Identifying The Community Need and Target Population(s)

Successful applicants for funding opportunities in the Success By 6 and Income investment areas must use data to show the specific community need(s) the program will address, including which population(s) the program or services will reach as well as information about the population relative to the identified result.

Data Resources

In preparation for the 2010 Community Investment application, United Way of Greater New Haven invites agencies to utilize the following resources:

DataHaven provides a wide range of accurate and relevant data on our region in a user-friendly, region-specific, one-stop data web site containing over 400 community indicators that can be accessed, analyzed and downloaded, as well as a central place to access important community planning documents and reports. The DataHaven website includes extensive economic, social, and health data on the 22 towns of South Central Connecticut.

The American Community Survey is a nationwide survey designed to provide communities a fresh look at how they are changing. It is a critical element in the Census Bureau's reengineered decennial census program. The ACS collects and produces population and housing information every year instead of every ten years.

 In addition, United Way of Greater New Haven recently collected data around the following priority areas to inform our work:

• Education (Success By Six and School Age Youth)
• Income (Economic Opportunity and Housing) 
• Health
• Basic Needs (Food Insecurity and Emergency Shelters)

 EDUCATION

The New Haven Early Childhood Plan was developed by The New Haven Early Childhood Council, with assistance from the New Haven Early Childhood Plan Taskforce convened by Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. and Superintendent Dr. Reginald Mayo. We invite you to explore this rich and critical resource and help mobilize the community in support of young children and families.

The Achievement Gap

• Research shows that a mother’s level of education is one of the most important factors in a child’s readiness for school. Infants born to less-educated mothers are more likely to have low birth weight, which is associated with developmental delays and infant death. In 2006, 27.9% of New Haven mothers giving birth lacked a high school diploma, more than double the state rate of 13.3%.
• In 2007 approximately 65% of young children in New Haven entered Kindergarten with a preschool experience. In East Haven and West Haven, approximately 70% of kindergarten students attended preschool. 86% of children in Hamden benefited from a preschool experience.

• By the age of four, the average low-income child has heard 30 million fewer words than his or her higher income peers.
• Connecticut has the largest achievement gap in the nation between poor and non-poor children in both reading and math.
• 36.7% of New Haven third graders reached proficiency in reading and 63.5% reached proficiency in math, falling below the state averages (68.4% in reading and 80.7% in math). 
• In our region, New Haven and West Haven School Districts have the lowest graduation rates (as measured by the Cumulative Promotion Index which counts the number of students who start 9th grade and then four years later graduate with a high school diploma): New Haven is at 52.4% and West Haven is at 55.3%. (June 2009 ConnCan study).
• About one in every 10 young male high school dropouts is in jail or juvenile detention in the nation, compared with one in 35 young male high school graduates.

Child Poverty

•  Among Connecticut children under age 18, 12.5% (99,580 children) lived in families with incomes under the Federal Poverty Level in 2008, up from 11.1% in 2007. These increases in poverty for all people and for children in poverty were the largest estimated increases of any state in the country that experienced a statistically significant increase in poverty rates. (CT Voices)
•  34% of New Haven children live below the poverty line (compared to 12.5% statewide).  For a family of four in 2008, the poverty level is $21,200.
• Over three-quarters of New Haven students qualify for free and reduced price meals, which means their families earn less than 185% of poverty (an annual income of $39,220 for a family of four). 
• The federal poverty level measure grossly understates the level of hardship that families face in our region because of the high cost of living.  In fact, a family needs to earn at least 2.5 times the federal poverty level to be considered financially stable.

