Working Poor Families

The Y & H Soda Foundation is committed to supporting low-income, working families in the East Bay. We seek to holistically support working poor families by:
  • Strengthening the family unit through social supports;
  • Increasing economic security through income and asset growth; and
  • Promoting health and wellness through access and prevention strategies

Funding Area
Strengthening the family unit through social supports.

Goal

Improve the stability and functioning of the family unit and the development of healthy and positive family relationships.

Strategies

  • Support comprehensive, integrated family support models that provide multiple services at one location.
  • Support social services that stabilize and improve family functioning.
  • Support community level efforts that build families' leadership skills and connect them to their neighbors and communities.

Intended Outcome:

Strong Families

Funding Area
Increasing economic security through income and asset growth.

Goal

Increase the economic security of working poor families.

Strategies

  • Support programs that assist working poor families in preserving and protecting their income.
  • Support programs that assist working poor families in growing their income.
  • Support efforts that help working poor families to accumulate, grow and leverage financial assets.

Intended Outcome:

Economically Secure Families

Funding Area
Promoting health and wellness through access and prevention stategies.

Goal

Increase access to affordable, high-quality health care that prevents illness, promotes wellness, and is sensitive to the unique needs of particular communities and cultures.

Strategies

  • Support efforts that expand access to health care for low-income working families.
  • Support programs that promote the delivery of culturally appropriate and responsive health care services.
  • Support efforts to expand health care coverage.
  • Support programs that provide prevention education and promote healthy lifestyles.

Intended Outcome:

Healthy Families

Definition of Working Poor

The Self-Sufficiency Standard for California measures how much income is needed for a family of a given composition in a given place to adequately meet their basic needs without public or private assistance. The Y&H Soda Foundation has adopted the Self-Sufficiency Standard and considers any working family that falls below the Self-Sufficiency Standard to be a “working poor family.” For more information about the Self-Sufficiency Standard, please visit the Insight Center for Community Economic Development at www.insightcced.org/index.php.

Also see our Resources and Publications page for materials that inform our grant-making in this program area.