Quarterly Newsletter

Key 211 Insights

While the entire State of South Carolina saw an increase in 211 activity, Florence County saw an additional 14% increase in referrals compared to the rest of the state.

The demand for utility assistance in Florence County continues to rise despite a slight reduction across the entire state.

Low-income Housing needs for Florence County outpaced the state average by more than 47%.

For the first time, data showed home rehabilitation as a top need in Florence County, but there are limited resources available. This need is projected to grow steadily and quickly in the coming years. United Way will be discussing more on this and other needs soon.

211. Solutions. Support. Hope.

211 is a free, confidential, 24/7 service that connects individuals in need to resources in the area. It is a great resource for finding assistance in your local community and it can offer information on rent & utility assistance, housing, food, and much more. This service can be used in 3 different ways. Individuals can call the number 211, text a keyword to 211-211, or go online to sc211.org.

The United Way combines data and information from United Way Worldwide to understand and tackle the problems happening locally. It’s a byproduct of our united approach to solving problems.

Florence County 211 Statistics

Increased traffic to 211:

Website visits: 168,485 (+45% increase from 2021)
Total Calls: 1340 (+17% increase from 2021)
Total Referrals: 3504 (+22% increase from 2021)

Florence County Breakdown

Statewide Breakdown

In 2022, there were 549 unique needs identified, compared to 499 unique needs in 2021. The top two needs were electric and rent payment assistance accounting for 36% of calls for the year. In 2021, electric and rent payment assistance were also the top two needs, accounting for 46% of calls.

"Duke Energy is honored to support the 211 platform in Florence County," said Mindy Taylor, director of government and community relations for Duke Energy. "Food insecurity affects countless families and individuals, and the text line offers privacy, convenience, and support to people in need of assistance. It's an amazing resource that helps us continue to build powerful communities in the areas we serve."

Upcoming Events

Field Fastener is hosting a golf playday, where all proceeds will benefit United Way of Florence County. Companies and individuals can support the event in the following ways:

Register a team
Sponsor the event at the gold, silver, or bronze level
Participate and/or donate to the silent auction
Donate directly to United Way of Florence County

We encourage you to join us on Saturday, May 6th!

For more information, please reach out to us at 843-662-2407 or via email at uwfloinfo@uwflorence.org

Through a partnership with QVC, United Way of Florence County is hosting "Shop for a Good Cause" events where individuals can donate $75 in exchange for a bag that they can fill up with high-end makeup, skincare, and hair care products of their choice. Check out our website for more details.

Mr. Smith was seen for an audiological evaluation and desperately needed hearing aids. His wife had recently died and he was living alone. His children were worried about him and together came up with 1/2 of the funds for a set of hearing aids. The remainder was paid utilizing United Way funds. Without this funding, he wouldn't have been able to purchase them. His children are relieved since they all live out of town and now they can communicate through phones as he is able to hear much better.

Mr. Smith is one of the many that have been impacted by the generous donations to United Way.

Actual client name redacted for privacy.

A message from our President...

Welcome to our first newsletter! We’re excited to implement regular communications to help keep you informed on all things United Way of Florence County! I will provide a few key updates on our shift to collective impact.

What does that mean?

Historically, we have taken a broad and shallow approach to supporting nonprofit organizations - funding a wide range of community programs. Under the new collective impact model, we will implement a narrow and deep approach - focusing on the most pressing needs within education, health, and financial stability for Florence County.

How will this impact our work?

Where we have traditionally funded programs offered by local nonprofit organizations, we will work more dynamically to also contribute towards community projects and implement programs that address gaps within our focus areas.

How will we determine our new focus areas?

We have formed a collective impact task force and conducted a needs assessment for Florence County. We solicited community feedback through surveys and community conversations held across the county. We also looked at secondary data to help shed light on key issues. We are currently analyzing the data collected and we are very close to announcing our conclusions.

Why are we doing this?

We are doing this to better fulfill our mission of positively impacting the needs of our community. By identifying the most pressing needs and targeting our efforts and resources, together, we can solve key issues at the root.

For more information or to keep up with our progress between newsletters, please visit our website www.uwflorence.org.

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Community CONNECTION

Mr. Smith is one of the many that have been impacted by the generous donations to United Way.