Education Investments and Resources

• In FY 08, Connecticut invested $212.4 million in the area of early care and education, $27.8 million (12%) less than in FY 02 (adjusted for inflation).  (CT Voices)
• Although the School Readiness program has expanded significantly, over 12,000 eligible three- and four-year olds remain unserved and in need in Connecticut (CT Voices).
•  Care 4 Kids, the state’s child care subsidy program, went from $121.6 million in 2002 to $93 million in 2007. The program was closed to certain populations on May 13th of 2009 (creating a waiting list of 3,600 families) but has been reopened.   
• Between 2006 and 2007, for single parents with median income of $28,385, the cost of infant care accounted for almost 40% of the family budget.
• The percentage of child care slots in accredited settings is increasing – 27% of licensed infant/toddler slots were accredited in 2008, compared to 18% in 2004, and 36% of licensed preschool slots were accredited in 2008, compared to 29% in 2004.  (CT Voices)
• Only an estimated 185,000 Connecticut children (less than 1/3) are involved in supervised, safe and enriching after school programs.  Six out of ten parents surveyed with children who do not participate in a formal after school program would likely enroll their kids if more after school programs were available and met their needs. 38% of parents indicated that costs limited their option when choosing after school care. (CT After School Network “What are Kids Doing After School?”).

INCOME

The Income Gap

• Connecticut has the second-most unequal household income distribution in the country. Over the past several decades, CT has had the greatest growth in household income inequality. CT's gap is wider than at any time in the last three decades.
• Since the late 1980s, Connecticut’s low-income families experienced the most severe wage deterioration in the country ($4,400 or 17%). By contrast, CT's highest-paid workers have experienced higher wage growth than like-workers in most other states ($20,000 or 45%) (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities).
• Data clearly identifies the income inequality gap existing for low income families and for minorities and their Caucasian counter parts…..
• The region’s median household income is almost 10% lower than the state median.
• In CT median wages ($12.77) for minorities were only about 60% of the median wages of ($21.27) Caucasian counterparts.
• Connecticut has among the worst racial and ethnic inequalities in family assets in the nation. For example, the median net worth of white-headed households ($195,771) in Connecticut is 65 times the median net worth of minority-headed households ($3,000).

Families Living in Poverty

• The percentage of people living in poverty in Connecticut had the largest margin of increase between 2007 and 2008 of any state in the county climbing from 7.9% in 2007 to 9.3% (314,806 residents).
• In our region the percentage of all people living in poverty rose to 11.2% in 2008 from 9.7% in 2007, according to the Census data.
• 27.3% of New Haven residents live in poverty; the 2nd highest city rate statewide (US Census: ACS Three Year Estimate).
• 34% of New Haven children live below the poverty line (compared to 12.5% statewide).  
•  More than 75% of New Haven students qualify for free and reduced price meals, which means their family earn less than 185% of poverty (an annual income of $39,220 for a family of four). 
• The federal poverty level measure grossly understates the level of hardship that families face in our region because of the high cost of living.  (For a family of four in 2009, the poverty level is $22,050.)
•  In our region a family needs to earn at least 2.5 times the federal poverty level to be considered financially stable, or have an hourly wage of $21.96 ($46,000), to afford a 2-bedroom apartment and maintain affordability standards (e.g., spending no more than 30% of income). 
  o This translates into the equivalent of almost three full-time minimum wage jobs. 

Employment

• Unemployment in Connecticut is higher than at any time since 1977, and the number of jobs has fallen to the lowest point since 1998.
• Connecticut’s unemployment rate rose from 6.1% in August 2008 to a peak of 8.4% in August 2009. 10.9% of New Haven’s employment-aged residents (16 years and older) were unemployed in 2008, as compared to 8.8% in 2007.
• Since March 2008, Connecticut has lost an average of 4,750 jobs per month.
• More than a fifth (21.2%) of all Connecticut’s unemployed have been out of work for more than 26 weeks
•  Connecticut’s under-employment rate (workers who are involuntarily part-time or no longer looking for work) is 10.3%, the highest since 1994.
• In October 2009, 35.7% (43,906) of New Haven’s employment-aged residents (16 years and older) were unemployed.
  More families now than in recent history, approx. 70% have no cushion or savings to sustain them in hard times.
• According to the 2009 The Connecticut Family Asset and Opportunity Scorecard, more than one in five households (22%) in Connecticut is asset-poor, meaning they do not have sufficient resources to survive at the poverty level for three months without any income.HOMELESSNESS
• Only 32% of lower-income working families (below 250% of the federal poverty level) in CT have more than $300 in savings, the amount that is needed to weather a single typical emergency. 

