Hinds County Human Resource Agency - Community Strengths and Needs Assessment 2018

2018

Community Strengths and Needs Assessment (CSNA) [Type the document subtitle]

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Table of Contents I. Agency Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 4 II. Methodology ............................................................................................................................................................... 4 III. HCHRA Service Area Data ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................. 8 Demographic Data ....................................................................................................................................................... 8 Service Area Quantitative Data .............................................................................................................................. 8 Summary .............................................................................................................................................................33 Customers Served Quantitative Data ..................................................................................................................34 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................38 Analysis.......................................................................................................................................................................39 Geographic Data .........................................................................................................................................................40 Communities Data ...............................................................................................................................................40 Analysis.......................................................................................................................................................................58 Trended Data ..............................................................................................................................................................61 One Year comparison..........................................................................................................................................61 Three Year Comparison......................................................................................................................................62 Analysis.............................................................................................................................................................63 Community Opinion Research Information..................................................................................................................64 Community Survey..............................................................................................................................................64 Partner Surveys ...................................................................................................................................................82 IV. HCHRA Systems Outcome Data ..................................................................................................................................89 Systems & Program Data .............................................................................................................................................89 Outcomes .............................................................................................................................................................90 Results.................................................................................................................................................................93 Current Funding ..........................................................................................................................................................99 Analysis.....................................................................................................................................................................100 V. Community Assets ....................................................................................................................................................101 a.

Community Opportunities Data ..........................................................................................................................101

b.

Analysis..............................................................................................................................................................107

VI. Conclusion ...............................................................................................................................................................108

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I. Agency Introduction Since 1976, Hinds County Human Resource Agency (HCHRA) has fought to eradicate poverty and empower citizens in Hinds County, Mississippi. HCHRA, a public non-profit Community Action Agency, was created by the Hinds County Board of Supervisors to administer various services to assist disadvantaged citizens. Led by the President and Chief Executive Officer, approximately 400 employees provide services that include Head Start and Early Head Start Programs, rural transportation for the elderly and disabled, home-delivered meals, home energy assistance, and case management. Using a comprehensive delivery system, HCHRA offers services to eligible clients with funding from public and private sources. These services are provided through the management of Federal and State grants. The Agency’s overall mission is to help determine the problems and needs of the low-income population in Hinds County and to design and operate programs that will enable them to gain the skills, opportunities, and empowerment needed to become self-reliant and realize their full potential.

II. Methodology HCHRA has a carefully developed structure and operating procedures in order to be effective at fulfilling its purpose. The strategic planning process helps HCHRA express a vision of the organization's potential and outlines the steps necessary to work toward that potential and determine the staffing needed to implement the plan.

HCHRA uses the Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) Cycle developed by Julie Jakopic, Creating the Vision, and Barbara Mooney, Community Action Association of Pennsylvania. The cycle was created in “Planning for Results” in 2006 as a guide for a results-oriented planning process. They developed the ROMA Cycle to help contextualize the planning process within the full range of ROMA activities identified by the Office of Community Services - Information Memorandum 49.

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The annual community assessment process was conducted by HCHRA from April 2017 through May 2018. HCHRA uses a trilateral two-pronged approach to assessing the community. Needs emphasis was placed on making decisions and setting priorities based on both quantitative and qualitative data using both primary and secondary sources. The comprehensive assessment diagram below gives visual to the process and identifies the data sources considered.

Diagram 1: ROMA Cycle

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Diagram 2: Assessment Process

Comprehensive Assessment Agency Evaluation External

Internal

Federal, State and Local

Agency SWOT Analysis

Community Needs

Quantitative

Demographic

Geographic

Community Assets

Qualitative

Customer Surveys

Community Forums & Key Informant Interviews

Formal

Signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Potential Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Informal

CommunityWide Services Providers

New Referral Opportunities

Comprehensive assessment information was researched and gathered from: i.

Agency Evaluation o External 

Federal, State and Local environment changes - HCHRA will look at political, economic, technological, social, lifestyle, demographic, competitive, and philanthropic trends.

o Internal 

Agency SWOT Analysis - To assess internal structure, process, and operations of the organization and based on this assessment, to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses

ii.

Community Needs o Quantitative 

Demographic - Customers

research using census bureau, city data records, and

characteristic data sites 

Geographic - Community research through multiple Federal and other national data sources Page 6 of 115

including use of the Community Action Partnership community assessment tool o Qualitative 

Customer Surveys - Public opinion through distributed shareholder surveys and client comment cards



Community Forums & Key Informant Interviews – Public opinion through partnership meetings, community forums, and key informant interviews

iii.

Community Assets o Formal Partnerships – signed agreements and MOUs 

Services – community organizations that provide actual services to persons of low income (assistance, vouchers, projects or programs)



Opportunities – community businesses or organizations that are accessible to persons of low income (jobs, housing, transportation, childcare)

o Informal Partnerships – community assets that appear in the community but do not have formal agreements or MOUs with HCHRA



Services – community organizations that provide actual services to persons of low income (assistance, projects or programs)



Opportunities – community businesses or organizations that are accessible to persons of low income (Jobs, housing, transportation, childcare)

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III. HCHRA Service Area Data Introduction Hinds County is the most populous county in Mississippi. Hinds County is part of the Jackson, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is a center of professional, educational, business and industrial elites in the state. It is bordered on the northwest by the Big Black River and on the east by the Pearl River. It is one county width away from the Yazoo River and the southern border of the Mississippi Delta. As of the 2010 census, the population was 245,285, making it the most populous county in Mississippi. Jackson, the capital of the state, is located on the west bank of the Pearl River in the northeast corner of Hinds County and is the main population center of Hinds County. Of the total population, 20.8% of persons are living in poverty. HCHRA provides services to low-income individuals and families living throughout Hinds County, which includes the cities and towns of Bolton, Byram, Clinton, Edwards, Jackson, Learned, Raymond, Terry, and Utica. The county is defined as an urban-rural classification due to the densely developed city of Jackson and urban clusters, along with the more rural cities and towns located within the county boarders.

Demographic Data Service Area Quantitative Data The following information allows for a more in-depth look at HCHRA’s service area. Much of this information is captured by the Community Action Partnerships – Community Needs Assessment Tool and the Community Commons Hub, and is summarized using easy to read tables and charts. The resulting report also includes interpretive statements and linked data sources for better understanding and research of the information.

Population Profile Total Population

A total of 244,596 people live in the 869.76 square mile report area defined for this assessment according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2012-16 5-year estimates. The population density for this area, estimated at 281.22 persons per square mile, is greater than the national average population density of 90.19 persons per square mile.

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Table 1: Total Population

Report Area

Total Population

Total Land Area (Square Miles)

Population Density (Per Square Mile)

Hinds County, MS

244,596

869.76

281.22

Mississippi

2,989,192

46,922.97

63.7

United States

318,558,162

3,532,068.58

90.19

Data Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey. 2012-16. Source geography: Tract

According to the United States Census Bureau Decennial Census, between 2000 and 2010 the population in the report area fell by 5,515 persons, a change of -2.2%.

Table 2: Population Change

Report Area

Total Population, 2000 Census

Total Population, Total Population Change, 20002010 Census 2010

Percent Population Change, 20002010

Hinds County, MS

250,800

245,285

-5,515

-2.2%

Mississippi

2,844,443

2,967,297

122,854

4.32%

United States

280,405,781

307,745,539

27,339,758

9.75%

We continue to see this same tract through the ACS 5 year estimates.

Table 3: Population Change – ACS 5 year estimates

Chart 1: Population Change – ACS 5 year estimates

The 2016 poverty estimates show a total of 48,244 persons living below the poverty level in Hinds County.

Poverty information is this chart at 100% of the federal poverty income guidelines showing a 20.8% rate.

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Table 4: Poverty Population – 100% of Federal Poverty Line

An additional indicator is the American Community Survey 5 year estimates and it calculates Hinds County poverty rate at 25.53% Table 5: Poverty Population (ACS)

In the report area 47.85% or 113,128 individuals are living in households with income below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). This indicator is relevant because this concludes that almost one out of every two persons in Hinds County live as lower income families.

Table 6: Poverty Population - 200% of Federal Poverty Line

The number and percentage of households in poverty are shown in the report area. In 2016, it is estimated that there were 20,412 households, or 22.85%, living in poverty within the report area.

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Table 7: Poverty Population - Households

Poverty rate change in the report area from 2000 to 2016 is shown below. According to the U.S. Census, the poverty rate for the area increased by 2.8%, compared to a national increase of 2.7% and a state increase of 3.39%. This concludes that Hinds County is having a slower decline than both the state and country.

