With high poverty rate, need continues to grow for Goodfellows, says United Way president

Omaha, its suburbs and neighboring communities consistently make a top 10 list that nobody wants to be on.

In the latest study of the top 100 metro areas, nearly 70% of Omaha-area households with at least one working member were found to be living in poverty. The study, from American Community Survey, covers 2016 through 2020.

Omaha is ranked at No. 5, and that’s where it usually hovers, said Shawna Forsberg, president and CEO of United Way of the Midlands. The data builds off a previous partnership with the University of Nebraska at Omaha Center for Public Affairs Research.

That unfortunate statistic makes the annual fundraising campaign for Goodfellows as important this year as ever, said Forsberg and Jessica “Jay” Warren-Teamer, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Blue Cross-Blue Shield Nebraska and a member of the Goodfellows oversight committee.

The campaign launches today and runs through Dec. 31. It has been administered by United Way since 2020 and raised more than $673,000 last holiday season, topping the previous campaign total. The charity raised nearly $980,000 in the last fiscal year.

Forsberg said it’s only getting harder for families in poverty and other people who struggle as they battle with the remnants of an ongoing pandemic and inflation.

“We have a strong work ethic here, but if you look at food, gas and housing costs, (people are) just not able to spread the dollars far enough,” she said. “I think sometimes people think that those in poverty aren’t trying to do for themselves, but that’s just not the case.”

The Goodfellows campaign offers one-time emergency aid for crucial things such as rent, utilities, car repairs and other expenses for Omaha-area residents who face crisis situations. It also offers holiday meal vouchers to needy families.

Warren-Teamer, who worked on the community impact and analytics team at United Way before changing jobs in 2016, said she thinks more people in the community face financial insecurity than in previous years.

The pandemic, and now rising costs, “put the spotlight on issues we already knew were there,” she said, such as being able to earn a livable wage and finding affordable housing.

“Goodfellows, I think, is a resource that can help people fill in the gaps,” she said. “There are amazing nonprofits across the community that offer continuing support, but sometimes people just find themselves in a bind with a one-time need. I think you need both kinds of programs, one for continuity and one for a lifeline.”

Entering her third year of administering Goodfellows, both Forsberg and Warren-Teamer said they think the partnership has been beneficial.

A community oversight committee replaced the World-Herald Goodfellows board and that has provided an outside perspective with new ideas about how to use the resources raised, Warren-Teamer said. World-Herald President Ava Thomas is among the committee members.

This year, for example, the committee responded to a critical need that grew out of the national diaper shortage, giving $15,000 to the Nebraska Diaper Bank and making it one of Goodfellows’ partnering agencies, which are allotted certain amounts of funds raised to distribute to clients. The Diaper Bank is on track to distribute about 1.4 million diapers in 2022.

The committee also voted to increase the amount of money allocated for meal vouchers, devoting $100,000 to the program. The vouchers are distributed to food-insecure families through the other agencies Goodfellows works with: Eastern Nebraska Community Action Partnership, Family Housing Advisory Services, Heart Ministry Center, Heartland Family Service, Together Inc., United Way of the Midlands 211 Contact Center, Visiting Nurse Association and Omaha Housing Authority.

Goodfellows helped more than 2,865 in the last fiscal year, with 72% getting utilities aid and 28% receiving housing support. It provided 60,000 meals for individuals in need and purchased 71,440 diapers that provided a monthly supplement for 1,110 children.

Forsberg said she thinks the United Way partnership with The World-Herald has benefited both sides.

“We each bring to the table what we do best,” she said. “The World-Herald writes stories that help the community understand the need and the United Way works hard to fundraise with as many people as possible and distribute (the gifts) in the best ways across the metro. I want Goodfellows donors to feel good that we’re being very intentional with their donations.”