Homelessness

• According to the 2009 Annual Point In Time Count an estimated 3,320 households are experiencing homelessness in Connecticut.
• 32% of CT’s homeless adults in families are currently working, and 78% of adults in families have some source of income.
• 55% of CT’s 2009 homeless count was found to be chronically homeless.
•  From 2008 to 2009, CT had a 33% increase in the number of homeless families with children.
• According to the 2009 Annual Point in Time Count 677 individuals (521 households) in our region are homeless.
  o 44% (300 individuals) in our region were found to be chronically homeless.
• Last quarter’s State of CT information systems homeless report (CT Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS)) indicated there were 8,874 persons receiving homeless services in emergency shelters, transitional housing and other emergency shelter type venues.
• The state of CT shelter-related inquiries increased by 22% during the first two quarters of 2009 as compared to the same time period in 2008 (Info-line/211)

Affordable Rentals

• The statewide the number of households paying 30% or more of their income on housing increased by more than 10% from 2008 to 2009.
• The fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in Connecticut is $1,098/month. In order to afford this rent, a household in Connecticut must earn $43,911/year ($21.60 hr). Someone employed in a minimum wage job must work 110 hours/week and 52 weeks/year to afford a 2-bedroom apartment (Lyceum Center).
  o In our region, to afford the rental cost of $1,101 for the average 2-bedroom apartment a family must have an hourly wage of $21.17 (Lyceum Center).
• In New Haven, 48% of renter-occupied (31,219 families) housing units (31,219) pay more than 35% of their income on housing cost.
•  In our region the cost of a 1-bedroom rental is 113.7% of the monthly SSI benefit.
• On average CT families have a 4-year wait to receive a Section 8, T-Rap or Project Choice housing subsidy voucher. There are approximately 6,000 households on waitlists for these programs. 

Homeownership

• In 2007, the median family income in 154 of 169 CT towns was too low to qualify a family for a mortgage at median sale prices.  An income of $59,916 was needed to afford our region’s 2008 median home sale price of $245,000 (CT Economic Resource Center).
• Connecticut’s housing prices have grown 3.5 times faster than Connecticut wages in the last five years.
• In New Haven, 40% of home owner-occupied (4,332 families) housing units (14,432) pay more than 35% of their income on housing cost.
   

Foreclosure

• From the first half of 2008 to the first half of 2009, CT lis pen dens (claimant filing of intent to foreclose) increased by 29% (from (8,801 to 12,412).
• Foreclosure prevention efforts have kept foreclosure deed filings down to 2,273.

• Statewide, the number of mortgages 90+ days delinquent is up 10%.
• Statewide, the number of existing subprime loans decreased by 11,000 loans since the height of the subprime crisis in December 2007.
  Most of the subprime resets in CT have already occurred. Unemployment, under-employment, losing income (pay cuts/medical/healthcare costs) continue to drive increases in foreclosures.

• The number of foreclosures in New Haven increased between 2006 and 2008 from 55 to 406.
• Approximately 25% of outstanding loans in New Haven are subprime loans; subprime loans account for the majority of foreclosures.
• Approximately 5% of all outstanding loans in New Haven are in foreclosure, compared to about 2% statewide.
  2008 residential foreclosures in New Haven have increased by 150% over 2007 rates,   from 167 to 406, and by 630% over FY06.
• For the first three quarters of 2009, New Haven experienced 225 residential, 1 to 4-family, and condo properties foreclosures (ROOF Project).