Table 8: Poverty Rate Change

Chart 2: Poverty Rate Change

The charts above give us an idea of how Hinds County poverty is changing. Yet the fortunes of people around the county have changed very differently depending on their demographics. Below we review additional demographics of our overall population and poverty population to examine our people.

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Age and Gender Demographics

Population by gender within the report area is shown below. According to ACS 2012-2016 5-year population estimates for the report area, the female population comprised 53.61% of the report area, while the male population represented 46.39%. This implies a pretty even split with actually more females than males.

The chart below shows that a majority of people are 18 to 64 females.

Table 9: Age and Gender Demographics

Chart 3: Age and Gender Demographics

A further breakdown among adults aged 18 to 64 shows that females outnumber males in each category. The largest demographic by age and gender is 25 to 34 females. This correlates directly across the state except in the category of 18 to 24 in which males outnumber females. Nationally, males 18 to 24 outnumber females, as well as in the age group of 25 to 34.

Table 10: Adult Ages (18-65)

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Chart 4: Adult Ages (18 -65)

Using the American Community Survey poverty population, we can also narrow down the difference in population in poverty by Gender as well. While HCHRA notes there are already more females in Hinds County, they also have an approximately a 4% higher change of being in poverty.

Table 11: Population in Poverty by Gender

Chart 5: Population in Poverty by Gender

Another way to examine this data is to understand that we establish 60,356 persons are in poverty, 57.4% of those persons are female while 42.6% of those persons are male. This is an approximately 15% difference. The gendered institution perspective holds that gender is a factor in the opportunities our persons in low income.

Race, like gender, is a basic organizing principle of society and HCHRA has also collected the data and examined the possible differences in our population and population in poverty.

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Race & Ethnicity Demographics

Population by race within the HCHRA is shown below. According to ACS 2012-2016 5 year population estimates, black population represented 71.84%, the white population comprised 26.53% of the report area, and other races combined were 1.63%. Persons identifying as mixed race made up 0.64% of the population.

Table 12: Race Demographics

Chart 6: Race Demographics

A closer look at the male population shows that the primary race is black at 72.2%, which is not comparable, state or nationwide.

Table 13: Race Demographics - Male

The follow table and chart also shows that a majority of males do not identify as Hispanic or Latino.

Table 14: Ethnicity Demographics – Male

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Chart 7: Ethnicity Demographics

Therefore a majority of males in Hinds County are not Hispanic or Latino black males. Another look at the female population shows that the primary race is black at 72.6% which is not comparable state or nationwide.

Table 15: Race Demographics – Female

Table 16: Ethnicity Demographics – Female

Chart 8: Ethnicity Demographics - Female

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Therefore a majority of females in Hinds County are not Hispanic or Latino black females. The largest population of all races and genders are black females with population of 94,018 making up 38% of the population. The second largest subset is black males at 80,459 or 33%. The population in poverty tends to mirror the overall population with the majority of individuals in poverty reporting as Black of African American. This may seem typical with a higher population, however one must compare the percent in Table 18.

Table 17: Population in Poverty by Race Alone, Total

Chart 9: Population in Poverty by Race Alone, Total

Table 18: Population in Poverty Race Alone, Percent

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Chart 10: Population in Poverty Race Alone, Percent

The percent presented above paint a vivid picture of our population in poverty. You are 3 times more likely as an African American, Multiple Race or Some Other Race to be in poverty than if you are white.

Youth/Children

The following tables for Youth/Children show that we have fewer children under the age of five in 20122016 compared to prior five-year averages.

Table 19: Youth Population Change (ACS), 2009–2016

Location

Hinds

Category

Data Type

2009 - 2013

2010 - 2014

2011 - 2015

2012 - 2016

Number

17,619

17,293

16,870

16,444

Percent

7.2%

7.0%

6.9%

6.7%

Under 5 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Population and poverty estimates for children age 0-4 are shown for the report area. According to the American Community Survey 5 year data, an average of 39.9% percent of children lived in a state of poverty during the survey calendar year. The poverty rate for children living in the report area is greater than the national average of 23.6 percent. Hinds County post an alarming amount of children from the age of 0-4 in poverty.

Table 20: Child Poverty Rate (ACS) Ages 0-4

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Population and poverty estimates for children age 5-17 are shown for the report area. According to the American Community Survey 5 year data, an average of 36.6% percent of children lived in a state of poverty during the survey calendar year. The poverty rate for children living in the report area is almost double the national average of 20.3 percent.

Table 21: Child Poverty Rate (ACS) Ages 5-17

The poverty rate change for all children (age 0 - 4) in the report area from 2000 to 2016 is shown below. The U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates only calculate poverty for this age on the state and national levels. The national poverty rates have changed for this age group and increased by 2.6% over the described time period.

Table 22: Poverty Rate Change (Age 0-4)

The poverty rate change for all children in the report area from 2000 to 2016 is shown below. According to the U.S. Census, the poverty rate for the area increased by 6.8%, compared to a national increase of 3.7%. This is a very alarming difference in both the state and Hinds County compared to the U.S. change as it is almost double the increase.

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Table 23: Poverty Rate Change (Age 5 – 17)

The share of American children living in poverty has declined slightly since 2010 as the nation’s economy has improved. But the poverty rate has changed little for black children, the group most likely to be living in poverty in Hinds County.

Table 24: Children in Poverty by Race Alone, Percent: Age 0 – 4

Table 25: Children in Poverty by Race Alone, Total Count: Age 0 – 4

Chart 11: Children in Poverty in Race Alone, Total: Age 0-4

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The same trend continues when you examine the data on children ages 5 -17. Non-Hispanic white children are only 11.92% chance of living in poverty while black children are 42.1% chance of living in poverty.

Table 26: Children in Poverty by Race Alone, Percent: Age 5 – 17

Children in Special Populations

For children with special needs, we embrace the philosophy that children can develop to their fullest potential when provided with developmentally appropriate activities including early childhood intervention tailored to meet their needs. Within this basic framework, growth and development cannot occur without creative, positive, inclusive learning experiences among typically developing peers, and involving the child’s family throughout the developmental process.

The chart below tracks child abuse and neglect statistics by county, the category of abuse, and a total number of evidenced allegations for all categories. The Division of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) operates within the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) to protect “children and youth from abuse, neglect, and exploitation by providing services to promote safe and stable families.” In 2013, the MDHS began reporting the category of abuse based on all allegations, instead of only evidenced allegations, as had been done in the 2012 and earlier annual reports.

Table 27: Child Abuse Reports by County

Location

Abuse Type

Data Type

2012

2013

2014

2015

Evidenced Reports

Number

384

335

452

425

Reports

Number

82

1,909

1,966

2,135

2016 435

2,028 Hinds

Data Source: Mississippi Department of Human Services, Annual Report [2016]

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The following data represents the total number of children in custody by the county for the state fiscal year.

Table 28: Children in State Custody Including Foster Care

Location

Data Type

2016

Hinds

Number

957

Data Source: Mississippi Department of Human Services, Annual Report

For English Language Learners we strive to provide a dual language experience so that children can develop in both English and their family language. We hire staff members that reflect those languages and cultures of the children we serve to ensure that classrooms are literacy rich and materials are available in as many languages as are practiced by our children and families. Only statewide totals are available. The chart below shows that Mississippi still has a rather low population of children with immigrant parents and has stayed steady for five years.

Table 29: Children in Immigrant Families

Location

Mississippi

Data Type

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Number

26,000

30,000

28,000

31,000

32,000

Percent

3%

4%

4%

4%

4%

Data Source: Population Reference Bureau, analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Supplementary Survey, 2001 Supplementary Survey, 2002 through 2016 American Community Survey.

HCHRA measures the percent of young children (under age 6) who have no parent currently in the labor force. These figures are based on five-year estimates from the American Community Survey. Calculated by adding neither parent in labor force (for children under age 6 with two parents) with the parent, not in labor force (for children under age 6 with a single-parent) and divided by the total number of children (under age 6).

Table 30: Children under Age 6 with No Parent in the Labor Force

Location

Data Type

2008 – 2012

2009- 2013

2010– 2014

2011 - 2015

2012-2016

Hinds

Percent

15.2%

14.6%

12.8%

13.7%

13.2%

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, [2017] American Community Survey

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Seniors

An estimated 12.1% of the population in the report area is age 65 or older according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2012-16 5-year estimates. An estimated total of 29,565 older adults resided in the area during this period. The number of persons age 65 or older is relevant because this population has unique health needs which should be considered separately from other age groups.

Table 31: Population Age 65 and over

Report Area Hinds County, MS Mississippi United States

Total Population

Population Age 65+

Percent Population Age 65+

244,596

29,565

12.1%

2,989,192

426,632

14.3%

318,558,162

46,180,632

14.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Family Status

The number of families in poverty by type is shown in the report area. According to ACS 2012-2016 5year estimates for the report area, there were 11,535 families living in poverty. It is simple to notice by the chart and tables below that the greatest percentage of our families in poverty is female householder.

