2009 Community Assessment Report Tarrant County Results

1. 2009 Community Assessment ReportTarrant County Results August 2009

2. Assessment Overview: Design • Focused on both region and community • Examined existing secondary data • Conducted nine community listening sessions and twelve key informant interviews • Analyzed and consolidated information • Developed final reports and materials

3. Assessment Schedule • Assessment took place January through April 2009

4. Analytical Framework • Broad Themes

5. Analytical Framework • Academic achievement • After-school care • Early care and education • Juvenile crime and gangs • School drop-outs

6. Analytical Framework • Adult education and literacy • Crime • Disasters and emergencies • Economic self-sufficiency • Employment • Homelessness • Hunger • Neighborhood quality of life • Transportation

7. Analytical Framework • Child abuse • Chronic and disabling conditions • Communicable diseases • Domestic violence • Elder abuse • Health care access • Injury and mortality • Isolation (particularly seniors) • Maternal and child health • Mental health and mental disorders • Oral health care • Social and emotional development • Substance abuse • Teen pregnancy and parenting • Wellness and healthy lifestyles

8. Analysis Method • Secondary data on requested indicators were gathered • Listening Sessions and the Community Leader Interviews were analyzed for key themes. • Frequency, intensity and context of data elements established priorities

9. Setting • Tarrant County: • 2007 population was 1.7 million, increased 18% since 2000. • 41 municipalities – a “checkerboard” of urban, suburban and rural communities. • “Urbanization” is increasing, with inadequate infrastructure to cope with growth. • History of racism is exacerbated by influx of immigrants.

10. Population Age Distribution for Tarrant County, Texas and the U.S.

11. Racial/Ethnic Distribution of Tarrant County, Texas, and the U.S

12. Educational Attainment for Tarrant County, Texas and the U.S.

13. Income and Poverty in Tarrant County, Texas, and the U.S.

14. Education

15. Education • Requests for help and information regarding early childcare and education for 2008, received by the United Way of Tarrant County 2-1-1 helpline, exceeded 1,800 calls. There were over 1,200 calls for assistance with child care subsidy and 328 calls for assistance with child care.

16. Education • The most frequently mentioned topic was the • quality of education in Tarrant County. • In that regard, areas in need of improvement were: • Preparation before entering kindergarten • Standardized testing • High school dropouts • Adult literacy • Employment readiness • Many respondents recommended programs focusing on youth development, building positive values, and getting youth involved in civic service through volunteering.

17. Education • “Dropout is the thing we focus on because it’s easy to measure and right in front of us, standing on a street corner. But it’s really only a symptom of inadequate preparation for school that starts 10 years before that.” • - Comment by member of focus group

18. Findings: Income • Clear link exists between educational attainment, literacy • and income • Adults without a HS diploma have the highest rate of poverty (22% for women and 31% for men). • Adults with a bachelor’s degree lower the risk of poverty to only 3% for women and 4% for men.

19. Income • Language is another barrier to both educational • attainment and income. • Population that does not speak English at home • Tarrant County 25% • Texas 33% • US 10% • 14% of Tarrant population are functionally illiterate, up from 10% in 1992.

20. Income • Unemployment: • Number of unemployment insurance claims: • July 2008 2,388 • January 2009 21,901

21. Income • Homelessness in Tarrant County: • 2,900 adults and 1,100 children are homeless. • The number of permanently homeless people is up from the 2004 estimate. • However, the overall number of homeless people has decreased, due to a combination of federal policy changes and local community efforts.

22. Income • Transportation: • Lack of transportation between communities wasthe biggest concern. • “A lot of needs could be met with better transportation - job training, employment, getting to the doctor.” • - Comment by member of focus group

23. Findings: Health • Our analysis of secondary data yielded few new insights from previous assessments. There are modestly increasing rates of a wide array of factors – from child abuse to chronic diseases. A few specific concerns emerged however:

24. Child Abuse Implications: More relatives raising children

25. Child Abuse:Mental Health & Substance Abuse • Of 28,876 MHMR clients in 2008: • Mental Health 59% 17,037 • (including depression, bipolar, schizophrenia) • Early Childhood Intervention 22% 6,353 • Addictions 11% 3,176 • Mental retardation 8% 2,310

26. Child Abuse:Mental Health & Substance Abuse • Tarrant County Drug Impact Index, 2008: • Ever using any illicit substance 28% • Using alcohol in the month prior 31.5% • Using marijuana in the month prior 11%

27. Health • Poor access to health care, particularly as a function of not having health insurance was a common theme as well. Compared with the state overall, however, Tarrant County fairs reasonably well.

28. Health • Infant mortality was an item mentioned only occasionally in the Listening Sessions and Interviews, however the secondary data suggests this may be an issue to monitor more closely.

29. Health • Respondents expressed a broad concern about senior issues in general, including: • Social isolation • Lack of transportation • Safety • Living on a fixed income

30. Preliminary Findings: Issues Areas • The following five broad issue areas received further review: • Transportation • Early childhood services including education • Youth development • Employment/economic self-sufficency • Healthy lifestyles and violence (runners-up)

31. Validation of Findings • Validation by local experts will help refine and focus an “actionable” list of issues reflecting institutional mission, resources and community characteristics that were identified in our assessment but difficult to interpret without local experience.

32. Validated Findings: Major Issues • Five issue areas emerged from this assessment as • areas of high priority for United Way: • Early childhood services (care and education) • Economic self-sufficiency (including employment and adult literacy) • School dropouts • Chronic/disabling conditions and healthy lifestyles (particularly older adults) • Violence/abusive behavior (particularly toward children and older adults)

33. Key Findings: Processes • Next steps for United Way as a nonprofit leader: • Convene other organizations in the community • Set priorities to focus the resource investments in the community • Identify opportunities to leverage existing resources • Communicate and educate the community about strategies and results

34. Thank you