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Community building means assessing critical community needs and forming partnerships and collaborations to address them.  In Beaufort County, United Way takes the lead as a convener of diverse groups to address community issues effectively and without duplication. Citizens, government, non-profit entities and businesses are gathering around the United Way table, combining their perspectives and resources. Early efforts are bearing fruit in United Way’s priority areas: literacy, hunger and shelter. But perhaps the greatest success is that these groups are discovering that they can work together toward a common goal.  Here are some examples of how United Way of Beaufort County is convening community partners to meet community needs. 

United Way Initiatives:

HUNGER AND NUTRITION

Yum Um Up Community Kitchen

Who is at the table: United Way of Beaufort County, Lowcountry Food Bank, Technical College of the Lowcountry, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Beaufort

A culinary arts program at the Technical College of the Lowcountry prepares adults for careers with livable wages in the local food service industry. Students in the program prepare food for Kids Cafés in rural Beaufort County that serve hot meals to low-income children in after-school programs.  The first 11 students are expected to graduate and be placed in jobs in January 2004.

SHELTER

Beaufort County Affordable Housing Consortium

Who is at the table: United Way of Beaufort County, Beaufort County government, Beaufort and Hilton Head/ Bluffton Chambers of Commerce, Community Development Corporation; shelter-oriented non-profit agencies;
local businesses; Realtors

This group is working with county planners on ways to close the affordable housing gap in Beaufort County.

New data for this effort comes from the Beaufort County Workforce Housing Needs Assessment, completed in March 2004. Click here to view the complete report, including full-color maps.

Lowcountry HAVEN (Housing is Vital Enterprise Network)

Who is at the table: United Way of Beaufort County, Beaufort County Alliance for Human Services, Beaufort County DSS, Beaufort Housing Authority, Beaufort/Jasper Comprehensive Health Services, Beaufort/Jasper Economic Opportunity Commission, CAPA, Christ Central Mission (Jasper County), Coastal Empire Mental Health, CODA, Collaborative Organization of Services for Youth (COSY), FAITH of Hampton County, Hampton County DSS, Healthy Families America Beaufort County, Humanities Foundation Inc., Jasper County DSS, Jasper County Neighborhoods United, Lowcountry Community Action Program, Lowcountry Community Development Corp., Mental Health Association of Beaufort & Jasper Counties, Safe Haven (Colleton County), Salvation Army, S.C. Department of Mental Health, S.C. Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (Beaufort County), University of South Carolina.

This new initiative on homelessness in Beaufort, Colleton, Jasper and Hampton counties has applied to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for a $500,000-plus grant. 

Project Shelter

Who is at the table: United Way of Beaufort County, City of Beaufort, Town of Bluffton, Town of Port Royal, Town of Hilton Head Island, Beaufort County government, Beaufort Housing Authority, Habitat for Humanity, Lowcountry Community Development Corporation, Historic Beaufort Foundation, Beaufort and Hilton Head/Bluffton Chambers of Commerce, Main Street Beaufort, USA, Bluffton Historical Preservation Society

Project Shelter, United Way’s first housing initiative, is working with Habitat for Humanity to repair and make habitable a home on Palmetto Street in Beaufort.

LITERACY

Beaufort County Early Childhood Coalition

Who is at the table: United Way of Beaufort County/Success by 6, Beaufort County First Steps, Beaufort County Dept of Social Services, Beaufort County School District, Beaufort County Government, Beaufort/Jasper EOC Head Start, Healthy Families America Beaufort County, Lowcountry Health District of S.C. DHEC

As the lead agency of the Beaufort County Early Childhood Coalition, United Way oversees a $780,000 federal grant to improve school readiness and early literacy skills in preschool-age children and to provide training in parenting skills through home visits. Children's books are distributed through Beaufort County public libraries, child care centers, homes, hospitals and doctors’ offices. A new countywide database follows children's developmental progress from their first prenatal visit until they enter school. 

A gift from an anonymous donor provides funds through Success by 6 to enable Beaufort Memorial Hospital's mobile health vehicle, CHIP, to visit Beaufort County sites and provide child health and parenting information to families with young children.

The Early Childhood Coalition is moving forward with the Mother Black Beaufort Cares Network, designed to streamline aid to children and track the progress of every child in Beaufort County.  The database is expected to be up and running by spring or summer 2004. The coalition has applied for a no-cost extension of the early literacy grant that will provide 12 more months to complete the project.

Beaufort County Adult Literacy Alliance

Who is at the table: United Way of Beaufort County, Literacy Volunteers of the Lowcountry, Beaufort County Adult Education Program, Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce, Beaufort County Even Start, Beaufort Housing Authority, Beaufort County Alliance for Human Services, Beaufort Chamber of Commerce, CAPA, Franciscan Center, Greater Island Committee, Hilton Head/Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, Lowcountry Workforce Investment board, 
Latin American Council of South Carolina, Technical College of the Lowcountry


The Alliance is conducting research on adult literacy in Beaufort County, where a national survey reported that 46 percent of adults, more than 30,000 people in this county, function at the two lowest levels of literacy. Using survey research and focus groups made up of service providers and citizens, the alliance is devising a strategic plan to prioritize Beaufort County’s literacy needs and develop solutions. Target date for completing the plan is November 2003.

United Way Services:

The Cancer Fund 
(843) 982-3040
Emergency help with cancer pain medicine for individuals who have exhausted all resources.

Disaster Recovery Services 
Hilton Head Island / Bluffton (843) 686-4364; Beaufort (843) 982-3040
Recruits and trains Beaufort County volunteers to organize and implement the United Way Disaster Recovery Program, where unaffiliated volunteers are managed and used efficiently in the event of a natural or manmade disaster.

Help Line
Beaufort (843) 524-HELP; Hilton Head Island (843) 686-HELP; Bluffton (843) 757-HELP
Information, referral and crisis hotline links people with services to meet their needs.

Individual Development Account (IDA) Affordable Housing 
(843) 686-4304
Provides economic literacy classes and counseling; matches dollars saved toward down payment on a home; saved dollars are matched by United Way of Beaufort County, First National Bank, Hilton Head Island-Bluffton NAACP and the Hilton Head Island Foundation.

Operation Holiday Heroes 
(843) 982-3040; (843) 524-3727
Provides toys and food for families during the holiday season.

The Sheldon Project
(843) 986-5430 or 341-5559
After-school tutoring and recreation, summer day camp, health care, home visits, and adult literacy and parenting workshops for families in the Sheldon area. 

Success By 6 
(843) 686-4376
Early childhood development initiatives designed to ensure that all children ages 0-6 are healthy and prepared to be successful in school and in life.

The Volunteer Centers
Beaufort (843) 982-3040; Hilton Head Island/Bluffton (843) 686-4364
Promote volunteerism in our community by recruiting and placing volunteers in local nonprofit agencies.