Table 32: Families in Poverty by Family Type

Chart 12: Families in Poverty by Family Type

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Table 33: Family Poverty Rate by Family Type

The percentage of households in poverty by household type is shown for the report area. It is estimated that 19.9% of all households were living in poverty within Hinds County, compared to the national average of 11.3%. Of the households in poverty, female headed households represented 73.4% of all households in poverty, compared to 18.3% and 8.4% of households headed by males and married couples, respectively.

Therefore, three out of every four households we could assist are female head of households.

Table 34: Child population by household type (percent & number)

Location

Household Type married-couple households

Mississippi male only households female only households married-couple households Hinds

male only households female only households

Data Type Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number

2012 – 2016 52.1% 399,159 7.3% 52,762 37.7% 272,987 40.8% 24,484 6.9% 4,161 52.2% 31,316

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Updated December 2017.

Employment

While Mississippi and Hinds County have seen a minor decrease in the unemployment rate over the last 13 months, per capita and median income levels still lag more than $8,000 below the United States average. As Table 16 shows, we have a high number of families with income that is still below the Federal Poverty Line, especially for female households with no husband present. Further, when you take into account the Living Wage (Table 16) required for a single adult with one or more children in Hinds County, we find that the average yearly salary needed is over $40,000 (one adult, one child).

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Table 35: Current Employment/Unemployment Information, February 2018

Report Area

Labor Force

Hinds County, MS Mississippi United States

Number Employed

Number Unemployed

Unemployment Rate

110,716

106,120

4,596

4.2%

1,270,521

1,213,820

56,701

4.5%

162,581,545

155,381,962

7,199,583

4.4%

Source: US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2018 - February. Source geography: County Table 36: Change in Unemployment, February 2015- February 2018

Report Area

Unemployment February 2015

Hinds County, MS 4,596 (Jackson) 56,701

Mississippi

Unemployment February 2016

Unemployment Unemployment Rate February February 2018 2018

4,576

4.15%

4.08%

65,727

4.46%

5.14%

Rate

Source: US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2018 - February. Source geography: County Chart 13: Thirteen-Month Unemployment Rates

Source: US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2018 - February. Source geography: County Table 37: Per Capita Income

Report Area Hinds County, MS Mississippi United States

Total Population

Total Income ($)

Per Capita Income ($)

244,596

$5,300,926

$21,672

2,989,192

$64,717,526,600

$21,650

318,558,162

$9,502,305,741,900

$29,829

Data Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey. 2012-16. Source geography: Tract

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Table 38: Family Income in the Past 12 Months below the Poverty Line

PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES AND PEOPLE WHOSE INCOME IN THE PAST Hinds County 12 MONTHS IS BELOW THE POVERTY LEVEL 20.9%

All families With related children under 18 years

32.0%

With related children under 5 years only

37.9% 8.8%

Married couple families With related children under 18 years

15.2%

With related children under 5 years only

23.3% 37.1%

Families with female householder, no husband present With related children under 18 years

45.5%

With related children under 5 years only

46.6%

18 to 64 years

24.5%

65 years and over

13.1%

People in families

25.6%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates Table 39: Living Wage Calculation for Hinds County, Mississippi

Hourly Wages Living Wage

1 Adult $11.04

1 Adult 1 Child $21.64

1 Adult 2 Children $23.77

1 Adult 3 Children $28.93

Poverty Wage

$5.00

$7.00

$9.00

$11.00

Minimum Wage

$7.25

$7.25

$7.25

$7.25

Source: MIT Living Wage Calculator – 2018 Update

Education

Educational attainment in Hinds County is only slightly better than the state average. Over 50% of Hinds County population only has a high school diploma or GED and some college. Moreover, 13.75% lack a high school education. We have seen a decrease in mothers without a high school diploma over the last five years for Non-White populations and an increase in white mothers (Table 18). However, fewer mothers are going on to attain four-year college degrees or better. Overall, less than 50% of 20- to 24-year-olds are enrolled in school in Hinds County and 47% of 18 years or older of the population are even enrolled in college (Table 20). We can also see another gap in mandatory educational attendance in the 3- and 4-year-olds where only 51% are enrolled in an educational setting (Table 43).

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Table 40: Educational Attainment for Hinds County, Mississippi

Report Area

Total Population Age 25+

Population Age 25+ with No High School Diploma

Percent Population Age 25+ with No High School Diploma

154,494

21,237

13.75%

1,949,683

332,266

17.04%

213,649,147

27,818,380

13.02%

Total Population Age 25+

Population Age 25+ with Associate's Degree or Higher

Percent Population Age 25+ with Associate's Degree or Higher

154,494

55,958

36.22%

1,949,683

580,180

29.76%

213,649,147

82,237,511

38.49%

Total Population Age 25+

Population Age 25+ with Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Percent Population Age 25+ with Bachelor's Degree or Higher

154,494

43,301

28.03%

1,949,683

409,891

21.02%

213,649,147

64,767,787

30.32%

Hinds County, MS Mississippi United States Report Area Hinds County, MS Mississippi United States Report Area Hinds County, MS Mississippi United States

Data Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey. 2012-16. Source geography: Tract Table 41: Number of Mothers without a High School Diploma

Location Hinds

Race Total

White

Non-White

Data Type

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Number

610

569

546

512

451

Percent

18.3%

17.2%

16.4%

15.3%

14.5%

Number

100

93

85

87

98

Percent

13.4%

12.7%

12.1%

11.8%

13.7%

Number

510

471

460

421

351

Percent

19.5%

18.5%

17.9%

16.4%

15.0%

Source: Mississippi State Department of Health. Public Health Statistics. [2018] Summary Statistics by County Table 42: Mothers with Four Years of College or More

Location Hinds

Race Total

White

Non-White

Data Type

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Number

842

770

804

789

850

Percent

25.2%

23.2%

23.2%

23.7%

27.1%

Number

371

366

367

373

383

Percent

49.9%

49.9%

51.9%

50.7%

53.5%

Number

471

385

405

392

442

Percent

18.1%

15.1%

15.7%

15.3%

18.8%

Source: Mississippi State Department of Health. Public Health Statistics. [2018] Summary Statistics by County

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Table 43: Hinds County Educational Enrollment

Subject

Hinds County, Mississippi Total Percent

Estimate 74,751

Estimate (X)

Estimate (X)

Percent in public school Estimate 83.0%

4,105 46,080 3,987 14,356 14,079 13,658 19,707 4,859

5.5% 61.6% 5.3% 19.2% 18.8% 18.3% 26.4% 6.5%

2,806 40,502 3,275 12,817 12,444 11,966 15,694 3,013

68.4% 87.9% 82.1% 89.3% 88.4% 87.6% 79.6% 62.0%

1,299 5,578 712 1,539 1,635 1,692 4,013 1,846

31.6% 12.1% 17.9% 10.7% 11.6% 12.4% 20.4% 38.0%

Population enrolled in college or graduate school

24,566

32.9%

18,707

76.1%

5,859

23.9%

Males enrolled in college or graduate school Females enrolled in college or graduate school

9,602

27.5%

7,476

77.9%

2,126

22.1%

14,964

37.5%

11,231

75.1%

3,733

24.9%

Population 3 to 4 years 3 to 4 year olds enrolled in school

7,194 3,693

(X) 51.3%

(X) 2,503

(X) 67.8%

(X) 1,190

(X) 32.2%

Population 5 to 9 years 5 to 9 year olds enrolled in school

17,232 16,572

(X) 96.2%

(X) 14,387

(X) 86.8%

(X) 2,185

(X) 13.2%

Population 10 to 14 years 10 to 14 year olds enrolled in school

17,110 16,925

(X) 98.9%

(X) 15,088

(X) 89.1%

(X) 1,837

(X) 10.9%

Population 15 to 17 15 to 17 year olds enrolled in school

10,438 10,012

(X) 95.9%

(X) 8,684

(X) 86.7%

(X) 1,328

(X) 13.3%

Population 18 to 19 years 18 and 19 year olds enrolled in school

8,259 6,720

(X) 81.4%

(X) 5,664

(X) 84.3%

(X) 1,056

(X) 15.7%

Population 20 to 24 years 20 to 24 year olds enrolled in school

20,619 9,878

(X) 47.9%

(X) 7,673

(X) 77.7%

(X) 2,205

(X) 22.3%

Population 25 to 34 years 25 to 34 year olds enrolled in school

35,604 5,746

(X) 16.1%

(X) 4,257

(X) 74.1%

(X) 1,489

(X) 25.9%

Population 35 years and over 35 years and over enrolled in school

118,890 5,205

(X) 4.4%

(X) 3,759

(X) 72.2%

(X) 1,446

(X) 27.8%

Population 18 to 24 years

28,878

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

Population 3 years and over enrolled in school Nursery school, preschool Kindergarten to 12th grade Kindergarten Elementary: grade 1 to grade 4 Elementary: grade 5 to grade 8 High school: grade 9 to grade 12 College, undergraduate Graduate, professional school

