United Way of Pierce County outlines poverty goals, 211 and income programs in Lakewood update

Donna Bonapinto, president and CEO of United Way of Pierce County, updated the Lakewood City Council on the nonprofit’s multi‑program approach to reducing household poverty in Pierce County, including its target to lift 15,000 households into financial stability by 2028.

Bonapinto said United Way’s goal is “lifting 15,000 households out of poverty and into financial stability by 2028, 1 family at a time,” and described programs intended to move that goal forward.

The update centered on three program areas United Way tracks as pathways out of instability: direct basic‑needs referrals and navigation via South Sound 2‑1‑1, its Center for Strong Families financial coaching, and advocacy to change systems that drive poverty.

Bonapinto told council members that 2‑1‑1 handled more than 74,000 contacts in 2023 and that United Way views navigation — helping callers get to services rather than merely giving phone numbers — as central because many providers are at capacity. She also highlighted SingleCare, a pharmacy discount card she said has helped “more than 13,000,000 people,” and a transportation partnership that uses ride services to help people get to work and appointments.

On outcomes, Bonapinto said United Way’s Center for Strong Families shows measurable gains for participants. She said the organization’s published dashboard reports an overall decrease in participant debt and improvements in average credit scores, and that United Way’s tracking shows “over 11,000” families had moved toward self‑sufficiency in 2024 toward the 15,000 goal.

Bonapinto summarized United Way’s guaranteed‑income pilots, including a Mayors for Guaranteed Income research project and a state‑funded pilot that provided $500 a month to 175 single‑parent ALICE (asset‑limited, income‑constrained, employed) households in targeted ZIP codes. She said the payments were meant as supplements, not replacements for employment, and gave a few anecdotal examples of household uses such as appliances and paying down debt.

Council members pressed about program details and data. Councilmember Brandstetter asked whether current totals put United Way on pace to reach the 15,000 goal; Bonapinto replied that the organization’s 2024 report updates the tally to above 11,000 and that staff are discussing how to reset or extend the goal after 2028. Councilmembers also asked about partnerships with Workforce Central and community colleges, and Bonapinto said United Way’s navigators and financial coaches work closely with workforce programs but that some community‑college partners struggled to collect the outcome data United Way requires.

Bonapinto acknowledged funding pressures and said United Way relies on a mix of private grants, workplace giving and public funds; she identified county funding as a primary concern and said some programs — notably 2‑1‑1 and Centers for Strong Families — are roughly million‑dollar operations. She urged continued municipal partnership and offered United Way’s ZIP‑code ALICE data to aid local human‑services funding decisions.

The council did not take formal action on any United Way item. Bonapinto offered to provide city‑level data (for example, counts by Lakewood ZIP codes) and answered council questions about program eligibility and outcomes.

Ending: Bonapinto encouraged cities to use United Way’s data and contact information when considering human‑services investments and said the organization would share its 2024 annual report and ZIP‑code datasets with Lakewood staff.