United Way of Greater Los Angeles (UWLA) is a local chapter of United Way Worldwide, which was the largest philanthropic organization in the world until 2016. ¹ The organization generally engages in philanthropic work related to poverty relief, though UWLA also supports left-of-center government-funded poverty relief measures.

Advocacy

As a 501(c)(3) organization, United Way of Greater Los Angeles is prohibited from engaging in partisan politics but may devote a portion of its expenditure to policy advocacy. ²

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent

In July 2021, UWLA signed a letter by the Communities for Los Angeles Student Success (CLASS) urging the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to choose a new superintendent who prioritizes “our highest needs communities including black and brown, low income, English language learner, foster, and LGBTQ youth.” The letter also supports the superintendent focusing on “racial justice” as a core component of his or her administration. ³

Poverty Relief

The UWLA supports federal funding for poverty-relief programs and community support organizations. For instance, the UWLA supports the Chinatown Service Center, which receives funding from the federal government, California, and Los Angeles, along with funding from private donors. ⁴ The UWLA also supports the Energy Assistance Program (EAP) and the Gas Assistance Program (GAP), both of which provide funds for energy and heating bills to low-income Californians and are funded by a combination of federal, state, and private sources. ⁵

Taxes

The UWLA assists low-income individuals with filing for taxes and collecting tax credits, particularly the federal and California Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Young Child Tax Credit. ⁶ The UWLA claims to have saved Californians $11.5 million in taxes since 2016. ⁷

Get-Out-The-Vote Campaign

In 2016, United Way of Greater Los Angles ran a get-out-the-vote campaign with numerous state and local elected officials targeted at Los Angeles high school students. ⁸

Permanent Supportive Housing in Los Angeles

In 2009, United Way of Greater Los Angles and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Business Leaders Task Force on Homelessness brainstormed methods of reducing homelessness. In the following years, United Way Worldwide became involved in the effort. ⁹

In 2016, UWW, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and the Los Angeles city government under Mayor Eric Garcetti (D-Los Angeles) devised Measure HHH, which sought to issue $1.2 billion in bonds for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) in Los Angeles. PSH is a group of policies that provide housing at no or very low cost to currently or formerly homeless individuals, along with a network of support services to assist them in keeping and maintaining homes. UWW drafted the language for the measure and helped come up with the $1.2 billion figure to fund the program. ^{10 11}

UWW actively campaigned for Measure HHH with the support of labor unions and local left-of-center nonprofits. The LA County Federation of Labor supported the measure for the construction jobs it would create in the county. UWW received significant support from LA Voice, a left-of-center community organizing group. ¹² The measure passed with the support of 77.14% of voters. ¹³

Measure HHH was intended to build 10,000 new housing units with $1.2 billion. In October 2019, the city of Los Angeles released an audit which found that the project was far behind schedule and needed to be scaled back. No units had been built, the projected number of units had fallen to 7,640, and almost 25% of the units were downgraded to “affordable housing” rather than PSH housing. The project organizers originally projected that a single apartment building would cost between $350,000 and $414,000, but raised the projection to $531,373, with the most expensive building projected at $700,000. The rising cost was almost entirely attributed to “soft costs” like consulting fees and permits. ¹⁴ As of February 2021, the project has constructed 361 homes with a projected goal of building more than 7,610 homes with the funds. ^{15 16}

Shortly before the audit was released, UWLA spent $1.5 million to hire an “HHH concierge” to work for the city. The task of this position is to “streamline permitting processes and ensure that Proposition HHH-funded projects are prioritized within each department’s existing workflow.” ^{17 18}

1. “A philanthropic boom: “donor-advised funds”.” Economist. March 25, 2017. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2017/03/23/a-philanthropic-boom-donor-advised-funds.
2. Taylor, Steve. “United Way’s Focus on Policy, Not Politics.” United Way. November 7, 2018. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://www.unitedway.org/blog/united-ways-focus-on-policy-not-politics.
3. “Communities for Los Angles Student Success on Important Criteria for a new LAUSD Superintendent.” United Way of Greater Los Angles. July 1, 2021 Accessed July 1, 2021. https://www.unitedwayla.org/en/news-resources/blog/communities-los-angeles-student-success-important-criteria-new-lausd-superintendent/.
4. “About Us.” Chinatown Service Center. Accessed July 1, 2021. https://www.cscla.org/aboutus.
5. “Utilities Assistance Programs Ease Financial Burdens Throughout Southern California.” United Way of Greater Los Angeles. June 4, 2021. Accessed July 1, 2021. https://www.unitedwayla.org/en/news-resources/blog/utilities-assistance-programs-ease-financial-burdens-throughout-southern-california/.
6. “File Your Taxes for Free.” Free Tax Prep Los Angeles. Accessed July 1, 2021. https://freetaxprepla.unitedwayla.org/en/.
7. “United For LA.” United Way of Greater Los Angles. Accessed July 1, 2021. United Way of Greater Los Angles. https://www.unitedwayla.org/en/.
8. “United Way of Greater Los Angeles Brings Together L.A. Students to Get Out the Vote.” CISION. April 23, 2016. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-way-of-greater-los-angeles-brings-together-la-students-to-get-out-the-vote-300256242.html.
9.  ^[1] “Los Angeles Proposition HHH.” Local Housing Solutions. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://www.localhousingsolutions.org/housing-policy-case-studies/los-angeles-proposition-hhh/.
10. “Prop HHH: A Victory for Compassion in Solving Homelessness.” United Way Worldwide. November 21, 2016. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://www.unitedway.org/blog/prop-hhh-a-victory-for-compassion-in-solving-homelessness.
11. “Los Angeles Proposition HHH.” Local Housing Solutions. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://www.localhousingsolutions.org/housing-policy-case-studies/los-angeles-proposition-hhh/.
12. “Los Angeles Proposition HHH.” Local Housing Solutions. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://www.localhousingsolutions.org/housing-policy-case-studies/los-angeles-proposition-hhh/.
13. “Los Angeles, California, Homelessness Reduction and Prevention Housing, and Facilities Bond Issue, Measure HHH (November 2016).” Ballotpedia. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://ballotpedia.org/Los_Angeles,_California,_Homelessness_Reduction_and_Prevention_Housing,_and_Facilities_Bond_Issue,_Measure_HHH_(November_2016).
14. “Three Years and Zero Housing Units Later, LA’s Auditor Looks At Prop HHH Money.” LAist. October 8, 2019. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://laist.com/news/prop-hhh-homeless-housing-audit.
15. “Tracking HHH.” LA Mayor. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://www.lamayor.org/HomelessnessTrackingHHH.
16. France, Chandler. “Lack of urgency, coordination has sidelined Los Angeles’ HHH program.” USC Annenberg Media. February 12, 2021. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2021/02/12/lack-of-urgency-coordination-has-sidelined-los-angeles-hhh-program/#:~:text=Permanent%20supportive%20housing%20combines%20affordable,for%20occupancy%2C%20totaling%20361%20units.
17. “Cover Letter.” LA Controller. October 8, 2019. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://lacontroller.org/audits-and-reports/high-cost-of-homeless-housing-hhh/.
18. “Tracking HHH.” LA Mayor. Accessed June 26, 2021. https://www.lamayor.org/HomelessnessTrackingHHH.