Seven year-old Cara's struggles with homelessness and a lack of focus were consuming her. But her life changed when she joined a United Way after-school program. The program provided a safe haven and consistent support for her and her family. With the staff's guidance, Cara began to thrive. She became a leader, her newfound confidence and bright energy inspiring others.
Cara's story shows that with compassion and support, a safe space can be the launching pad for a child's success.
Investing in change to build a stronger community.
Our mission is to build a strong and resilient community by addressing the most urgent needs. We can't do this alone, and that's where our partners come in. These organizations, though varied in their approaches, are all dedicated to tackling critical issues on our community.
We invite you to discover more about the programs and organizations that share our vision for a brighter future. Their work makes an impact across key areas.
Through the power of partnership, we are making a difference.
Education:
Programs focused on lifelong learning, skill development, positive youth development, and literacy services.
Boys and Girls Club of Newburgh, Inc.
Youth Force is a workforce development program that addresses barriers to career and college success by providing academic support, mentoring, paid internships, college readiness, and financial literacy. It helps students gain skills, real-world experience, and guidance to navigate higher education and career pathways, fostering long-term economic stability.
Community Action Partnership for Dutchess County
Dress for Success (DFS) is dedicated to fostering economic independence for women. Through its comprehensive programs, DFS offers a robust network of support, professional clothing, and crucial development tools. These resources are designed to help women not only succeed in the workplace but also to flourish in all aspects of life. Participants gain invaluable skills and confidence, understanding they have the power to shape their own lives and achieve personal success.
Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County
Through its Workforce Training program, Green Teen Youth Vocational Training actively engages at-risk youth aged 14-19. Participants earn wages while developing essential vocational and employment skills. The program operates after school three times a week in the Spring and Fall, and during the day throughout the Summer. Staff members are committed to identifying and building on individual strengths, which helps youth gain the confidence and social-emotional tools necessary to manage their behaviors and navigate their social environments effectively. All activities are strategically designed for comprehensive life and vocational skills development.
CultureConnect
CommunityConnect is an after-school and summer academic enrichment program specifically designed for K-5 English as a New Language (ENL) students within the Rhinebeck and Red Hook school districts. The program delivers essential academic support, addressing challenges that language barriers might present in the home environment. As a result, students experience improved language, reading, and writing skills, leading to increased literacy and academic performance, enhanced confidence, and better social development.
Family Services
Youth in communities like Poughkeepsie are facing an escalating mental health crisis, compounded by significant disparities in accessing support. THRIVE: Advancing Mental Wellness for Youth directly addresses this by providing essential behavioral health services. We are dedicated to helping young people overcome the long-term effects of trauma, such as violence, poverty, and food insecurity, which can lead to poor social outcomes and health disparities.
Hudson River Housing, Inc.
River Haven provides emergency shelter for runaway and homeless youth, assisting them as they collaborate with a Care Manager to either reunite with family or find alternative safe housing. The program offers a range of evidence-based Positive Youth Development opportunities and learning experiences designed to help youth heal from past trauma, acquire new skills, and cultivate protective factors essential for healthy development.
Land to Learn
SproutEd in Newburgh & Beacon offers a garden-based educational program specifically for K-2 students. The program involves maintaining school food gardens and providing lessons throughout the school year that focus on nutrition, cooking, plant science, ecology, and food systems. Its curriculum emphasizes experiential, hands-on learning, which allows students to engage in a fun and effective way to build their academic and social-emotional abilities.
Literacy Connections of the Hudson Valley
Book Buddies works to improve reading proficiency by recruiting volunteers to read individually with 3rd and 4th-grade students who are reading below their grade level. Volunteers are equipped with training on various materials to build students’ reading skills and confidence. Additionally, Classroom Book Buddies volunteers engage in dialogic read-alouds, ensuring children have a positive and enriching experience with literature.
NAMI Mid-Hudson
Ending the Silence (ETS) delivers a powerful presentation to middle and high school students, featuring a certified NAMI lead presenter alongside a young adult who shares their personal story of navigating a mental health condition. This program directly addresses critical concerns including substance/alcohol abuse, suicide prevention, bullying, and the fight against stigma. By sharing these experiences, ETS works to increase awareness, alter perceptions of mental health, and cultivate essential citizenship skills that enable students to support their peers.