In public school

In private school

Percent in private school

Estimate (X)

Estimate 17.0%

Page 27 of 115

Enrolled in college or graduate school

13,700

47.4%

10,778

78.7%

2,922

21.3%

Males 18 to 24 years Enrolled in college or graduate school

13,777 5,779

(X) 41.9%

(X) 4,769

(X) 82.5%

(X) 1,010

(X) 17.5%

Females 18 to 24 years Enrolled in college or graduate school

15,101 7,921

(X) 52.5%

(X) 6,009

(X) 75.9%

(X) 1,912

(X) 24.1%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates Table 44: Enrolled in Pre-School or Nursery School

Location

Data Type

2009 - 2013

2010 – 2014

2011 - 2015

2012 - 2016

Mississippi

Percent

51.4%

51.6%

51.6%

51.1%

Hinds

Percent

57.5%

53.0%

51.5%

51.3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Updated December 2017.

Transportation

Hinds County is a very car-centric locale. Workers in Hinds County travel alone and very rarely use public transportation. However, over 8% of households do not have a motor vehicle. This may seem like a small percentage, but individuals do not have a car and lack access to public transit, they are less likely to find and keep a job.

Table 45: Households with No Motor Vehicle

Total Occupied

Households with No Motor

Percentage of Households with No

Households

Vehicle

Motor Vehicle

89,335

7,461

8.35%

Mississippi

1,098,803

74,994

6.83%

United States

117,716,237

10,6562,847

8.97%

Report Area Hinds County, MS

Data Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey. 2012-16. Source geography: Tract

Page 28 of 115

Housing

This indicator reports, for Hinds County, the median year in which all housing units (vacant and occupied) were first constructed. The year the structure was built provides information on the age of housing units. This data helps to identify new housing construction and measures the disappearance of old housing from the inventory when used in combination with data from previous years. This data also serves to aid in the development of formulas to determine substandard housing and provide assistance in forecasting future services, such as energy consumption and fire protection.

Table 46: Housing Age

Report Area Hinds County, MS Mississippi United States

Total Housing Units

Median Year Structures Built

104,254

1974

1,295,242

1982

134,054,899

1977

Data Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey. 2012-16. Source geography: County

Hinds County has a total of 104,254 housing units with a median structure age of 1974. The owneroccupied housing rate has declined since 1960 at an approximate rate of 10%; the renter-occupied housing rate also declined by approximately 9%. The housing crisis and the out-migration of families with school-aged children to the surrounding suburbs are some of the reasons that have led to the decrease in occupancy rates of owner/renter-occupied units.

Table 47: Occupied Housing Units

Hinds County, MS

Mississippi

United States

Report Area Owner

Renter

Owner

Renter

Owner

Renter

Before 1960

11,313

9,856

107,229

56,441

20,882,925

12,746,018

1960-1979

20,412

38,873

220,775

396,446

18,913,607

35,465,548

1980-1999

13,694

9,478

253,125

114,512

21,270,459

11,454,628

2000-2010

6,508

3,580

141,115

57,634

12,040,572

5,249,950

After 2010

974

591

24,155

9,982

1,773,505

1,108,946

Data Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey. 2012-16. Source geography: Tract

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The American Community Survey considers a housing unit vacant if no one is living in it at the time of interview. Units occupied at the time of interview entirely by persons who are staying two months or less and who have a more permanent residence elsewhere are considered to be temporarily occupied, and are classified as “vacant. For this reporting period, a total of 14,919 residential addresses were identified as vacant in the report area, a vacancy rate of 14.31%.

In 2016, owner-occupied housing units reach 59.2% in Hinds County, MS. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 59.4%. This percentage of owner-occupation is lower than the national average of 63.6%. This chart shows the ownership percentage in Hinds County, MS compared to its parent geographies.

Chart 14: Rent vs Home Ownership

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Nutrition

The following report shows that 39,924 students in Hinds County (or 91.18%) were eligible for free or reduced-price lunches during the 2015 - 2016 school year; the national average is 52.61%.

Table 48: Percent Students Eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch

Report Area

Number Free/Reduced

Percent Free/Reduced Price Lunch

Price Lunch Eligible

Eligible

Total Students

Hinds County, MS

39,836

35,924

90.18%

Mississippi

486,932

365,109

74.98%

United States

50,611,787

25,893,504

52.61%

Data Source: National Center for Education Statistics, NCES - Common Core of Data. 2015-16. Source geography: Address

The table below shows that 17,912 households (or 20.05% percent) received SNAP payments in 2016.

The population receiving SNAP benefits has steadily increased each year since 2005, however, for this period the number of beneficiaries decreases slightly.

Table 49: SNAP Recipients

Total

Households Receiving SNAP

Percent Households Receiving SNAP

Households

Benefits

Benefits

89,335

17,912

20.05%

Mississippi

1,098,803

198,304

18.05%

United States

117,716,237

15,360,951

13.05%

Report Area

Hinds County, MS

Data Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey. 2011-15. Source geography: Tract

Health

Federally Qualified Health Centers are community assets that provide health care to vulnerable populations; they receive extra funding from the federal government to promote access to ambulatory care areas designated as medically underserved. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there were 26 federally qualified health centers to provide services to the community.

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Table 50: Uninsured Population

Report Area

Total Population (For Whom Insurance Status is Determined)

Hinds County, MS Mississippi United States

Percent Uninsured Population

Total Uninsured Population

242,056

36,472

15.07%

2,923,887

427,828

14.63%

313,576,137

36,700,246

11.7%

Disabilities Table 51: Disability Status by Age by Poverty

Hinds County, Mississippi Estimate Total:

Margin of Error

234,594

+/-1,427

16,054

+/-440

81

+/-171

0

+/-207

81

+/-171

15,973

+/-406

Income in the past 12-months below poverty level

7,368

+/-1,299

Income in the past 12-months at or above the poverty level

8,605

+/-1,261

43,277

+/-1,026

With a disability:

2,187

+/-771

Income in the past 12-months below the poverty level

1,094

+/-578

Income in the past 12-months at or above the poverty level

1,093

+/-490

No disability:

41,090

+/-1,224

Income in the past 12-months below poverty level

15,239

+/-2,515

Income in the past 12-months at or above the poverty level

25,851

+/-2,409

18 to 34 years:

58,309

+/-1,359

With a disability:

3,733

+/-1,079

Income in the past 12-months below the poverty level

1,146

+/-634

Income in the past 12-months at or above the poverty level

2,587

+/-858

No disability:

54,576

+/-1,710

Income in the past 12-months below poverty level

18,242

+/-2,576

Income in the past 12-months at or above the poverty level

36,334

+/-2,903

Under 5 years: With a disability: Income in the past 12-months below the poverty level Income in the past 12-months at or above the poverty level No disability:

5 to 17 years:

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35 to 64 years:

87,380

+/-460

With a disability:

14,106

+/-1,932

Income in the past 12-months below poverty level

5,864

+/-1,578

Income in the past 12-months at or above the poverty level

8,242

+/-1,348

No disability:

73,274

+/-1,967

Income in the past 12-months below poverty level

10,483

+/-1,980

Income in the past 12-months at or above the poverty level

62,791

+/-3,028

65 to 74 years:

17,392

+/-366

5,258

+/-1,010

660

+/-304

4,598

+/-973

12,134

+/-1,006

1,499

+/-689

Income in the past 12-months at or above the poverty level

10,635

+/-1,061

75 years and over:

12,182

+/-273

With a disability:

6,817

+/-947

Income in the past 12-months below the poverty level

1,270

+/-508

Income in the past 12-months at or above the poverty level

5,547

+/-912

No disability:

5,365

+/-913

444

+/-236

4,921

+/-883

With a disability: Income in the past 12-months below the poverty level Income in the past 12-months at or above the poverty level No disability: Income in the past 12-months below the poverty level

Income in the past 12-months below the poverty level Income in the past 12-months at or above the poverty level

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates

Summary Efforts towards poverty alleviation require a comprehensive intervention scheme, not simply in economic aspects, but including social dimensions as well, so that poverty may be addressed as a socio-economic phenomenon. The assessment reinforces the sense of fragility during the slow economic development of our families. The local economy continues to add jobs each month, but the kinds of jobs being added fail to provide real economic security. Low-wage and part-time jobs dominate the jobs market here in Hinds County, and with many more people wanting to work than jobs available, employers have little incentive to reward people for their increased productivity. These demographic charts and maps show that our primary customers are black or African-American female adults aged 18 to 54, with children. Many of the low-wage service labor jobs are the only option for our clients, as 50% of the general population lack a high school diploma or college degree. There Page 33 of 115

is a very high housing burden that far exceeds national averages that consumes much of our client’s income, and very little options for home ownership. There are a very high percentage of citizens that remain without health care and the county continues to see one of the highest food insecurity rates in the nation.

