United Way seeing increased demand

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This article was published 16/09/2023 (1137 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

United Way Brandon and District has seen a shift in a certain segment of the population that is coming to them for support, says the non-profit’s CEO.

“With the economic inflation that’s going on, it’s not just low-income people who are suffering right now. We’re seeing people in the lower end of middle class, whose wages used to pay the bills, but aren’t any more,” Cynamon Mychasiw said.

One of the programs the United Way launched just a few months ago is called Financially Empowering Young Adults, or FEYA, which goes to support those between 18 and 29 years of age who are employed and renting in the community but are having trouble making ends meet.

FEYA recipients receive grocery gift cards once a month to help put food on the table, added Mychasiw, so “they don’t have to choose between the hydro bill and buying groceries.”

“We are serving more working individuals than ever before, just because the cost of living is a lot more expensive,” Mychasiw said.

This is the time of year that the United Way kicks off its fundraising campaign.

Within the community, it provides 32 programs, and partners with 22 agencies around the Westman area including the Men’s Resource Centre and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB).

There is no financial goal, said Mychasiw.

“And the reason we haven’t set one is because our goal is really meeting the need,” Mychasiw said.

Meeting the need, she explained, is to make sure there is food on plates, that people have the mental health support they need with a roof over their head, and that young people are working, getting the support they need to get ahead and succeed.

“But I can say with absolute certainty that the need will be between ($800,000) and $900,000, which we haven’t been able to raise at this point yet. So our goal is to get as close to funding as much of the need as we possibly can,” Mychasiw said.

Operational funding is provided by the provincial government — the only province to do so, said Mychasiw — and those funds pay for salaries and the nuts and bolts of the operation. Any donations they receive go directly to community programming.

Coming soon, and the first of its kind in Canada, will be a wellness program for those working in the social sector.

Thanks to a grant that the United Way received from the provincial government, the program will provide mental health support, by providing a safe space for social sector workers to decompress at the end of the day, and if needed, healing circles.

“I can’t reveal too much yet, but the people working in the social sector are as important as the people they help,” said Mychasiw. “Keeping these people strong strengthens the community, and community support helps build that circle.”

The United Way is having Brandon’s largest garage sale today until 3 p.m. at the Keystone Centre. There are booths with crafts, collectibles, baked goods, and vendors with miscellaneous retail items.

Admission is $3, with children 12 and under, free.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» X: @enviromichele