Healthy People, Strong Communities
United Way believes in building a region that is great for everyone—made up of healthy, equitable, and vibrant communities.
The issue
The strength of our communities is determined by the health and wellbeing of those who live here. But many people across our region lack access to the supports they need, impacting their quality of life.
Many face barriers accessing services rooted in systemic biases related to gender, race, age, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, ability, or economic status. Socially disadvantaged communities experience poorer health outcomes, often driven by institutional oppression, systemic and overt racism, and chronic discrimination.
65%
of Canadians are focused on their basic needs/safety.
11.1%
of seniors living alone in Ontario are under the poverty rate, compared to 3% of seniors who live in a family setting.
21
incidents of intimate partner violence are reported each day, on average, in Ottawa. This 2025 data the number of incidents was up 6% from the previous year.
Our response
Our goal is to advance equity across communities by building a set of social, economic, cultural, healthy living, and civic engagement opportunities for all residents. Part of how we do this is through initiatives that bring local stakeholders together to pursue a collective mission. These include:
Equity in communities
United Way leads and serves as the backbone for United for All, a coalition of community experts committed to overcoming hate-based violence, racism, and extremism in East Ontario.
This tool was developed by United Way, the City of Ottawa, and the Social Planning Council of Ottawa to assess how neighbourhoods compare when it comes to factors that impact wellbeing. An exciting recent development in the use of NEI data was the development of a Summary Portrait of Ottawa’s Black Community in comparison with the general population.
Prioritizing community safety and wellbeing
This is an initiative, supported by United Way and Women United donors, that helps residents build skills and confidence to make positive changes together. The work of CCWW graduates has been essential in supporting communities facing growing safety, socioeconomic, and isolation challenges at the neighbourhood level. It provides peer support and warm referrals to nearby services, creates opportunities to connect through food and conversation, and engages residents in advocacy, planning, and leadership work.
…
The SVI is a key data tool that maps how seniors throughout the East Ontario region are doing, based on key indicators such as age, income and education levels, location, and access to in-home support. The SVI has two immediate goals:
- To understand where seniors across all our communities are most vulnerable and visualize the trends that contribute to this vulnerability.
- To create a method by which we can enhance efficiency and decision-making to provide seniors with better care, where it’s needed most.
Alongside our partners, UWEO tackles crisis response needs throughout our region—from natural disasters to urgent community needs—and ensuring people can access immediate, culturally safe, and appropriate mental health supports.
We participate in coalitions and partnerships that increase access to community-based mental health, substance use, and crisis counselling, including support for people experiencing gender-based and intimate partner violence.
To combat hate and discrimination, United for All deploys a series of activities—including events, workshops, and learning opportunities—that empower community leaders to address anti-Black racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-ideology, and misogyny.
The outcomes
At United Way East Ontario, we partner with local, frontline agencies to deliver vital programs and services that create opportunities for our region’s most vulnerable people. These include 24/7 crisis lines, day programs for seniors, and resident-led community-building initiatives.
As part of our commitment to accountability and impact, we track and report on how these investments make a difference.
Healthy People, Strong Communities across our region:
37
collaborations and initiatives
49
programs
39
community agencies
As a result of these investments:
67,947
people were supported
1,451
people volunteered with our agency partners
for a total of
88,665
hours
See our impact
For a more detailed look at outcome statistics for Healthy People, Strong Communities, please see our most recent annual report.