Customers Served Quantitative Data Moving forward, it is important to HCHRA that we not only study the demographics of communities as a whole but also continue to develop an understanding of our populations from within their own defined communities, counties, neighborhoods and regions. Furthermore, it is important to use local data of individuals that are currently accessing our services through multiple projects and programs.

The raw materials of our customers’ demography are records of the persons who comprise our populations – records that tell of the various demographic events these persons experienced and the various characteristics that described them at different times in their lives. When assembling this raw material, we are concerned with particular persons. Demography is not about persons as such, but about populations and persons as members of a population. Populations have an existence and identity in time beyond the existence and identity of their members.

Persons are born, live out their lives, and die. Populations endure, often for scores or hundreds of generations.

This raw data has been pulled from the HCHRA data collection system COPA and is presented here as demographic information of persons as a community population. Also, using our data systems, we are able to compile the needs of each of our customers and compile them into real community needs assessment, and giving us another way to quantify our data. The following are charts and graphs for the demographic data captured for FY 2017 and reported in the CSBG Information Systems Survey Report – Section G to the National Association for State Community Services Programs.

Chart 15: Gender of Individuals Served in FY 2017

Gender 38% 62%

Male Female

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Chart 16: Race of Individuals Served in FY 2017

Race 1%

2%

White Black or African Amerincan All Other Races (Incl. Multi-Race) 97%

Chart 17: Age of Individuals Served in FY 2017

Age 0-5 7%

Seniors

2%

6-11 12-17

7%

Young Adults

27%

18-23

5%

24-44 45-54 14%

Youth

26%

11%

55-69 70+

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Chart 18: Other Characteristics of Individual Served in FY 2017

2251

Health Insurance

12014 Yes No

6981

Disabled

0

2000

4000

7284

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

Page 35 of 115

Chart 19: Family Type Who Received Services in FY 2017

Family Type Single Parent Female (1829) 39%

43%

Single Parent Male (38) Two-Parent Household (237) Single Person (529)

11%

Two Adults No Children (54) 1%

Other (2054)

5%

1%

Chart 20: Family Size Who Received Services in FY 2017

Family Size Series1 1066

1071

889

529

432

508

405 65

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight or more

Chart 21: Family Housing

Housing

Homeless 1%

Rent 70%

Other 11%

Own 19%

Other 10%

Chart 22: All Income Sources for Families Who Received Services in FY 2017

Income Source 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Assistance

Retirement

Employment

Employment + Other Other Employment Only Unemployment Insurance Pension Social Security SSI TANF Page 36 of 115

Chart 23: Household Level of Income in FY 2017

12%

Level of Income

Up to 50%

9%

38%

51% to 75% 76% to 100% 101% to 125%

15%

126% to 150% 26%

Chart 24: Education Levels (Adults 24 Years or Older) FY 2017

Education Levels (Adults 24 Years or Older) 1726

2000

0-8

1485 1215

1500 1000 500 0

991

9-12/Non Graduate High School Graduate/GED

442 12+ Some Post Secondary 2 or 4 years College Graduate

The following Program Information Report is a compilation of data from HCHRA’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs for the 2016-2017 school year. When broken out from the combined Head Start, CSBG and LIHEAP programs detailed in Charts 1 – 10, we still find that a majority of our Head Start families are singleparents, with incomes below the 100% Federal Poverty Line. Also, a higher percentage of families are unemployed – especially in Early Head Start where almost twice as many families are unemployed than employed. There is still a low number of advanced degree or baccalaureate degreed family members, but more families have an associate degree, attended vocational school or have some college education.

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Table 52: 2016-2017 Head Start/Early Head Start Program Information Report

Program Information Report (FY 2016-2017)

Number of Head Start (HS) and Early Head Start (EHS) Persons/Families

Funded Enrollment

1,834 (HS) / 104 (EHS)

Cumulative Enrollment

2,095 (HS) / 126 (EHS)

Number Projected to Be Entering Kindergarten in the Following School Year

908 (HS)

Number of Children for Whom Transportation is Provided

329 (HS)

Race Black or African American

1,986 (HS) / 125 (EHS)

White

22 (HS)

Multi-Race

46 (HS) / 1 (EHS)

Other

2 (HS)

Hispanic

12 (HS)

Family Type Total Families

1,938 (HS) / 107 (EHS)

Two-Parent Families

231 (HS) / 14 (EHS)

Single-Parent Families

1,707 (HS) / 93 (EHS)

Employment Employed (total families)

1,173 (HS) / 62 (EHS)

Unemployed (total families)

765 (HS) / 45 (EHS)

Job Training/School Job Training or School (total families)

161 (HS) / 17 (EHS)

Not in Job Training or School (total families)

1,777 (HS) / 90 (EHS)

Education Advanced Degree or Baccalaureate Degree

90 (HS) / 8 (EHS)

Associate Degree, Vocational School, or Some College

928 (HS) / 63 (EHS)

High School Graduate/GED

642 (HS) / 28 (EHS)

Less than High School graduate

295 (HS) / 8 (HS)

Types of Eligibility Income Below 100% of Federal Poverty Line Income Between 100% and 130% Federal Poverty Line

1,512 (HS) / 109 (EHS) 169 (HS) / 3 (EHS)

Summary The Program Participant Data (Chart 1 – Chart 10) are the characteristics from participants that received services through Head Start, CSBG and LIHEAP programs and only contain a percentage of individuals for whom data was documented and collected throughout the 2016 fiscal year. These client demographics show that our primary customers applying for services are black or African-American female adults, aged 18 to 54, and of those, Page 38 of 115

24% are single mothers with 2 – 3 children. A majority of our customers (85%) are single individuals. While over 50% of the families are employed, 80% of the families’ income is below 100% the Federal Poverty Level. Also, our customers tend to either not have a high school diploma (38%) or have received one and have not obtained any further education (18%). 22% of our customers have a 2- or 4-year college degree. It is also extremely important to note that the majority of customers are renters (69%).

Analysis Based on the quantitative data from both (area served) Hinds County demographics and our internal data collection system of (clients served) intake data, it is determined that our primary customer is an AfricanAmerican single mother between the age of 18 – 54 with 2-3 children. This demographic data provides the first insight of identified programs and services that can be found throughout this report.

There is a lack of employment or employment skills in our primary customer, which leads to HCHRA understanding and positioning itself effectively in the community for employment services. This could be either through a jobs program, career services for employment skills training, or partnering with local agencies to strengthen their existing program. Employment needs may also be indicative of the weak educational demographic. It is important to understand why the county’s African-American female population, aged 18 to 54, aren’t graduating from high school, going to college, or becoming employment ready. The data states, 24% are single mothers with 2 – 3 children, and they either don’t have a high school diploma (38%) or have received one and have not obtained any further education (18%). Reading this information can lead to a gap between females having children and not finishing school or attending college. Nonetheless, educational services are greatly needed in the county and also have a major impact on our customers’ ability to obtain employment.

Lastly, there is a need for housing services in the county based on the external/internal demographic data. The vacancy rates and affordability rates are extremely high, as (69%) of our primary customer is a renter.

These statistics translate a message of housing burden on the county. Individuals that are employed, spend a large portion of their income on housing, which many times forces them to reprioritize other basic needs, such as food, clothing, water, oxygen, or sleep.

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Geographic Data Communities Data In Hinds County, people living in poverty tend to be clustered within certain streets, communities, and neighborhoods rather than being spread evenly across the county. Within the reported area 20.8% or 48,244 individuals are living in households with income below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), which is a decrease in the number in poverty from the previous year. The agency has used the same definition provided by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families to determine the high poverty areas within Hinds County. HHS defines high poverty zip codes as those where at least 33 percent of residents live below the federal poverty level. Of the 20 zip codes that make up Hinds County, Hinds County has five high poverty zip codes (39201, 39203, 39204, 39209, and 39213).

