United Way of Ventura County — United We Fight. United We Win

Dear Friends,

When we moved into our Ventura office a few years ago, I found a framed picture in storage from a United Way campaign poster. The poster is from the late 70s, around the time I was born, and features a family of five on the beach with the back of their station wagon open–the 70s style with the wide rear and wood paneling on the side. The mother is holding an infant, a young boy is in the car looking on with this teddy bear, his sister is playing in the sand, and the father looks helpless with all of their possessions strapped to the top of the car. Above them, the poster reads, “FOR THE HOMELESS IN VENTURA COUNTY, CAMPING IS NO VACATION.”

Below them, the text reads, “There is an estimated 2,000 homeless men, women and children in Ventura County, and that number is growing.” Forty years later, the numbers are not that dissimilar.

In June of 2018, United Way of Ventura County completed a Strategy Roadmap to prepare for our 75th Diamond Anniversary in 2020. Through that experience, the Board of Directors and staff realized that our organization will need to have an even more meaningful impact on the housing and homeless challenges in our community, as rental assistance was the #1 area of need for fire victim hardship assistance.

For a preview of our work ahead this year, please read this article about Orange County United Way’s Welcome Home OC program.

United Way’s strength lies in its ability to make programs like this happen through the collective action of our public and private partnerships. For the underserved in Ventura County, help is on the way. Join us by renewing your support today.