Anaheim and Westminster on the other. Letting society fracture into disparate economic classes tears at the fabric of democracy.

Ventura County’s United Way campaign is working hard to regain momentum after a couple of difficult years. Last year, after falling $500,000 short of its goal, the organization slashed its staff by one-third, reduced benefits and executive pay and cut funding for its 59 member agencies.

The United Way is the largest private funder of health and human services in California. We all need to do our share for this charity and others. Per capita giving to United Way in Greater Los Angeles is half that of San Francisco, and a recent UC Irvine survey of Orange County residents showed that the median donation to charitable organizations dropped to $203 from $226 last year. Even with aggressive new leadership at Ventura County’s United Way, this year’s campaign is lagging. Let us all do more.