Table 53: Number of People in Poverty by Zip Code

Zip Code

Population

39041

3,404

Number of People in Poverty 659

Percentage of People in Poverty 18.8%

39056

25,621

3,572

13.9%

39066

4,338

1,032

23.6%

39154

8,134

882

11.0%

39170

9,407

1,376

12.9%

39174

715

62

19.4%

39175

4,843

753

18.7%

39201

536

164

35.5%

39202

8,411

1,775

26.4%

39203

7,091

2,408

48.0%

39204

19,468

8,023

41.5%

39206

25,341

6,953

28.1%

39209

29,617

11,132

39.3%

39211

24,515

3,281

13.1%

39212

33,263

8,113

24.3% Page 40 of 115

39213

22,328

8,742

40.8%

39216

3,454

482

15.5%

39217

1,103

N/A

N/A

39269

N/A

N/A

N/A

39272

12,551

1,095

8.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

The map below relates areas of wealth and poverty and the locations in which people live. Overall, the entire inner city of Jackson, MS has the lowest per capita income. The northeast most corner of the county and the edges along with rural areas tend to have a higher income.

Map 1: Per Capita Income by Track 2012-2016

Per Capita Income by Tract, ACS 2012-16

Over 30,000 25,001 - 30,000 20,001 - 25,000 Under 20,001 No Data or Data Suppressed Report Area

Data Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey. 2012-16. Source geography: Tract

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Housing Cost Burden (30%) This indicator reports the percentage of the households where housing costs exceed 30% of total household income. This indicator provides information on the cost of monthly housing expenses for owners and renters.

The information offers a measure of housing affordability and excessive shelter costs. The data also serve to aid in the development of housing programs to meet the needs of people at different economic levels.

Table 54: Percentage of Households where Housing Cost Exceed 30% of Income

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Housing - Housing Unit Age This indicator reports, for a given geographic area, the median year in which all housing units (vacant and occupied) were first constructed. The year the structure was built provides information on the age of housing units. These data help identify new housing construction and measures the disappearance of old housing from the inventory, when used in combination with data from previous years. This data also serves to aid in the development of formulas to determine substandard housing and provide assistance in forecasting future services, such as energy consumption and fire protection.

Table 55: Age of Housing

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Housing - Substandard Housing This indicator reports the number and percentage of owner- and renter-occupied housing units having at least one of the following conditions: 1) lacking complete plumbing facilities, 2) lacking complete kitchen facilities, 3) with 1.01 or more occupants per room, 4) selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income greater than 30%, and 5) gross rent as a percentage of household income greater than 30%. Selected conditions provide information in assessing the quality of the housing inventory and its occupants. This data is used to easily identify homes where the quality of living and housing can be considered substandard.

Table 56: Percent Occupied Housing Units

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Population with No High School Diploma Within the report area there are 21,237 persons aged 25 and older without a high school diploma (or equivalency) or higher. This represents 13.75% of the total population aged 25 and older. This indicator is relevant because educational attainment is linked to positive health outcomes (Freudenberg & Ruglis, 2007).

Table 57: Percent Population Age 25+ with No High School Diploma

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Commute Time The largest share of households in Hinds County, MS have 2 cars 2013, and well below the state and national averages. (ACS 5-year Estimate) Using averages, employees in Hinds County, MS have a shorter commute time (22.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (25 minutes). Additionally, 1.28% of the workforce in Hinds County, MS has "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes. The chart below shows the average travel time in Hinds County, MS compared to its parent (U.S.).

Chart 25: Commute Time

Most Common Method of Travel (1) Drove Alone = 84.7% (2) Carpooled = 9.9% (3) Work at Home = 2.07% In 2016, the most common method of travel for workers in Hinds County, MS was Drove Alone, followed by those who Carpooled and those who Work at Home Chart 26: Common Method of Travel

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Food Access - Food Desert Census Tracts This indicator reports the number of neighborhoods in the report area that are within food deserts.

Table 58 and Chart 27: Food Access

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Food Access - Grocery Stores This indicator reports the number of grocery stores per 100,000 population. Grocery stores are defined as supermarkets and smaller grocery stores primarily engaged in retailing a general line of food, such as canned and frozen foods; fresh fruits and vegetables; and fresh and prepared meats, fish, and poultry. Included are delicatessen-type establishments. Convenience stores and large general merchandise stores that also retail food, such as supercenters and warehouse club stores are excluded. This indicator is relevant because it provides a measure of healthy food access and environmental influences on dietary behaviors.

Table 59: Grocery Stores, Rate Per 1000,000 Population

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Head Start This indicator reports the number and rate of Head Start program facilities per 10,000 children under age 5.

Head Start facility data is acquired from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 2018 Head Start locator. Population data is from the 2010 US Decennial Census.

Table 60: Head Start

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Insurance - Uninsured Population The lack of health insurance is considered a key driver of health status. This indicator reports the percentage of the total civilian non-institutionalized population without health insurance coverage. This indicator is relevant because lack of insurance is a primary barrier to healthcare access including regular primary care, specialty are, and other health services that contributes to poor health status.

Table 61: Percent Uninsured Population

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Insurance - Population Receiving Medicaid This indicator reports the percentage of the population with insurance enrolled in Medicaid (or other meanstested public health insurance). This indicator is relevant because it assesses vulnerable populations which are more likely to have multiple health access, health status, and social support needs; when combined with poverty data, providers can use this measure to identify gaps in eligibility and enrollment.

Table 62: Percent of Insured Population Receiving Medicaid

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Access to Dentists, and Mental Health Providers Table 63: Dentists Rate Per 100,000 Population

Table 64: Mental Health Care Provider Rate

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Access to Primary Care This indicator reports the number of primary care physicians per 100,000 population. Doctors classified as "primary care physicians" by the AMA include: General Family Medicine MDs and DOs, General Practice MDs and DOs, General Internal Medicine MDs and General Pediatrics MDs. Physicians age 75 and over and physicians practicing sub-specialties within the listed specialties are excluded. This indicator is relevant because a shortage of health professionals contributes to access and health status issues.

Table 65: Primary Care Physicians Rate per 100,000 Population

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Federally Qualified Health Centers This indicator reports the number of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in the community. This indicator is relevant because FQHCs are community assets that provide health care to vulnerable populations; they receive extra funding from the federal government to promote access to ambulatory care in areas designated as medically underserved.

Table 66:Federally Qualified Health Centers

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Transportation Hinds County has limited public transportation that is only located in the metro city of Jackson. Although there are several routes, times, stops, and options within the city, the rest of Hinds County have no option to participate.

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Analysis According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 877 square miles (2,270 km2), of which 870 square miles (2,300 km2) is land and 7.6 square miles (20 km2) (0.9%) is water. It is the third largest county in Mississippi by land area and fifth largest by total area. HCHRA’s mission is to empower disadvantaged citizens throughout the county. The geographic location of these individuals in Hinds County shows to be located, in the majority, within five zip codes (39201, 39203, 39204, 39209, and 39213), which are concentrated within the city of Jackson. The poverty-population of the communities found within these zip codes is just over of 30,000 people.

Table 67: High Poverty Zip codes and Communities

East South Central Jackson (39201) South Central Jackson (39203) South Jackson (39204) Southwest Jackson (39209) Central Northwest Jackson (39213)

Hightower Community

Downtown Jackson

Poindexter Park

Grand Avenue

Capitol

Woodlawn

Mid City

University Park

Alta Woods

Scotland Heights Colonial Heights

Washington

Norwood South Hawkins Field

Appleridge

Still Creek

Van Winkle

McRaven

Forest Hill

Beautiful View

Virden

St. Paul Cottage Grove

Bel Air

Presidential Hills

Cynthia

Larchmont

Georgetown

Dixon

Kimbrough Heights

A few of the major concerns or gaps that can be seen in the geographic information as we look into the high poverty zip codes and communities that are primarily located in the city of Jackson. (1) There are very old homes in Jackson that sit vacant and with substandard conditions. (2) The area is heavily populated with medical providers, but above national/state averages for uninsured population. They have the access to go to health care providers, but no way to pay for it. (3) Geographic data shows a large food desert in the high poverty zip codes. There is an easier access to liquor stores in the high poverty zones than there are grocery stores. (4) We see a large number of schools located within the poverty zones, although the graduation rate, school rating, and literacy rates are extremely low. (5) Lastly, we see that Hinds County and more specifically the high-poverty areas within the county have a poor income inequality index, median family income and per capita income is so far below the state and national averages that Mississippi as a state consistently ranks near the bottom of the national listing.

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Another notable gap that should be mentioned in this assessment of the geographic data is HCHRA’s main service office location and the accessibility to agency services in relation to high-poverty population zip codes. HCHRA assists roughly 14,000 individuals each year that are composed of about 4,969 family households. The geographical location of the agencies main service location (central office) is located outside of the high poverty zones and remains to be unreachable by public transit or a majority of the individuals that live in poverty. Although HCHRA does have a smaller (unable-to-work) service office that is located within the high-poverty area, this burden of access may have a strong indication that our main service office is unreachable to those that are most needy and deeply rooted in extreme poverty. Issues surrounding accessible services could indicate assisting more working-poor families with children but less effective at protecting Americans from deep poverty. Since welfare reform in the 1990’s, which was largely based around single family households with children, the nation as seen an increase in individuals without children falling into extreme poverty levels.

