Communities Grow Together on Elevate Springfield featuring Karen Gedrose

Summary

In this conversation, Robert and Karen Gedrose discuss the mission of the United Way of Central Illinois, focusing on community initiatives and the Alice program, which addresses financial hardship among working families. They explore the challenges faced by ALICE families, the importance of community support, and the role of local businesses in providing assistance. Additionally, they highlight the need for affordable housing and transportation solutions, as well as the resources available through the 211 service.

Takeaways

• Karen Gedrose discusses her role as Director of Community Initiatives at United Way.
• The United Way aims to tackle big issues for community thriving.
• The ALICE program helps families who are financially constrained but employed.
• ALICE families often earn above the poverty line but struggle to meet basic needs.
• The ALICE Emergency Fund provides one-time payments to prevent housing instability.
• Community collaboration is essential to address systemic issues.
• Transportation is a significant barrier for many families seeking employment.
• Local businesses can play a crucial role in supporting ALICE families.
• 211 is a valuable resource for accessing community services.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Welcome to Elevate Springfield, where we will dive into strategies and stories that help you rise to your full potential. Each episode, we'll talk about how you can take intentional steps to elevate your life and your business while making a meaningful impact on those around you. Along the way, we're gonna bring in the change makers from our community that are already elevating. We'll bring the actionable strategies, you bring the discipline and follow through, and together we can elevate Springfield. Alright, let's go, Springfield. Time to 10X your day, y'all. Time to level up, time to crush it. Hey, you are listening to the Elevate Springfield podcast. Robert Farrell here, certified 10x coach, speaker, and mentor. Here to bring you actionable strategies. You bring the discipline and follow through it together. We're gonna Elevate Springfield. Well, you are listening to another segment of Communities Grow Together on the Elevate Springfield podcast. As you know, we drop these segments each week. The Communities Grow Together segment will touch on all things nonprofit associations and how we as a community are working together so we can all grow together. This segment is brought to you by David Hilst, American Family Insurance Agency over on West Wabash. Whatever you need insurance-wise, whether that's business, life, home, auto, or anything in between, hey, David and his team can take care of you. Give them a shout, or hey, stop by and visit them over on West Wabash. These segments are quick hits of actionable strategies and what's going on in our area to help you level up and grow together. Be right back after the break. Looking for personalized insurance with hometown care, David Hilst, American Family Insurance Agent is here to help you protect what matters most: your family, your home, and your dreams. Whether it's auto, home, life, business, David and his team are proud to serve the Springfield community with trusted advice and reliable coverage. Local service, real relationships, peace of mind. Call today or stop by their office. They can build your dream protection plan together. Call 217-726-6343. And we are back for another edition of Communities Grow Together, brought to you by David Hills, the American Family Insurance Agency. Hey, anything you need insurance-wise, David and his team will take care of you. Give them a shout or head over to their office on West Wabash. Joining me in the studio today is Karen Gedros from United Way of Central Illinois. Karen, how are you doing this morning?

SPEAKER_00 2:58

Hi, I'm doing good.

SPEAKER_03 2:59

Appreciate you stopping by.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_03 3:02

Absolutely. Looking forward to learning about one program specifically, but of course, everything that United Way does really. So um, before we get into some of that stuff, tell us about your role at United Way and how long you've you've been there.

SPEAKER_01 3:14

Yes. Um so my title is Director of Community Initiatives, and that involves everything to do with programs, community organization, anything that impacts our community. And I've been there about two years.

SPEAKER_03 3:28

All right. What's uh what drew you to United Way to work for United Way?

SPEAKER_01 3:31

Okay, well, it's a long story.

