Speak together and be heard

Policy makers are critical partners in promoting health, education, workforce development, and human services, so we actively engage, help educate, and advocate for good policy. And when you add your voice to our chorus, you make us that much louder and that much more effective.

Metro United Way 2025 Public Policy Agenda

Metro United Way recognizes that systemic change and lasting impact require a pairing of powerful programming and transformative policy making. Elected officials and administrative leaders are critical partners in promoting equity and opportunity for all people in the areas of education, economic mobility, and health, and as such, Metro United Way actively engages in public policy efforts.

The range of issues affecting our priorities is vast. To be effective, Metro United Way has a targeted public policy agenda below that has relevancy across our seven-county and two-state region.

Thriving Kids
Ensuring our children have the resources and support to thrive is the foundation for our community’s success.

  • Ensure access to prenatal care that addresses disparities in birth outcomes and maternal health
  • Increase availability of high-quality, affordable care, early childhood learning opportunities, and individualized support for families
  • Enhance accessibility to out-of-school time programming, academic support, and interventions for youth and families to ensure they are connected to their community

 

Strong Households
Creating pathways out of poverty to prosperity

  • Advocate for greater access to safe, affordable, and stable housing across all income levels
  • Ensure households have the resources they need to not only achieve safety and stability, but to thrive and improve their economic mobility
  • Provide the framework and support for social service organizations so that they have resources to provide quality, timely care to the community members they serve

 

Equitable Community
We envision the Greater Louisville region as a place where zip code does not determine destiny.

  • Implement equitable, common sense criminal justice reforms that limit at-risk individuals’ contact with the justice system and promote successful reentry for those who are justice involved
  • Address the history of structural and institutional policies that disproportionately affect marginalized communities and perpetuate cycles of generational poverty
  • Promote civic and voter engagement to ensure that all voices are heard in the decision-making processes that shape our shared future

 

Nonprofit Sector
Empowering nonprofits is crucial to their ability to meet critical needs and solve our community’s most pressing challenges.

  • Promote tax policies that fuel community solutions through nonprofits and encourage philanthropic giving
  • Support laws and executive actions that help build stronger communities by strengthening the nonprofit sector and its workforce

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Resources

  • Liberation Identification

    A movement to implement a statewide program providing state-issued photo identification to all people leaving incarceration in Kentucky.

    Learn More
  • Health Impacts of Proposed Land Development Code Reform: Benefits of Middle Housing

    Download
  • A Qualitative Assessment of Prenatal Care and Prenatal Care Access in Louisville / Jefferson County

    Download
  • Eviction Expungement: A Tool to Reduce Homelessness and Improve Health for Kentuckians

    Download
  • Update to the Health Impact Assessment of Kentucky’s Child Care Assistance Program:

    Increasing eligibility for Public Pre-Kindergarten Support

    Download
  • Health Impact Assessment of Expungement Policy in Kentucky

    Click to View Assessment
  • Health Impact Assessment of Kentucky’s Child Care Assistance Program

    Download
  • Impact of COVID on KY's Child Care Providers

    Learn More
  • Greater Louisville Project Early Childhood Report

    View Report
  • 2023 State of Metropolitan Housing Report

    Download

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