We all have needs that we cannot meet on our own. Children need more than food, clothing, and school supplies. The homeless need more than housing. Working people need more than jobs. We all need humane reliability. We all need kind, caring relationships. We all need a social safety foundation. Family, friends and community, schools, society and government all play roles in providing for the needs we have that we can’t fulfill on our own. From beginning to end, our lives require that we be held by those in the world around us.

And while we all have needs that are particular to who we are, everyone needs money. Too often people trying to take the next step or just get by keep coming up short. That next step towards stable employment gets derailed by unaffordable car trouble. A child’s parents run the risk of their children being removed and placed in foster care just because they can’t afford things like cleaning supplies that SNAP doesn’t pay for. A single mother has to call the pastor of a local church on Christmas Eve just to try and come up with some money to feed her children. 

At Held, we partner with community-based organizations that are already providing essential social services to their clients. Our goal is to complement these services with guaranteed income, so that people can receive both the financial support they need and the expert care and support from our partners. This partnership allows us to create a holistic approach to poverty alleviation that addresses both immediate and long-term needs.

With their basic needs met and their community surrounding them, people can attend to the deeper, more significant needs that we all share. By working with partner organizations Held delivers vitally necessary funds and resources to those that need it most, expand our partner agencies’ capacity to provide the care and support they specialize in, and transform people’s lives through the power of care and reliable, regular income.