United Way of Johnson & Washington Counties has released the results of a year-long Community Needs Assessment and unveiled its Stronger Together Community Roadmap – a regional initiative aimed at expanding equity, access and opportunity across the two-county area.
Over the past year, United Way led a collaborative effort that included focus groups, listening sessions and stakeholder convenings. The process engaged local governments, public health departments, school districts, businesses and nonprofit organizations to gather input and data from across the region.
“Collaboration was at the heart of this process,” said Jennifer Banta, president and CEO of United Way of Johnson & Washington Counties. “Our goal was to listen to our community, identify where support is most needed, and create a shared vision for what success looks like – for every individual and every family in Johnson and Washington Counties.”
The assessment identified key challenges and gaps across four core impact areas: youth opportunity, healthy communities, community resilience and financial stability. Through a series of workgroup sessions, community leaders conducted environmental scans and interpreted findings to create a unified roadmap with common goals, strategies and measurable outcomes, with the goal of strengthening existing systems while identifying where additional resources are most needed.
The result – the Stronger Together Community Roadmap – outlines actionable strategies to address key barriers facing residents, including access to early childhood education, mental health services, affordable housing, food security and workforce development.
“We believe the people closest to the challenges will be closest to the solutions,” Ms. Banta said, in a release. “The strategies and initiatives coming from this roadmap will be rooted in their voices and designed for United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties to drive collective action.”
Key goals from the CNA and the Community Roadmap include:
- Youth Opportunity: Ensure all children and families can access basic needs and social-emotional supports, so children are ready to learn.
- Healthy Communities: Promote mental and physical well-being by improving access to health care, healthy food and stable housing.
- Community Resilience: Strengthen the social safety net by investing in neighborhood hubs, emergency assistance and disaster preparedness.
- Financial Stability: Help individuals and families meet their needs by expanding access to benefits, affordable housing, and child care, while strengthening career pathways and workforce readiness.
United Way plans to continue working with public and private partners to implement the roadmap over the next two years, with cross-sector collaborations guiding progress toward shared goals.
“This is just the beginning,” Ms. Banta said. “The community roadmap is a call to action. Together, with collaboration, coordination, and commitment – we can ensure everyone in Johnson and Washington Counties has the opportunity to thrive.”
The full report is available at https://www.unitedwayjwc.org/our-impact-cna.
