2Gen: The Great Families 2020 Difference
"Poverty can't be solved as a single-issue, by a single entity, or with temporary fixes. It is complex, stubborn, and now affecting members of our community across generations," says Ann Murtlow, president and CEO of United Way of Central Indiana. As a community, we must unite to provide solutions to this ever-elusive issue, which affects more than one-third of Hoosier families. According to the most recent ALICE report, 36 percent of households in Indiana could not afford basic needs such as housing, child care, food, health care and transportation. This includes both households living below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and those living above that level but who still struggle to afford basic household necessities, a group called ALICE – for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These are hard-working families who are continually struggling to make ends meet; families who feel stuck in a never-ending cycle of being one step away from a crisis. Great Families 2020 is here to help these families break free from the traps of poverty, empowering them to reach their full potential through the Two-Generation (2Gen) Approach. What makes Great Families 2020 so different in its approach to helping families rise out of poverty is the 2Gen focus -- providing integrated services for both children and their parents, together. Great Families 2020 uses 2Gen to provide our community's most vulnerable families with resources and opportunities in these five areas: By integrating services in these five areas, families can find the support they need to develop crucial skills and build financial resources to ensure their self-sufficiency. By integrating support for the whole family, Great Families 2020 breaks down silos and eases the burden on families who are limited on resources, time, transportation and childcare. Here's how Great Families 2020 serves our community's most vulnerable families and breaks the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
A Place-Based Approach
Great Families 2020 implements 2Gen practice in five distressed neighborhoods that were selected because of their need and the opportunity to co-invest with other neighborhood initiatives. Targeting specific communities promotes collaboration among agencies located in those neighborhoods: Northeast, Near Eastside, Northwest/Midtown, Near Westside and Far Eastside. Of these areas, nearly 65% of families are at or below 200% of the federal poverty line, and nearly half spend 30% or more of their income on housing. By focusing on these five areas within Marion County, Great Families 2020 is able to provide programming and services to families where they are -- limiting the time, stress and investment it takes to access the programs and services they need. The agencies within these neighborhoods collaborate to best support these families, creating strong relationships while improving program coordination and data sharing. Related Article:How You Can Advocate for Indy's Most Vulnerable Families
Informed by Real-time Data
With the Efforts to Outcomes database, Great Families 2020 is able to collect client-level data and uses a third-party evaluator to asses program implementation over time. These data points will inform real-time quality improvements, ensuring the initiative is providing the tools and resources needed in the best way possible. United Way also maintains strong relationships with all Great Families 2020 partners, strengthening their processes and practices while expanding their capacity.
Focusing on the Family
Every family enrolled in Great Families 2020 engages with a coach to set personal goals and receives consistent support to meet those goals over time. Families focus on improving their social capital, managing health and well-being, increasing economic assets, developing employment pathways and getting children enrolled in high-quality early childhood education. Combining these five areas ensures families have the stable foundation they need to excel. Many of the families served through Great Families 2020 have experienced some form of trauma, which places significant mental, physical, social and emotional burdens on them. Great Families 2020 embeds a trauma-informed practice that acknowledges the impact of trauma, recognizes the signs of trauma and responds by incorporating proven approaches. Focusing on the family means supporting children and their parents -- at the same time, in the same place. Great Families 2020 has created a network of organizations that do just this by enrolling children in high-quality early childhood education while their parents access resources through Centers for Working Families (CWF) sites. While their children are learning in a safe and secure environment, parents receive employment and advancement services, financial literacy and coaching, and access to income supports. Read Next:Helping Families Step Out of Poverty in Morgan County
Advocate for Your Neighbors in Need
Using the 2Gen approach through Great Families 2020 gives vulnerable families in our community hope for the future. It's a way for them take a step forward on their path to self-sufficiency and break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Expanding these programs and initiatives to even more families is the key to helping our community as a whole. If you want to help more families access the tools they need to get out of poverty, become an advocate today. United Way makes it easy to learn about issues in our community and provides many different ways you can create lasting, positive change for families throughout Central Indiana.