SPEAKER_03 3:34

I'm happy to hear it.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

So I um am a social worker by background to put that on hold when I moved to the States and naturally fell into sales because I had small kids at home and it was just easy to have a flexible schedule. So I was in business development for about 10, 11 years, wanted to get back to my roots, which was uh social work, and so I worked for the American Heart Association for several years. But then I was in fund development, and I still had the pool for my social service. So I worked for a dementia community in community relations there. Loved it. It really are men in need in me, but I I just love the um elderly population. But COVID came and it destroyed healthcare, it destroyed my soul. And so I then started looking for another opportunity. United Way, this position is so perfect because I am not in fund development. I'm in the other side of it, giving out money and resources, and I get to work with the entire community. I love every minute of it.

SPEAKER_03 4:44

Get to really see that impact on on what those dollars are going. That's awesome. So are you a local person? You've been around here?

SPEAKER_01 4:51

So I moved to the States 33 years ago.

SPEAKER_03 4:55

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

Yep. And so from Australia originally, but I had the fortune, I sometimes say misfortune, of marrying an American. Okay. I was gonna ask what brought you to the States. So he's from Red Wing, Minnesota. So he uh found living in Australia the heat was too much. So he came back and got a job with the local industry there in Red Wing, Minnesota, which is Red Wing Shoes, and they transferred him down here. So we've been here ever since.

SPEAKER_03 5:21

Awesome. Awesome. All right. Well, remind everybody the high-level what United Way does.

SPEAKER_01 5:27

Our mission is to bring people together, tackle big issues that will allow the whole community to thrive.

SPEAKER_03 5:35

And we were just talking before we went on air that you just finished your grant cycle for 26 through 29. Is that what I'm all right there? Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

And so that was a long process. I didn't realize it was going to be that long. But we spent about a year really reaching out to the community and talking to stakeholders and about what the true needs are in Sangaman and Menard County. And out of that came four priority areas. And so we put a call out for proposals for programs that could address those priorities. And we just announced the programs that received funding. So we have 21 programs that will be helping us achieve those goals and priorities.

SPEAKER_03 6:17

Love it. So, in terms of an impact dollar amount, how much money are we talking on an annual basis that United Way is giving out?

SPEAKER_01 6:25

So this coming year we will invest about $1.3 million back into the community.

SPEAKER_03 6:30

That's amazing. And that's that's each year, 1.3-ish, somewhere around there. Yes. That's awesome. All right. Very cool. Well, one of the programs that we wanted to really highlight today is the ALES program. So let's tell us a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

Yep. And so ALES is an acronym that describes a hidden uh population that is bearing the brunt of financial hardship. And it is an acronym that stands for asset limited income constrained employed. So these people are employed, they have limited income, they have little or no assets to be able to prevent an unexpected crises from spiraling them into financial instability. So they are hardworking families that are doing everything right. They have to make decisions about food, healthcare, employment every day. So I I will break it down to numbers for you. So in Sangaman County, about one in four households are Alice families. So they're again families that are working that are above the federal poverty line. So they are not eligible for any government benefits, but they are below a survivable budget. And so it's staggering. It's about 30,000 Sangamon County residents that are below a survivable budget.

SPEAKER_03 8:01

That's what I was going to say. 25%, that is a lot of people.

SPEAKER_01 8:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:03

A lot of people.

SPEAKER_01 8:04

Yes. Yes. And then if you break it down even further, which is scary, is if you're talking about 62702 zip code or 62703 zip code, over 50% of those individuals that live in that those two zip codes are b are below a survivable budget. Wow. Which is why I want to keep the conversation going and to have every individual in our community, every public service employee, every business owner talking about what we can do to make a dent in that population. And because if we have unstable families, we have an unstable uh community, we have an unstable economy. And these families are families that are basically keeping our economy afloat, but we're not doing right by them because they are not surviving.

SPEAKER_03 9:00

Well, what are some things that we could do community-wide? You know, outside of the Alice program, but what are some things we could do?

SPEAKER_01 9:06

It's a complicated answer, but I think if everybody is asking, how can we increase access to reliable transportation? How can we increase access to health care and make it affordable? How can we uh provide quality, affordable childcare so these families can work? But the number one is how can we uh create affordable, safe housing?

SPEAKER_04 9:31

Right.

