Susan Hickman
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“It’s an economic as well as a human tragedy,” says Dooley. It is one that the United Way is determined to break down, as well as other barriers facing new immigrants to this country. It’s all part of the organization’s brand new message to would-be donors.
“The United Way is going through a transition,” she says. “We are moving away from funding based on historical relationships and funding member agencies, to investing for impact in the community. “We are looking for evidence that when we get involved in an initiative, that there are going to be changed lives.”
One of those initiatives in Ottawa is the Internationally Trained Workers Project, which aims to support Canadian immigrants with foreign credentials and experience and to help them contribute to the Canadian labour market.
“We have identified the barriers,” says Dooley, “whether it’s a question of language or knowing where to turn, and are working to establish a leadership council to bring together local employers and key decision makers to make it easier for internationally trained professionals to work in their chosen field.”
This new approach, Dooley explains, is part of the United Way’s new strategy to bring people together to find solutions to pressing community problems.
“It’s a really significant shift for us.”
Dooley goes on to explain that expectations of the United Way have also changed. Donors are increasingly asking how their dollars are changing lives.
“The other reality,” she says, “is that we are overwhelmed with requests for funding. It has become increasingly important that we invest donors’ dollars where they are needed most and where they will have the most impact.”
Some of those funds, for example, go to after-school homework clubs to increase the likelihood of young children completing school, or to a “good companions” service, which allows seniors to maintain their independence longer.
The United Way has taken care to study the local environment through community consultations and examining the latest Statistics Canada census data from 2001.
“And we know we are an aging population,” says Dooley. While one in 12 people are now seniors, in the next 15 years, one in six will be a senior. The 20 per cent figure of immigrants and new Canadians is expected to double by 2015. The gap between haves and have-nots in Ottawa is increasing. Nearly a quarter of children in this area live below the poverty line. And some 15,000 people are on a five- to eight-year waiting list for affordable housing.
“We have started to look at all these changes and, while our commitment hasn’t changed, our approach has. Now,” Dooley emphasizes, “we are investing for results.”