This would consist of Hinds County citizens that live in one of the high-poverty zip codes, surrounded by little access to food, transportation, or employment options. They live in substandard housing, or homeless, and unable to access resources through local, state or national safety nets.

The counties geographic data paints a consistent picture with that of Mississippi in many of the categories. However, when we compare the state data with the national averages, we see that Mississippi is in far greater disparity then most of the other states throughout the nation. TalkPoverty.org—a project of the Center for American Progress—released a 2017 state vs. national poverty comparison of Mississippi that helps give a visual meaning and national rankings to the data set.

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The greatest disparities and services that are missing from the state based on a review of the data can be derived from the highest-ranking elements found within the data set. First the state has the highest poverty ranking (51st) in the nation, which is based on income. We see working age men and women that need the opportunity for quality employment in order to lessen the gap of income inequality (42nd) which directly contributes to the state’s population being unable to build assets and savings (50th). Employment placement, and career training and coaching services are needed to help bridge the employment/income gap.

Secondly, the state has an extremely large population of disconnected youth and ranked (51 st) in the nation. This can be directly attributed to the states high school graduation (47 th) and higher education attainment (48th) rates. Poor educational service continues to plague the state, which in-turn produces a subset of undereducated youth with no employable skillset or work experience. Lastly, the data set reveals that much of the state is considered a food desert that leads to hunger and food insecurities (51st) throughout the state. Research shows that there are more liquor stores per capita then grocery stores or food retail stores. Food services are greatly needed in the state as well as here in Hinds County.

Trended Data One Year Comparison Hinds County remains fairly consistent from 2016 to 2017 with poverty trends and conditions, although it is supportive to draw comparison between the years and notate the variations within the data sets. One notable finding during research was in population growth. Hinds County population noticed a 1.15% increase during 2016 and then a very sharp decrease of -2.08% during 2017. This population loss resulted in 5,099 individuals leaving the county. In fact, the entire state has continued to see a very slow raise in population over the last 5years, gaining only about 2,000 in total population. This kind of growth tells us that large numbers of people are leaving the state each year, and that the birth rate verses the population leaving, is just about balanced.

The county’s unemployment rate has decrease from 2016, so there are a number of individuals that are finding job opportunities. This tells us that there is growth in the job market, all be it low-wage jobs and service industry opportunities, there is growth. The high school graduation rate and the higher education attainment rate have decreased and the states national education ranking went from 36th in 2016 to 47th in 2017. One of the Page 61 of 115

largest school districts in the state, Jackson Public School (JPS) was on the verge of a state take-over, and currently placed on probation. Negative moral and poor educational leadership, coupled with an increase of teen pregnancies has led to dropouts, decreased attendance, and a weak retention rate.

The American Community Survey (ACS) data shows housing vacancy rates have decreased while affordable housing rates increased in 2017. There may be some correlation between the vacancy rate and the unemployment rate, meaning that as individuals become employed, they become able to find more independent housing solutions through either rent or purchase. However, the rates of affordability (rental rates) consume much of their income, placing burden on other priorities.

Three Year Comparison Besides the variations in population rates over the past years, as mentioned, Hinds County has experienced changes and fluctuations over the past 3-years in other data sets. This wider scope shows that the unemployment rate has continued to decrease over the past 3-years, although the income inequality ratio, the gender wage gap, and assets and savings have virtually stayed the same. Lack of saving money and asset building can be attributed to rent. Housing is less affordable than is was in 2015, however, due to the increase in job opportunities the housing vacancy rates have decreased, as unemployment insurance is increasing.

Hinds County citizens continue to have serious hunger and food insecurities that remain unchanged over the past 3-years, as the state and the service area is realizing the highest food insecurity rates in the nation. One of the biggest changes that can be seen over the last 3-years is in the data sets for our youth. Teen birth rates are going up, which leads to an increase in foster care rates and children living apart from parents. This also affects high school graduation and higher education attainment rates that have seen a decrease due to dropouts and teen pregnancy. Lastly, the county, and the state, has realized a decrease in the number of individuals that have health insurance coverage. The service area geographical data shows some of the highest access to health care providers and provider coverage in the nation, although citizens within the area lack health care insurance and are unable to afford care. These are individuals that are under 65-years-old and who didn’t have health insurance at any time during the year.

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Analysis The trended comparisons gives some insight to the future of Hinds County, although for this analysis we will make some projects in growth or decline that could be seen over the next year or two. The county’s population should remain close to the current level, as this report doesn’t anticipate over a +/-1% change. We do see 4 – 5 employers moving into one of Jackson’s industrial parks that will offer around 500 – 600 jobs, as well as a very large employer building just west of Clinton that will employee over 2500 individuals. This should continue to offer job opportunities in the county, on top of a growing national economy that is ten years removed from the 2008-2009 Great Recession. Although, Mississippi is recovering at a slower pace than its wealthier counterparts, and still very much feeling the effects from the job loss, income drop, poverty increase, and adults and children loosing health insurance, the state is seeing slow economic progress. The bursting of the housing bubble and the drop in the stock market has meant that family wealth (savings and assets) has dropped dramatically, as well. This highlights the impact of the Great Recession on the labor market and on working families here in the service area.

With an anticipated increase in employment, the county will continue to see a decrease in housing vacancies as it has over the past 3 years, although we don’t expect rental rates to go down. This isn’t surprising, as many landlords and homeowners have attempted to ride-out the housing market crash. Now that the economy is increasing and individuals are able to afford more independent housing options, the landlords are attempting to claim their restitution for the past ten years of rental income loss.

HCHRA has recently signed an MOU with one of the nation’s largest health insurance providers so that we can offer the education and information about health insurance programs and services to our customers. We are also seeing an increase in health insurance products and incentives that are being offered, as well as additional Medicare and Medicaid provider into the area. This should yield a substantial increase in our uninsured population, especially in our low-income and senior population. It is also noted that two of the areas large hospitals and medical provider corridors are expanding and upgrading facilities.

As the Jackson Public School District hires a new superintendent to manage the crisis that the district is dealing with, we remain hopeful that graduation rates will increase and dropout rates and teen pregnancy rates decrease. Sex education and student retention should be high priority within the school district. It will be also Page 63 of 115

be helpful to note that the service area has seen a heightened awareness on teen pregnancy, funding opportunities, and educational initiatives around the county.

Community Opinion Research Information It is not enough to simply evaluate the demographic and geographic data of our customers. HCHRA must research what our customers view as important. The questions, “What do customers value? What satisfies their perceived needs, wants, and aspirations?” are so complicated the customers themselves can only answer them. So, to compile a comprehensive and accurate community cross-section, assessment surveys were directly distributed and completed by community members throughout the service region. To study secondary qualitative data already obtained, information was requested from members of civic organizations, elected officials, other organizations that serve persons of low-income, HCHRA Board of Directors, and other memberships throughout the cities in the service area.

Community Action is rooted in the belief that people with low incomes are in the best position to express what they need to make a difference in their lives. Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) eligible entities work in partnership with the people and communities they serve. Community Action works in a coordinated and comprehensive manner to develop programs and services that will make a critical difference in the lives of participants. Individuals and families are well attuned to what they need, and when Community Action taps into the knowledge, it informs our ability to implement high impact programs and services.

Community Survey Throughout 2016-2017, HCHRA’s Department of Community Programs and Services hosted several public functions at the Agency’s Neighborhood Service Centers. Customers representing various constituencies, including low-income, elderly, and persons with disabilities, offered comments and suggestions that addressed needs in their respective communities. Head Start staff and CSBG case managers provided Head Start families and Agency clients opportunities to complete the CSNA survey. Head Start families were also assessed using the Family Scale Assessment that was administered by HCHRA’s Family & Community Services Division staff.

This tool not only provided crucial information for the Agency, but also served introspectively for families.

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Also, an analysis of the opinions from the community needs assessment survey indicates that the Agency needs to continue working in each of its planning areas: employment, education, health, nutrition, linkages, income management, self-sufficiency, emergency services and housing. Specifically, the analysis revealed that the top five areas of concern are nutrition, child care, health & safety, transportation, and income management.

With the exception of health & safety, which could be referring to substandard housing conditions, we see that the community surveys reveal similar concerns as the analysis of our demographic review.

