WORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO PREPARE FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH

1. WORKING COLLABORATIVELY
TO PREPARE FOR
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Heart of North Texas | November 5, 2021

2. WELCOME

3. TODAY’S DISCUSSION
• Where Were We Pre-Pandemic?
• Who Is ALICE?
• How Did COVID-19 Impact Our County?
• How Did Creativity Overcome Challenge?
• How Do We, Together, Ensure Opportunity For All?

4. WHERE WERE WE PRE-PANDEMIC?
• Busy airports
• Strong schools
• Celebrated hospitals
• Strong business growth (areas like Glade Parks)
• New transportation options (TexRail)
In short, attractive quality of life – but we had
challenges too

5. WHO IS ALICE?
Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained Employed
Of the 722,473 households in Tarrant County, 25%,
or 180,618, are considered ALICE.
27% of families in Northeast Tarrant County qualify
as ALICE households.

6. WHO IS ALICE?
25% of Tarrant County families are one crisis away from
joining the almost 12% who are living in poverty.
The average Household Survival Budget for a Tarrant County family
of four is $64,464 a year, which is significantly higher than
Federal Poverty Level of $25,750for a family of four.

7. WHO ARE THE 25%?
They are employed – many times working more than one low wage job.
They are cashiers, health care workers, security guards, laborers, or
office administration, for example
They struggle to manage to have the basic needs: housing, food,
transportation, childcare, health care and necessary technology.
They have no savings for emergencies or investing in the future –
education, homeownership or retirement.
And one crisis such as an unexpected health event, a car accident
or sudden unemployment could plunge them into poverty.

8. UNACHIEVABLE DREAMS
According to research reported in United Way’s most recent Community Assessment:
Median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Tarrant
County is $1,200 (2018).
115 hours a week is the amount someone earning minimum
wage would have to work to afford rent and living expenses.
More than one in five (23%) of families in Tarrant County
earn less than $35,000, making housing unaffordable for
more than 100,000 families.

9. UNACHIEVABLE DREAMS
It costs an average of $850 a month for childcare for an
infant, $794 for one toddler; $722 for a preschooler and
$675 for a school-aged child.
Childcare is a large expense for many families with young
children and subsidized childcare is limited in availability.
Additional research from United Way of Tarrant County’s Community Assessment shows:

10. COVID-19 exacerbated existing issues,
most impacted ALICE families.

11. IMPACT OF COVID-19
Unemployment soared to more than 14%
65% increase in demand from local food banks
Widening achievement gap for students

12. CREATIVITY MET CHALLENGE
Our community rallied in support
• Donated time and resources
• Developed creative partnerships

13. Activity with Tangible Impact:
Distributed almost 2 million units of PPE at no cost to
almost 500 organizations at an investment of $565,750
Provided 163,310 meals to more than 6,200 families in
Tarrant County via Feed Tarrant, investing $865,544
Partnered with the City of Fort Worth to distribute
$10 million in CARES Act funding to small businesses
through the Preserve the Fort small business grant program
UNITED WAY RESPONDED

14. GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE
The American Rescue Plan Act; Coronavirus Aid,
Relief and Economic Security Act; Paycheck
Protection Act; Build Back Better all have a
forward looking focus.

15. The role of equity is to address disparities
and ensure inclusiveness.

16. How do we ensure those families impacted
by COVID and our ALICE families are part
of an expected economic boom?

17. WORKING TOGETHER
Education: Industry needs a skilled workforce
• Options For All: 2-yr, 4-yr, trades, dual credit, early
college high school
• Focus on areas where opportunity is growing:
IT: eSports, AI
Health care: Nursing (LVNs, CNAs)
• Creativity in scheduling and wraparound support to
keep students in school

18. WORKING TOGETHER
Business Community: Investing in the future
• Partnering with educational entities to create a
pipeline
• Embracing policies that are family friendly: flexible
• Opening job shadowing, mentoring opportunities
• Inviting the community in for dialogue about how
business can engage with neighborhoods to fulfill
respective needs
• Providing volunteers or resources to support efforts
of cities, schools and nonprofits

19. WORKING TOGETHER
Nonprofits: Providing community stability
• Include community members in the formation of any
proposed new programs – ask them what they need
• Seek out the overlooked, neighborhood-based
organizations as partners
• Invite cross-sectional community members into
your conversations: business people, educators,
faith-based leaders, first responders

20. WORKING TOGETHER
Public / Private Partnerships: Expanding the opportunity
• Enhances the likelihood of sustainability by diversifying
funding streams
• Embeds the initiative into broader spectrum of the
community

21. WORKING TOGETHER
Public / Private Partnerships: Examples
• Mission United
• VITA
• TCU and UNT HSC School of Medicine
• Fort Worth ISD and Child Care Associates

22. CALL TO ACTION
Putting Our Best Foot Forward – done right, and
together, we can position ourselves for growth
• Get our workforce trained for the right opportunities
• Strengthen ties between business and community
• Encourage more public/private partnerships to
maximize available resources

23. THANK YOU