Counties Served
one mission, two counties
United Way of Greater Cleveland works as one organization across Cuyahoga and Geauga Counties, with one mission: helping working families move from crisis to stability to possibility. Local needs look different in each community, but we bring the same tools everywhere we work.
- United Way 211: the free, confidential helpline that connects residents in every county we serve to local resources, 24/7.
- Strategic Investments & Partnerships: annual commitments and investments that fund solutions for housing, workforce, and childcare.
- Employer-Based Solutions: like Bridges@Work, on-the-job coaching, retention support, and advancement help delivered at the workplace. Bridges@Work started in Geauga County and is now expanding into Cuyahoga County.
- Public Policy Advocacy: advocating for policy that removes barriers to opportunity, regionwide.
Cuyahoga County
In Cuyahoga County, almost half of Cuyahoga households (227,303 households) fall below the ALICE Threshold, the income needed to afford basics like food, housing, and healthcare. 144,000 households (26%) are ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) — working, but earning above the poverty line and still unable to afford the basics — and another 83,303 households (15%) live below the poverty line.
Poverty rates are highest in neighborhoods that were redlined. This federal policy denied residents of ethnic and racial minority neighborhoods access to credit from 1935 until the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968. Today, redlined neighborhoods have high rates of food insecurity, housing instability, poor health outcomes, low educational attainment, and subpar wages.
Read our When ALICE Calls report to see what United Way 211 data reveals about the challenges facing Cuyahoga County’s working families.
Geauga County
Geauga County has a lower poverty rate than the state of Ohio, but over 1 in 4 households fall below the ALICE threshold, the income needed to afford basics like food, housing, and healthcare. Many of these households are older Geauga County residents on fixed incomes who struggle with the rising costs of rent, property tax, utilities, and food.
Explore our dedicated page for programs, impact, and news in Geauga County.