SPEAKER_01 9:32

Because once a family falls behind in rent, that spirals them into housing instability, homelessness, and then they cannot dig themselves out.

SPEAKER_03 9:44

Right. Yeah. Because once you're once you're behind, if you're already scraping by to get that one payment, once you're two payments behind or three payments behind, that has that's really difficult to dig yourself out of.

SPEAKER_04 9:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:54

But and you mentioned the the healthcare side of it. That's huge for folks. That is so expensive right now for for everybody. And that cost has absolutely exploded over the last ten years.

SPEAKER_01 10:06

They really are systemic issues. Uh that it's easy to say it is too hard to address healthcare. It's too hard to address uh transportation. Uh but I'm a firm believer that if you get enough people talking about it and enough people in the room that creative solutions come come about. And that is one of the reasons that w uh United Ways started the Alice Emergency Fund, because we had enough people in the room that said, what can we do to stop a family that has come upon a uh unexpected emergency, stop them from spiraling into housing instability, poverty. And so we uh have started an Alice Emergency Fund, which is a one-time payment to families that are Alice families that have had a unexpected car repair or a unexpected medical expense. And we hope that by doing that stop gap just in time payment will allow them enough breathing room to stay stable.

SPEAKER_03 11:14

Yeah, exactly. Not spiral and keep the stability in the family. Because, like you said, that is so that is so important. Yes. So important.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

And what our our social service agencies are saying is that they are crumbling under the weight of need in our community and it is just growing. And they are are finding more and more families, Alice families that have now dropped to the poverty. I just think if we talk about it more and talk about even pathways to career, right. So that we can lift our families out of that Alice and into a a more stable.

SPEAKER_03 11:52

Sure. Yeah, you mentioned some of those Alice families dropping down to the poverty level. Is is that mainly do they say that it's mainly because they've had an unexpected expense or the medical thing came up and now all of a sudden they didn't get the support there? So now they're dropped down.

SPEAKER_01 12:07

It is, but it's also the benefits cliff where why work and when you end up being worse off because you no longer are eligible for benefits, SNAP benefits and rental assistance and other benefits when uh you end up worse off. There must be a way of earning enough income or having enough benefits to make it worthwhile working. Because these families want to work, but they have to do the math. And yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:40

Yeah. And like you said, the I mean, some of the career pathways, the education that's out there for different folks, that could be a way to step into that next bracket. Absolutely. So with the Alice program specifically, is there a dollar amount that's set for folks?

SPEAKER_01 12:55

Yes. And so it is up to $1,500. And we came to that amount because it should be one month's rent. And the criteria is that you need to be living in Minard or Sangamon County. Okay. Um, you need to be employed, and you uh need to have a documented emergency. So it could be you lost your childcare provider, or it could be that you had a medical emergency, or uh one of your income earners in the household passed away, or you had reduced hours through no fault of your own.

SPEAKER_03 13:34

So is that a one-time thing for folks, or can they apply a certain number of times in a year or two? How does that work?

SPEAKER_01 13:43

Yep. So it's one time only. Um and we wanted to make sure that we were helping families that really this payment would prevent them from housing instability. So if they are going to be chronically behind in rent, this program isn't going to help them.

SPEAKER_03 14:00

Yeah, not meant to be an ongoing, ongoing support. It's meant to be, I guess, a stopgap for them to be able to get them back on track.

SPEAKER_01 14:08

Yeah. Right. So and it's been difficult to kind of make those decisions because there are so many families in need. I was just talking to Springfield Urban League yesterday, and they were saying that they get between 20 and 30 calls a day for rental assistance.

SPEAKER_03 14:24

Really? Every single day. It's crazy. So the need is, I guess, increasing, like you said. Like they are.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:30

So with the Alice program, how do they apply?

SPEAKER_01 14:33

Yes. And so they can uh go to our website and but we have the Alice Emergency Fund there with the criteria, and if they feel they meet the criteria, they can go ahead and apply.