HEALTH

Incidence of Chronic Conditions

• 75% of African American adults and over half of Latino/a adults are overweight or obese (DataHaven). This is strongly linked to a higher prevalence of high blood pressure and diabetes.
• The percentage of CT adults diagnosed with diabetes has increased from 4.6% in 2004 to 6.6% in 2008 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
•  During the past four decades, obesity rates have soared among all age groups, increasing almost fivefold among children ages 6 to 11 (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation).
•  Today, more than 33 percent of children and adolescents are overweight or obese – nearly 25 million kids and teenagers. (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation).
•  One-quarter of CT high school students and over half (56.2%) of CT adults are either overweight or obese.
• 37% of women and 24% of men age 65-74, and 24% of women and 13% of men age 75 and older self-report a weight that indicated that they were obese (Profile of Older Americans).
• 10% of New Haven children tested showed high blood levels of lead, compared to 3% statewide (DataHaven ).
  o Childhood lead poisoning, with cases of elevated blood lead levels in children under age six, decreased by 37% between 2002 and 2006.
• In 2007, of 559 youth (ages 11-20) surveyed 46% of participants reported alcohol use at some point in their life (New Haven Commission on Substance Abuse Policy and Prevention).
• Rates of sexual activity among New Haven youth are higher than the state average, as are rates of STDs (DataHaven).
•  Rates of most STD infections have almost doubled, are 3-6 times the state rate.
•  In 2002, New Haven’s AIDS rate – 38 per 100,000 – was nearly four times the state average of nine per 100,000 (DataHaven).
• New Haven’s AIDS rate decreased 40% from 2002 to 2000 (63 to 38 per 100,000)
•  9% of new Haven residents reported having poor mental health for 15 or more days in the past month between 1998 and 2003, a rate slightly higher than the state average of 8% (DataHaven).
• People over age 65 in the New Haven area had the highest report of depression (29%) in the state (Profile of Older Americans). 
•  Further, New Haven area respondents reported having mental illness at twice the average rate reported for regions in Connecticut. 

Incidence of Disability

• In 2000, 10% of children ages 5-20 in New Haven are disabled (DataHaven). 
• The municipalities of West Haven and East Haven have the second highest rates in the region of 8% respectively, which is consistent with the statewide rate of 8%
•  24% of people ages 21-64 in New Haven are disabled in 2000 (DataHaven).
• The municipalities of West Haven and East Haven have the second highest rates in the region of 20% respectively, as compared to the CT rate of 17%.
• In 2005, 66.3% of people in the state’s oldest age cohort (85+) report having a disability, compared with 12.9% of the general population (2009 CT Health Disparities Report).
• 63% of CT residents with disabilities ages 21-64 are employed in 2000 (DataHaven).
• 47% of New Haven residents with disabilities ages 21-74 are employed.

Healthy Births

• The national target for low birth weight is 5%. Connecticut’s low birth weight rate is 8.1%. (CAHS).
• After decreasing from 1995 to 2000, New Haven’s low birth weight rate increased 26% from 2000 to 2005 to bring it above 1995 levels (DataHaven)
• The low birth weight in West Haven was 11% in 2000, as compared to 8.8% in New Haven. In 2005, West Haven experienced a low birth weight rate of 10.6% as compared to New Haven’s 11.1% (DataHaven).
• There were more than 2,700 hospitalizations for low birth weight newborns in 2006, with total charges approaching $195 million (Connecticut Office of Health Care Access, 2008).

Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

• Nationally, African American adults were hospitalized an average of nine years earlier than Caucasians for all health conditions combined (Yale School of Public Health).
•  In CT, the difference in the age of hospitalization between African Americans and Caucasians was 10 years for all health conditions combined (CT State Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).
• 2008 statistics for 31 hospitals operating in Connecticut revealed that the average age at which African Americans were hospitalized for chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer was 51 years of age as compared to 65 years of age for Whites and 59 years of age for Hispanics.
• African-American women are three times more likely to deliver babies three to 17 weeks prematurely than Caucasian women, adjusting for such variables as socioeconomic status, education level, cigarette smoking and maternal medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and eclampsia (Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis).
• In 2006, African American (30.2%) and Hispanic (26.4%) women were three times more likely to receive late or no prenatal care compared to non-Hispanic white women (CT Department of Public Health).
• In 2006, 14.4% of Connecticut births among African Americans and 15.7% of Hispanics were to teenagers, far higher than for Whites (3.3%) (CT Department of Public Health).
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that teenage mothers are more likely than their peers to live in poverty and less likely to finish high school.
• The rate of low birth weight among African American women in CT the past 15 years has remained about twice that of non-Hispanic White women, showing only a slight decrease in trend since 1990 (CT State Department of Public Health).
• Among Hispanic women, the low birth weight rate is also elevated and has decreased slowly since 1999.
• In New Haven, infant deaths of African American babies (21.4 per 1000) are 270% greater than the rate of white babies in 2005 (7.9 per 1000) (DataHaven).
• Infant deaths are highly concentrated in six of New Haven’s 20 neighborhoods.