Pawling Free Library
Pawling Library’s Children & Young Adult Programs aim to improve social and educational outcomes for children by providing opportunities to learn, play, and interact positively with others. The staff focus on developmentally appropriate programs that utilize kids’ interests to improve the skills that will help them achieve ongoing school and career success. Literacy is a primary focus.
The Art Effect
Spark Studios offers film and media arts instruction to 60 underserved teens (ages 14-19). The program also provides paid work experiences and a safe, after-school environment where participants can acquire valuable technical and workforce skills, access technology, explore creative sector careers, build positive relationships, engage in creative activities, and establish community connections.
Vassar College Urban Education Initiative
The Vassar College-English Language Learners Outreach Program (VELLOP) endeavors to boost the academic success of English Language Learners (ELLs) within the Poughkeepsie City School District, a district challenged by a scarcity of Spanish-speaking teachers. VELLOP tutors, comprised of Vassar students (many of whom are Spanish speakers), work in partnership with teachers to support ELL performance. A total of thirty college students commit as much as eight hours per week to tutoring these schoolchildren.
Warwick Valley Community Center
Life Skills for Teens is designed to cultivate internal assets and instill protective factors in teenagers. The program incorporates various prevention, educational, and cultural diversity activities, and supports students as they transition between elementary, middle, and high school. Participants engage in both community service and leadership skill-building initiatives. The program is further strengthened by the implementation of evidence-based environmental strategies and evidence-based/informed programs.
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Financial Stability
Initiatives that help low-income individuals and families achieve financial security by improving their economic position, increasing annual earnings, and advancing their careers.
Catholic Charities Community Services of Dutchess County
Financial Stability intervention programs by the CCCSDC help households avoid the trauma of eviction & the despair of financial pitfalls. They assist in the payment of rents and utilities while also addressing other immediate needs to avert crises. All requests for assistance are triaged by the Coordinator & ED & if appropriate are assigned a case manager by the latter.
Catholic Charities Community Services of Orange, Sullivan & Ulster
Financial Stability program provides basic care coordination services that include rental assistance, utility assistance, and financial crisis intervention due to medical expenses, eviction, or homelessness. In order to assist vulnerable populations in achieving financial stability. As a result, helping children thrive and families become more engaged, contributing members of their community.
Community Action Partnership for Dutchess County
The Crisis Intervention and Case Management program provides emergency financial assistance for families faced with an economic crisis and case management support to help them navigate out of crisis and into stability. Struggling daily to meet basic needs (food, shelter, utilities, and health) low income families cannot absorb an unexpected expense, such as an auto repair.
Dutchess Outreach, Inc.
The Emergency Assistance Program works with families and individuals to overcome an emergency financial crisis, advocate when unfairly denied services or assistance elsewhere, refer to other agencies' and organizations' programs and services for additional support, and ultimately help people become self-sufficient.
Fearless! Hudson Valley
The Financial Assistance Program (FAP) supports survivors of victimization and abuse in accessing emergency financial awards in order to: reduce barriers created by the financial abuse perpetrated against them; support their economic empowerment; and increase their opportunities to gain safety, security and stability in long-lasting and meaningful ways.
Grace Smith House, Inc.
Meets Basic Needs is designed to help victims of domestic violence stabilize their lives by providing direct financial assistance to alleviate an impending financial crisis. The program also provides support and services needed to empower survivors and their children to move towards building a solid foundation of financial stability and independence from their abuser.
Hudson River Housing, Inc.
Housing Navigator provides emergency housing assistance to low-income households. The Housing Navigator works closely with households to help them develop housing stability plans tailored to their needs. The Navigator may assist them in applying for public benefits, connect them with employment opportunities, and/or refer them to childcare, health care, legal services, and other community resources.
Jewish Family Services
The Financial Empowerment Program offers one-time financial assistance to families and individuals experiencing a temporary financial setback. JFS helps with arrears in rent, utility bills, and auto-related expenses, as well as the security deposit required for a new apartment. Applications are reviewed by a committee based on documentation of the temporary circumstance and the applicant's ability to move forward after assistance has been provided.
Legal Services of the Hudson Valley
Income Stabilization and Homelessness Prevention provides legal assistance to individuals who have been incorrectly denied, or terminated from, public assistance programs, incl. TANF, SNAP/Food Stamps, WIC, Unemployment Insurance, Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, and Veterans Benefits; provides Emergency Cash Assistance - rental and utility arrears; handles Consumer Law cases. This stabilizes household incomes at a subsistence level.
