Target Population
The Linden neighborhood, specifically the South Linden area, is the target population for this needs assessment project. South Linden is located on the north side of Columbus, bounded by I-71 on the west, East Hudson Street on the north, the east by of Billiter Boulevard, East 25th, Joyce and East 17th avenues as noted in Figure 1 (Columbus Planning Division, 2015). The estimated population in the South Linden area is 9,062 people, which is a decline from 1990 to 2010 of 33% (Columbus Planning Division, 2015). The poverty level in Ohio as a whole is reported to be 16%, with the level in the South Linden Area is a striking 47%. The estimated median household income is $21, 908, which is below Ohio’s overall average of $48,081 …show more content…
As of August 2015, the national unemployment rate was 5.1% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015). Ohio, overall is at an unemployment rate of 4.7%, which is a significant improvement from last year at the same time when the rate was 5.4% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2015). Despite this overall improvement, South Linden still carries an unemployment rate higher than the national average; 13.2% as of 2013 (U.S. Census, 2015). Whereas there have been positive changes over the years in the Linden area as a whole most of those changes have been in the North Linden area. South Linden, however, has not seen much improvement. The overall crime rate in South Linden is 96% higher than the national average. For every 100,000 people, there are 16.67 daily crimes that occur in South Linden.
South Linden is safer than 74% of the cities in the Ohio. In South Linden you have a 1 in 17 chance of becoming a victim of any crime. If you look beyond the violent climate of this neighborhood there are some thriving food businesses, which mostly reflect the ethnic, make up of the community. Again, it is difficult to pinpoint the cultural and traditional values of this community given the high crime rates, high unemployment rates, low academic success and increasing poverty …show more content…
In addition, Saint Stephen’s also has the Project Aquastar, which works to address the food insecurity issue that has risen in the Linden Community as a whole. The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) is also located in the South Linden area. The CMHA provides many services including housing vouchers, the Family Self-Sufficiency Program which promotes finding and maintaining stable employment along with investing in one’s future. CMHA is federally funded and is designed to assist low-income families, seniors and those with disabilities. An application must be filled out to determine eligibility, and once approved, an individual is added to a waitlist, which makes it hard to access adequate housing on a more immediate basis (CMHA, 2015). Also, the NNEP Food Pantry (2015) is a cooperative ministry between 30 churches to provide food and material assistance to qualifying families within the service area. This includes access to the Benefit Bank and Food Stamps, school supplies, grooming and holiday kits and healthcare services provided by CareSource, the Breathing Association and the Columbus Public Health
The Linden neighborhood, specifically the South Linden area, is the target population for this needs assessment project. South Linden is located on the north side of Columbus, bounded by I-71 on the west, East Hudson Street on the north, the east by of Billiter Boulevard, East 25th, Joyce and East 17th avenues as noted in Figure 1 (Columbus Planning Division, 2015). The estimated population in the South Linden area is 9,062 people, which is a decline from 1990 to 2010 of 33% (Columbus Planning Division, 2015). The poverty level in Ohio as a whole is reported to be 16%, with the level in the South Linden Area is a striking 47%. The estimated median household income is $21, 908, which is below Ohio’s overall average of $48,081 …show more content…
As of August 2015, the national unemployment rate was 5.1% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015). Ohio, overall is at an unemployment rate of 4.7%, which is a significant improvement from last year at the same time when the rate was 5.4% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2015). Despite this overall improvement, South Linden still carries an unemployment rate higher than the national average; 13.2% as of 2013 (U.S. Census, 2015). Whereas there have been positive changes over the years in the Linden area as a whole most of those changes have been in the North Linden area. South Linden, however, has not seen much improvement. The overall crime rate in South Linden is 96% higher than the national average. For every 100,000 people, there are 16.67 daily crimes that occur in South Linden.
South Linden is safer than 74% of the cities in the Ohio. In South Linden you have a 1 in 17 chance of becoming a victim of any crime. If you look beyond the violent climate of this neighborhood there are some thriving food businesses, which mostly reflect the ethnic, make up of the community. Again, it is difficult to pinpoint the cultural and traditional values of this community given the high crime rates, high unemployment rates, low academic success and increasing poverty …show more content…
In addition, Saint Stephen’s also has the Project Aquastar, which works to address the food insecurity issue that has risen in the Linden Community as a whole. The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) is also located in the South Linden area. The CMHA provides many services including housing vouchers, the Family Self-Sufficiency Program which promotes finding and maintaining stable employment along with investing in one’s future. CMHA is federally funded and is designed to assist low-income families, seniors and those with disabilities. An application must be filled out to determine eligibility, and once approved, an individual is added to a waitlist, which makes it hard to access adequate housing on a more immediate basis (CMHA, 2015). Also, the NNEP Food Pantry (2015) is a cooperative ministry between 30 churches to provide food and material assistance to qualifying families within the service area. This includes access to the Benefit Bank and Food Stamps, school supplies, grooming and holiday kits and healthcare services provided by CareSource, the Breathing Association and the Columbus Public Health