SPEAKER_03 14:46

So say it was a medical thing or say it was a car issue. Do you give them funds to the family or do you give the funds to the place that you know the rent for rent or whatever it is?

SPEAKER_01 14:57

That's a good question because it goes to a uh verified vendor.

SPEAKER_03 15:02

Okay, gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 15:03

So the payment goes directly to the car repair or goes directly to the landlord. Yes. And so yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:11

Okay, that makes sense. I figured that was the case. Yes. So and how long's the program been around?

SPEAKER_01 15:15

So it's in its infancy. We uh started taking applications in January.

SPEAKER_03 15:20

So that that new. Okay. I didn't realize it was that new then.

SPEAKER_01 15:24

Yeah. All right.

SPEAKER_03 15:24

So when you guys were thinking about this, was there anything before Alice that was similar and this was just molded behind it, or is this a brand new initiative?

SPEAKER_01 15:33

It is a brand new initiative. And it really uh came out of a response to the Alice data and plug unitedforalce.org. That is where uh all our Alice data and is held. So you can go there and drill down to the accounting level, to zip code level, and look at who is Alice in our community. And so our United Way of Central Illinois really started looking at that data and became aware that this is an area that we can have the greatest impact with our dollars and our resources. And that's how the Alice Emergency Fund.

SPEAKER_03 16:14

Well, it being that new, I mean, without getting into specifics and everything, but has it started relatively quickly? I mean, are people do people know about it and applying and all that?

SPEAKER_01 16:22

And so we didn't want to uh burn through our seed money. So we started off very slowly and was very selective in who we told that the program was available.

SPEAKER_04 16:34

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

And so now in the last month, we have really made it uh public and so I would say not inundated, but uh, picking up pretty quickly, I guess. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:46

Yes. All right.

SPEAKER_03 16:47

Well, it shows that you guys were right on target with the need in the community, right? Opening up this program, being able to or seeing all those applications coming through now shows that there was a true need and you guys were right on point with it.

SPEAKER_01 17:00

Yeah. And one uh great avenue for referrals and also uh a great partnership is with our local businesses. So uh companies that have a majority of their employees in the Alice category, they are able to offer this as a employee assistance opportunity, which really helps out our their HR department. Where they're like, you know, we have a great employee that how can we help them because their car broke down and they can't get to work, or they've had uh their loved one in the hospital and we just want to do more.

SPEAKER_04 17:39

Right.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

And then they can offer the Alice Emergency Fund as benefit for them.

SPEAKER_03 17:44

That's a really cool collaboration. I like that a lot. Yeah, that's that's amazing. Yeah. So you work with quite a few companies there?

SPEAKER_01 17:51

Um, so we're like starting to uh spread the word that yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:55

That's awesome. Okay. All right. So then go on the website, put the application in there, and then when do they hear back from you?

SPEAKER_01 18:02

So we make a commitment. Uh we have uh an Alice reviewer committee that are volunteers and community members that do their very best to review within 48 hours or two business days. And so um we can make a just-in-time payment. Yeah. Um, because otherwise the program isn't the uh that beneficial. Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:25

Because I would imagine most of the requests you get are pretty time sensitive. You know, there's an eviction coming or there's a power shut off or something, something like that, right? So it would probably need to be reviewed pretty quick.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 18:37

So all right. Well, what are some of the other programs that you're highly involved in?

SPEAKER_01 18:41

Okay, so uh I don't want to speak before it has happened, but one of my passions is um transportation because uh when we did our community needs assessment and talked to uh community members, it was like in the top three or four uh needs in our community. And I felt like uh we should be able to do something as a community. So I I am uh passionate about getting people in the room that can share what's happening in uh Sangman County and creative ways of addressing it. One way that United Way is uh piloting is a program called Ride United. It's a partnership between Lyft 211 and United Way, where we can provide free rides for residents that need to get to a job interview or get to uh their job because their car is in the shop. And it's free to them, but hopefully, you know, provides pathway to stable employment.

