United Way of Greater Cleveland

Do you or someone you know not have a bank account? Now is the time to open one. The federal government has moved benefits and tax refund payments to electronic delivery. Without a bank account or safe electronic option, you could face delays in getting your money. Bank On CLE connects Greater Clevelanders to affordable bank and credit union accounts. Learn more at https://bankoncle.org.

Civic engagement can accelerate your career, and we’re bringing local leaders together to show you how. Join Emerging Leaders - United Way of Greater Cleveland on March 12 for a professional development panel and Q&A: Civic engagement as a career accelerator. You’ll hear from Kate Connor Warren, Devin H. Cotten, and Scott Skinner, moderated by Angela O’Donnell of Cleveland Leadership Center, on how volunteerism opens doors to unexpected opportunities. Register today! https://lnkd.in/g-2EG8Ut Your $25 ticket includes the discussion, food, drinks, and professional headshots.

Today, staff took a fun break from the workday with lunchtime line dancing in the boardroom. There was a lot of laughter as we learned the steps together. Thank you to Michael Brown for leading the session and bringing such great energy to the workday!

Right to Counsel is helping Cleveland renters facing eviction stay in their homes. Since 2020, nearly 5,400 eligible tenant households have been assisted, impacting 18,940 Cleveland residents and strengthening housing stability across our community. The program is also delivering strong public value, with Cleveland and Cuyahoga County likely realizing $44.7 million in economic and fiscal benefits by preventing unnecessary displacement and reducing downstream costs tied to eviction and homelessness. Right to Counsel provides eligible renters with free legal representation in eviction cases. Unlike criminal cases, where an attorney is guaranteed if you can’t afford one, eviction cases are civil, and most tenants across the country still go to court without a lawyer. Cleveland was one of the first cities in the nation to establish this right, and these results show what’s possible when tenants aren’t forced to face eviction court alone. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gUqjK6jW The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland

Tax season is here, and free help is available! Through the Cuyahoga EITC Coalition, eligible residents can receive free, IRS-certified tax preparation to claim the credits they have earned and maximize their refund. You can: ✅Schedule an appointment online at www.refundohio.org ✅Attend a Super Saturday event The next event is the Tri C Metro Tax Clinic 📆Saturday, February 28 | 10:00 am to 2:00 pm 📍2900 Community College Tech Learning Center, Cleveland, OH 44115 Walk ins welcome before 12:00 pm; availability may vary.

Our President and CEO Sharon Sobol Jordan joined leaders from across Ohio today for a roundtable conversation with Senator Jon Husted on the Upward Mobility Act and the impact of the benefits cliff on working families.   We’re grateful for the opportunity to share what we hear every day through United Way 211 and our ALICE data: that too many working households face a difficult choice between earning more and losing essential supports. Thoughtful policy design, gradual phase-outs, and better coordination across programs can help ensure that progress at work doesn’t leave families worse off.   Thank you to Senator Husted for convening this discussion, to Goodwill Columbus for hosting and to the government, business, education, and workforce leaders who participated. Addressing the benefits cliff requires collaboration across sectors, and we’re proud to contribute our community data and frontline perspective to the conversation.

This week members of our Community Investment team joined HR leaders from across the region to share what workforce readiness looks like in 2026. At the Cleveland HR Outlook 2026 event, they presented local data on ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households who struggle to cover essential living expenses, and highlighted how changes to SNAP and Medicaid work requirements and rising household costs are shaping the realities facing working families. Maryam Kiefer, MSW, Senior Director of Public Policy, shared why HR leaders should be paying attention to public benefit changes and how those shifts may impact part-time and hourly workers. Cariss T. Smith, Director of Grantmaking and Community Partnerships, explored emerging workforce risks, what an employee-centered strategy looks like for ALICE households, and how employers can balance productivity, trust, and privacy while partnering with community resources. Thank you to Cleveland SHRM, our moderator Jennifer Osborn, MBA, fellow panelist Jared Daly, and the sponsors and attendees who made this conversation thoughtful and practical. We’re proud to help connect data, policy, and employer action so more Greater Clevelanders can build lasting financial security.

Day of Action recap! 🎥💙📦 Here’s a look at yesterday’s 211 Day of Action where volunteers packed Blessing Boxes headed to Cleveland Public Library branches across our community. We are so grateful to everyone who volunteered or donated materials to make this project possible.

Today is our 211 Day of Action, and hundreds of volunteers are gathered in our downtown office, building and packing blessing boxes that will soon be installed at Cleveland Public Library branches across our community.   We are grateful to see so many volunteers step up today to support neighbors across greater Cleveland, and for all the companies who made this event possible. Whether your workplace hosted a collection, donated materials, organized a group of volunteers, or provided sponsorship, your contributions are what made this day possible.   Thank you for standing with our community and helping turn a day of service into something neighbors will see and use every day.   BakerHostetler, Benesch Law, Carnegie Companies, Inc., Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland State University, Cohen & Co, Cuyahoga Community College, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, Fortney & Weygandt, Inc., The Jewish Volunteering Network, KeyBank, Medical Mutual, Northern Haserot, North Shore AFL-CIO, The NRP Group LLC, Oatey Company, Oswald Companies, PNC, Policy Matters Ohio, Renner Otto, Sherwin-Williams Williams, Thompson Hine LLP, WM   #DayOfAction #UnitedWayCLE #211Day

Proud to see the impact of Right to Counsel in Cleveland. This new evaluation shows how access to legal representation helps residents avoid eviction, stay housed, and strengthens our community.