Income Disparity

• Low-income children are at least twice as likely as higher-income children to have physical health problems, experience emotional and behavioral health difficulties, have learning disabilities, and be at risk of developmental delays.
• A recent report by the state Department of Health reveals that Connecticut's urban poor are three times more likely than people in the rest of the state to be hospitalized due to asthma. They are twice as likely to die from it, according to the report.
•  In New Haven, asthma is the number one reason for missed school days among children (CT State Department of Public Health).
•  In New Haven, studies have shown that children of poverty are five times more likely to have tooth decay and have 3.5 times greater extent of decay than their more affluent peers (NHECP).
• Tooth decay affects half of all first-graders and 80 percent of seventeen-year-olds in CT.
• 15.5% of low-income, pre-school age children (ages 2-4) in CT were obese in 2008 (Centers for Disease Control, Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System).
• Children who are obese in their preschool years are more likely to be obese in adolescence and adulthood (2) and to develop diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, asthma, and sleep apnea.
• While 86% of older adults in top three income categories rated their health as excellent or good, 45% of low-income group rate health as fair or poor (The Profile of Older Americans). 
• Among respondents, 45% of Latinos and 32% of Blacks rated their health as fair or poor, almost twice the rate at which Whites did so. 

Insurance

• The number of Americans without health insurance has increased steadily since the 2000, now totaling about 47 million.
• Nearly 9 million of these are children, and more than 8 out of 10 are from working families.
• 2008 American Community Survey Census Data shows that in CT, 9.0% (310,597) of all people in Connecticut were without health insurance at the time of the survey.
• 13.4% of New Haven’s residents were without health insurance at the time of the survey
• 3.5% of children in New Haven were without health insurance, compared to 9.9% nationally.
• The Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS) indicate that in 2008, an estimated 44,000 Connecticut children under 18 (5.4%) were uninsured for the entire year (CT Voices).
• In 2004, over 30% of new Haven residents were covered by HUSKY, compared with 12% for the state (DataHaven). (newer info should show close to 20% enrollment
• More than 8 in 10 of the nonelderly uninsured live in families where the head of the family works. (Employee Benefit Research Institute estimates from the March Current Population Survey, 2007 Supplement.)
• CT struggles to keep children enrolled in the HUSKY Program: in a recent 2-year period over 141,000 new children and adults enrolled in the HUSKY Program, but the net increase in enrollment was just over 11,000.
• Some legal immigrants are no longer eligible for HUSKY health coverage, and approximately 3,000 legal immigrants (2,500 HUSKY A adults and 500 aged, blind or disabled adults) will lose their coverage on December 1, 2009.  Legal immigrants losing state funded coverage will be eligible for federally-funded Medicaid for emergency medical services only, such as labor and delivery.

Affects of Coverage

• Children with health coverage are better prepared to learn in school and succeed in life. (Institute of Medicine. From Neurons to Neighborhood: The Science of Early Childhood Development. Washington DC: National Academies Press, 2000).
• Three adults die prematurely each week in Connecticut on average because they lack health insurance. 
• 24.6% of births in New Haven are to women who have non-adequate prenatal care in 2005 – an increase of nearly 60% over 2000 rates (DataHaven). 
• Concerns over adequacy of health care coverage are top-ranked even for older adults covered by Medicare.

Financial Constraints

• As of 2006, older adults' average annual out-of-pocket spending on health care totaled $4,631 which represented 12.7% of their total expenditure (Profile Older Americans).
• Even when they are covered through Medicare, low-income elderly women will still spend up to 25% of disposable income on out-of-pocket health care expenses (Profile Older Americans).
• In the state of Connecticut, the average annual Medicaid cost for nursing home care is $64,056 per individual (Profile Older Americans).
   

