BECOMING THE UNITED WAY OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS

We’ve seen the numbers. We’ve heard from our nonprofit and community partners. During the process of shifting the strategy for our organization, we evolved our approach to align with what our community wants in an organization and how we will fulfill their needs. This Community Game Plan is a map to put into action through collective impact.

Collective impact is the commitment of a group of individuals from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific social problem using a structured form of collaboration. UWHC is committed to working with others to staff, resource, and provide oversight of this effort.

2025 Community Needs Assessment

Understanding Our Community. Aligning Solutions.

United Way of Horry County’s 2025 Community Needs Assessment highlights the most pressing challenges—and opportunities—facing families across Horry County. Built from community voice and data, this assessment ensures our work is focused where it matters most.

Community Voices at the Center

This assessment reflects extensive community engagement, including:

• 3,294 community survey responses
• 10 Community Conversations across Horry County
• Outreach in both rural and urban communities
• Spanish-language engagement to better reach Latino neighbors

Residents, partners, and service providers shared what they are experiencing, what’s holding families back, and what they believe can make a difference.

Key Focus Areas

The findings are organized around four areas critical to community well-being:

• Youth Opportunity – Early learning readiness, education access, and workforce preparation
• Healthy Community – Healthcare access, mental health, and food security
• Financial Security – Affordability, ALICE households, housing, and cost of living
• Community Resiliency – Housing stability, transportation, environmental risks, and access to information

Why It Matters

As one of South Carolina’s fastest-growing counties, Horry County faces increasing pressure on families. The assessment shows that many hardworking households are struggling to meet basic needs—even while employed.

This data helps United Way and community partners align resources, strengthen systems, and build long-term solutions that improve stability and opportunity for all.

Our Commitment

“Our commitment is to listen first. This assessment ensures our work is grounded in real experiences and data, allowing us to focus on the areas where our community needs us most.”
— Blakely J. Roof, President & CEO

OUR FOCUS AREAS

We focus our programs, collective impact work, and investments on four pillars that significantly help us meet the needs of our community through our Bold Goals.