SPEAKER_03 19:46

That's awesome. And that that is a huge issue. I've worked with a lot of folks over the years where transportation was one of their biggest barriers to holding a steady job and being being able to get there when they need to get there, because sometimes, depending on where that job is, you know, the bus line might not be there right where they need to, and then you know adds extra time to each end of the day and everything. So that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 20:07

Yep. Well, I want people in the room that uh talking about it and because I know that there's creative solutions.

SPEAKER_03 20:14

Absolutely. And yeah, when you get the right people in the room, you can do some really phenomenal things. So any other programs that you're passionate about or want to highlight?

SPEAKER_01 20:23

Well, now that we're talking about 211, I uh would love to get the word out about that resource, which is a national telephone number where you can call and get um information on resources that are available in your area. And it's 24 hours a day. You can get uh information on housing, utility assistance, childcare, transport, any resource that is a non-emergency. And it really takes the pressure off uh the 911.

SPEAKER_03 20:54

Yeah, absolutely. And that's a national. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 20:56

And so anybody can call 211 and uh a uh trained navigator at 211 will uh let them know what resources are available.

SPEAKER_03 21:06

So I'm just curious about the logistics of that. So the two one is that like when they call 211 in Springfield, is that a local person that knows all the stuff, or is that somebody somewhere else that just knows everything about Springfield? How does that work?

SPEAKER_01 21:19

Yes, and so at the United Way of Central Illinois, we uh pay uh call center that has uh up-to-date information. And so they are not uh physically based in Springfield, but they are our partner and and so it's up to our community to keep that information up to date. But 211 calls our all our social service agencies once a quarter to make sure that the informate information is updated.

SPEAKER_03 21:47

Well, so much great stuff. United Way, as always, is making a huge impact here and other places as well, but of course, right here in in Springfield. So looking forward to the seeing the Alice program really start to grow here. Appreciate you spending some time with me talking about it. Remind everybody where they can go to get information on any of this or to apply for the Alice program. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

So it's www.uwcil.org.

SPEAKER_03 22:14

Well, one thing I like to ask all my guests that come on the show here, is there anything we can do community-wide to help all of us here elevate Springfield and the surrounding communities?

SPEAKER_01 22:24

Again, collaboration. So United Way of Central Illinois, just by definition, united, wants to bring as many people together as possible to address issues. So I if you want to volunteer, be part of the conversation, support us financially, please contact us.

SPEAKER_03 22:41

Awesome. Well, Karen, again, appreciate you spending some time with me this morning.

SPEAKER_01 22:45

Well, thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_03 22:47

All right. Well, we're gonna let Karen get back to elevating Springfield. But for the rest of y'all, we'll be right back. Hey, Springfield, when it comes to reliable, high-quality roofing, you don't want to leave things to chance. That's why you should reach out to Acosta Angeli Roofing, your local roofing expert serving Springfield and surrounding communities, from quick, dependable repairs to full replacement, from residential to commercial. They are your trusted pros. Call them today at 217-993-2748 or visit their website to book your free quote and inspection. Don't wait. A little leak now could lead to major damage later. Trust the local experts, protect your home, and get peace of mind with Acosta Angeli Roofing. Well, thank you for joining us today, everybody, on another segment of Communities Grow Together on the Elevate Springfield Podcast. Thank you again to David Hilst, American Family Insurance Agency, for partnering with us on this segment. A take what you learn today. You bring the discipline and follow through, and together, that's right, y'all. We're gonna Elevate Springfield. Be great. Looking for expert tree care with hometown integrity, look no further than Sangamon Tree Service. They're your trusted local pros, delivering quality workmanship, exceptional customer service, and fair, honest pricing. Every time. Whether it's trimming, removal, or storm cleanup, their team brings professionalism and care to every job, big or small. Call the name your neighbors trust, Sangman Tree Service, or visit them today at SangamanTreeService.com. Sangamon Tree Service, rooted in quality, built on trust.