BASIC NEEDS  

Connecticut

• Since the late 1980s, Connecticut’s low-income families experienced the most severe wage deterioration in the country ($4,400 or 17%). (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities).
•  The percentage of people living in poverty in Connecticut had the largest margin of increase between 2007 and 2008 of any state in the county climbing from 7.9% in 2007 to 9.3% (314,806 residents).
• In Connecticut, 26% of children live in families that are low-income, defined as income below twice the federal poverty level. - Annual Social and Economic Supplement- the March supplement 2009)

Locally

• In our region the percentage of all people living in poverty rose to 11.2% in 2008 from 9.7% in 2007, according to the Census data.
•  In our region, 46,917 individuals or 12% of 2005 Tax Filers claimed the EITIC (Annie E. Casey Foundation)
• 27.3% of New Haven residents live in poverty; the 2nd highest city rate statewide (US Census: ACS Three Year Estimate).
• 34% of New Haven children live below the poverty line (compared to 12.5% statewide). 

Food Insecurity

• In 2008, 15% of the nation’s households (49MIL) were food insecure at least some time during the year, (including 6% with very low food security). 
•  55% of all food-insecure households participated in one or more of the three largest Federal food and nutrition assistance programs (National School Lunch Program, SNAPS and WIC) during the month prior to the 2008 survey.
• Connecticut has had one of the highest increases in food insecurity in the nation. One out of nine households (390,000 individuals or 11%) in Connecticut struggled with hunger in 2008, a 2.8% increase in food insecurity from 2007 to 2008, which is the largest spike in the nation.  (U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Connecticut soup kitchens and food pantries reported serving an average of 30 percent more individuals thus far this year. (CT Food Bank 2009)
• In 2007, approximately 37,000 children age 17 year old and under benefited from the federal SNAPS program in our region. (Annie E. Casey Foundation)
• More than 75% of New Haven students qualify for free and reduced price meals, which means their families earn less than 185% of poverty (an annual income of $39,220 for a family of four).

Emergency Shelter Services

• According to the 2009 Annual Point In Time Count an estimated 3,320 households are experiencing homelessness in Connecticut.
• 32% of CT’s homeless adults in families are currently working, and 78% of adults in families have some source of income.
• 55% of CT’s 2009 homeless count was found to be chronically homeless.
• From 2008 to 2009, CT had a 33% increase in the number of homeless families with children.
• According to the 2009 Annual Point in Time Count 677 individuals (521 households) in our region are homeless.
• 44% (300 individuals) in our region were found to be chronically homeless.
• Last quarter’s State of CT information systems homeless report (CT Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS)) indicated there were 8,874 persons receiving homeless services in emergency shelters, transitional housing and other emergency shelter type venues.
• Statewide shelter-related inquiries increased by 22% during the first two quarters of 2009 as compared to the same time period in 2008 (Info-line/211)

Priced-out of Housing

• In our region a family needs to earn at least 2.5 times the federal poverty level to be considered financially stable, or have an hourly wage of $21.96 ($46,000), to afford a 2-bedroom apartment and maintain affordability standards (e.g., spending no more than 30% of income). 
• This translates into the equivalent of almost three full-time minimum wage jobs. 
• The fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in Connecticut is $1,098/month. In order to afford this rent, a household in Connecticut must earn $43,911/year ($21.60 hr). Someone employed in a minimum wage job must work 110 hours/week and 52 weeks/year to afford a 2-bedroom apartment (Lyceum Center).
• In our region, to afford the rental cost of $1,101 for the average 2-bedroom apartment a family must have an hourly wage of $21.17 (Lyceum Center)
• In New Haven, 48% of renter-occupied (31,219 families) housing units (31,219) pay more than 35% of their income on housing cost.
• In our region the cost of a 1-bedroom rental is 113.7% of the monthly SSI benefit.
• On average CT families have a 4-year wait to receive a Section 8, T-Rap or Project Choice housing subsidy voucher. There are approximately 6,000 households on waitlists for these programs.