Through the CA$H Coalition Program, low and moderate-income residents recieve crucial support with free tax preparation. The program is designed to assist them in identifying and claiming every refund applicable to their personal tax situation.
Health
Efforts to ensure families facing food insecurity have access to healthy food.
Common Ground Farm (CGF)
The Beacon Schools Food Access program actively works to ensure vulnerable students receive fresh, nutritious food. Each Friday, the program distributes groceries to students, providing essential food for their weekends. Furthermore, it engages families in broader food access initiatives by supplying double-up coupons and market cards for use at the Beacon Farmers’ Market.
Food Bank of the Hudson Valley
The Food for Dutchess & Orange County Feeding Program aims to provide nutritious food to low-income residents of Dutchess and Orange Counties through local food pantries and soup kitchens. The program achieves this by funding lines of credit at the Food Bank for these agencies. This funding covers handling fees for donated food and the cost of purchased food, allowing agencies to serve more people.
Food For Kids
Food For Kids supports an average of 250 students each week within the Washingtonville Central School District’s five buildings. The program offers sufficient provisions to cover two breakfasts, two lunches, beverages, and snacks for the weekend. For extended holiday weekends or school breaks, extra food is distributed. During the summer, the program supplied breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks for a six-week duration.
Newburgh Armory Unity Center
The Nourish Newburgh project will utilize the educational resources of NAUC to create comprehensive programming designed to overcome long-standing, systemic barriers to nutrition and healthy eating. This initiative will be integrated into an established food distribution program that feeds 500 local families monthly at NAUC, providing mutual benefit to clients of both programs.
North East Community Center
The Food Access Program is dedicated to distributing fresh food across Northeast Dutchess. It operates a food pantry that provides both weekly walk-in service and convenient home delivery. The program partners with farms to ensure the sourcing of fresh foods that align with cultural needs. Food distribution occurs in environments designed to uphold dignity, foster self-efficacy, and offer comprehensive wraparound services. Additionally, the program's hub actively supports coalition efforts aimed at enhancing the resilience and equity of the regional food system.
Pawling Resource Center
The Food Insecurity Program provides a food pantry accessible to individuals and families connected to Pawling/Holmes, NY, whether through residence, employment, schooling, or church attendance. The pantry offers clients access twice a month, with hours from 10 AM to 4 PM on weekdays (extended to 5 PM on Wednesdays), and from 10 AM to 12 PM on the second Saturday of each month. For homebound clients, food delivery is also available twice a month when requested.
Poughkeepsie Farm Project (PFP)
The City FRESH program actively works to remove obstacles to healthy food choices, simultaneously encouraging healthy eating and lifestyle habits for youth and families. This is accomplished through providing access to nutritious foods, with a special emphasis on fresh vegetables, and by delivering positive, engaging learning experiences at PFP, PCSD schools, and throughout the community.
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When a workplace injury left Bill unable to drive or work for the foreseeable future, the loss of his income and mobility was a major blow. He worried about how he would manage, especially with his dietary needs for diabetes and high blood pressure.
A social worker referred him to a United Way funded food pantry. For the next six months, while he recovered, food pantry volunteers would arrive with boxes of groceries tailored to his dietary requirements. The deliveries were more than just food; they were a chance for a brief, friendly conversation.
The regular, reliable deliveries ensured he ate healthy meals and didn't have to worry about how he would get his groceries. As he healed, so did his spirits, knowing he had a dependable system of support in place.
Veteran Support
Resources that increase access to affordable housing and legal services for veterans and their families.
Hudson River Housing, Inc.
No veteran should be without a home. The VetZero Program provides rapid housing assistance for low-income veterans in need, offering hands-on support to help them quickly find a safe place to live and build a stable future. Assistance includes help with initial housing costs, transportation, and connections to essential services.
Legal Services of the Hudson Valley
The program offers free civil legal services to veterans and military families in Dutchess and Orange Counties. Service include:
- Public Benefits & Income Stabilization
- Housing, Eviction, & Foreclosure Prevention
- Domestic Violence & Family Law
- Disability Law
- Elder Law
- LGBTQ+ Law