To ensure adequate community and consumer representation in the needs assessment process, the following methods were used:     

Made needs assessment available online at agency website and mobile Solicited community members, elected officials, and consumers Sought input from all sectors of the community through HCHRA Board of Directors meetings and policy council meetings.

Distributed and collected assessment forms from community civic organizations and HCHRA agency staff Distributed and collected assessment forms one on one in local high traffic areas at public events and gathering areas

Each surveyor was to rank the nine CSBG service categories from highest priority to lowest priority, with 9 being the highest priority and 1 being the lowest. During the April 2017 – May 2018 period, 128 surveys were completed.

Once the surveys were collected, entered and compiled, the data was computed to give the best possible indications of need. Individual numbers were calculated as a strike for each mark of choice. One question asked surveyors to rank the nine service categories by importance to the taker. Surveyors were allowed to rank the categories from 9 (highest priority) to 1 (lowest priority). A point system was established as follows: All points were totaled to account for all votes given by surveyors. These were then ranked by least average points. The results from these questions were compared to results from question asking surveyors to mark any area that is needed in their region.

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Chart 28: CSBG Category Rankings

CSBG Category Ranking Employment

3.99

Education

4.47

Housing

4.75

Emergency Services

4.76

Income Management

4.84

Transportation

4.9

Health & Safety

4.92

Child Care

5.07

Nutrition

5.09 0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Table 68: Rating Average of CSBG Categories – Greatest to Least Need

Using the above understanding of the issue areas, please rate the following categories from greatest (9) to least (1) need for resources, services and programs in order for your household to become more self-sufficient. (Example: 9 = highest need, 1 = lowest need).

Total

Rating

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Responses

Average

Nutrition

7

14

13

9

8

7

11

20

2

91

5.09

Child Care

9

2

11

20

6

13

6

7

8

82

5.07

Health & Safety

3

9

10

8

24

8

8

6

8

84

4.92

Transportation

6

13

7

8

12

15

11

3

12

87

4.9

Income Management

9

5

5

14

12

18

11

11

4

89

4.84

Emergency Services

22

9

8

3

11

7

8

12

25

105

4.76

Housing

3

3

16

8

8

14

14

2

8

76

4.75

Education

9

8

6

7

5

6

8

14

14

77

4.47

Employment

12

6

3

2

5

5

11

13

22

79

3.99

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Next, we looked at the specific issue areas for each CSBG category (listed per ranking).

Chart 29: Issue Area – Nutrition

Issue Area - NUTRITION Education is a problem in this community because: 66.94% 53.72%

52.89% 25.62%

33.06%

24.79%

23.97%

Lack of food

Alternative food resources not available (pantries)

Lack of education in nutrition

Not eligible for food stamps

Don’t use resources available

Food stamps run out before end of month

Not enough income to purchase food

Lack of transportation to available grocers

12.40%

The majority of Jackson is a food desert, stated Beady CEO of the Mississippi Food Network. “Some 20 percent of people are under or at the poverty line, and a third of the people live a mile or more from a grocery store”. In 2014, Feeding America reported 65,230 residents of Hinds County experienced food insecurity at some point during the reporting year. Food insecurity is the household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food. Respondents of this year’s CSNA survey ranked nutrition as the top need, whereas last year it ranked last. HCHRA has recognized the increased need in this area and has partnered with agencies who have food banks or who offer additional incentives for people who receive SNAP benefits. We will continue to strengthen this area in the upcoming year.

Chart 30: Issue Area – Child Care

Issue Area - CHILDCARE Childcare is a problem in this community because: 86.32% 57.26% 43.59%

43.59%

No providers for children that Not enough childcare providers have special needs

Location of providers

Cost of providers

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Childcare was another area that showed a significant increase in need from last year. Moving from seventh to second, survey respondents continued to rank cost of providers as the greatest need within this area. Having access to affordable childcare is imperative for working families to maintain employment and to provide an educational foundation of basic development skills for children as they enter kindergarten or elementary school.

As shown earlier in Table 19: Hinds County Educational Enrollment is 49% for 3 and 4-year-olds who are not enrolled in a preschool.

We also asked if there is a Head Start center in your community and the distance between it and your home. We found that a majority of our respondents live within five miles or less of a Head Start center and a little over 11% live 15 miles or more from a center.

Chart 31: Head Start Distance from Home

If there is a Head Start/child development center in your community, what is distance between the center and your home?

18.10%

5 miles or less 36.21%

11.21%

More than 5 miles, but less than 10 miles More than 10 miles, but less than 15 miles 15 miles or over 34.48%

Additionally, the location of providers also seemed to be a concern for respondents; therefore, we looked at the enrollment by zip code in Hinds County for our Head Start families. HCHRA is undergoing a facilities assessment to plan for future locations of Head Start centers and community programs to help narrow the gap in under-served areas and to minimize travel distance for customers.

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Table 69 and Chart 32: Head Start Distance from Home

Number of Currently Enrolled by Zip Code Zip 39041

26

Zip 39204

261

Zip 39054

1

Zip 39205

1

Zip 39056

82

Zip 39206

191

Zip 39066

57

Zip 39209

298

Zip 39154

32

Zip 39211

74

Zip 39170

38

Zip 39212

383

Zip 39175

33

Zip 39213

208

Zip 39202

29

Zip 39216

20

Zip 39203

52

Zip 39272

89

Zip 39205 1 Zip Zip 39054 39041 1 26

Zip 39272 89 Zip 39216 20

Zip 39170 38

Zip 39056 82 Zip 39066 57 Zip 39154

32 Zip 39213 208

Zip 39175 33 Zip 39202 29 Zip 39203 52 Zip 39204 261

Zip 39212 383

Zip 39206 191

Zip 39211 74 Zip 39209 298

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Chart 33: Issue Area – Health & Safety

Issue Area - HEALTH Health care is a problem in this community because: 71.07% 51.24% 39.67% 29.75%

28.10% 20.66%

15.70%

8.26%

Lack of resources for mental health help

Lack of resources for alcohol or drug abuse treatment

Lack of income for medical emergencies

Lack of income to pay for prescriptions

Existing health conditions

Lack of insurance

6.61% Lack of transportation

Hospital/emergency room not available in same town

12.40%

Waiting list for dental services

No clinics or doctor offices in same town

Doctors will not accept Medicaid

15.70%

Previously ranked as fourth, Health has moved to the number three need this year on customer CSNA surveys. The slight increase in demand shows a greater need than the previous year. Majority of respondents say that a lack of insurance is a problem for healthcare in this community. When a family does not have access to affordable health insurance or does not have health insurance, they are at risk of falling even further behind with bills, losing time from work, or entering into costly debt should a medical emergency arise within the family.

Within the last year, HCHRA has taken great measures to strengthen its partnership with insurance companies who offer benefits to the low-income and/or senior population, health care providers who provide services to the population above and to individuals who may need counseling for drug or mental illness. HCHRA will continue to secure partnerships and resources for this need, to ensure the community served has the best quality of life.

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Chart 34: Issue Area – Transportation

Issue Area - TRANSPORTATION Transportation is a problem in this community because: 63.87%

66.39%

39.50%

38.66% 32.77% 21.85%

16.81%

16.81%

Lack of suitable road system

Lack of public transportation

Lack of help in learning to drive/getting license

Cost of gasoline

Cost of car repair

Cost of maintaining a car

Lack of credit to buy a car

Cost of buying a car

Lack of knowledge on how to buy a car

11.76%

Secondary data showed that Hinds County is heavily reliant on having a car to commute to and from work, with less than one percent of residents using public transportation. The top three problems within the issue area for Transportation are lack of credit to buy a car, the cost of buying a car and the cost of maintaining a car. These issues track back to a lack of income and the cost of car repair. With the assistance of HCHRA’s transportation program, the agency is working to change the stigma associated with public transportation by offering more ondemand routes, offering shopping routes and by working with employers and colleges to offer services to employees and students.

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Chart 35: Issue Area – Income Management

Issue Area - INCOME MANAGEMENT Use of income is a problem in this community because: 79.66%

79.66%

48.31%

Lack of knowledge of budgeting

Difficulty with money management

Lack of appropriate use of earned income tax credit

Income Management is a tool that helps people budget their payments and ensures they are getting the basic essentials of life, such as food, housing, electricity, and education. Improved control of their finances helps them to stabilize their lives so they can better care for themselves and for their children. It can also support them to join or return to the workforce. At 79.66%, both the lack of knowledge of budgeting and difficulty with money management were ranked as the greatest needs for income management. HCHRA offers free tax preparation and educates customers on programs that maximize tax refunds and earned income tax credit. Also, HCHRA has partnered with local banks and credit unions to offer financial seminars and income management classes to clients.

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Chart 36: Issue Area – Emergency Services

Issue Area - EMERGENCY SERVICES Emergency services is a problem in this community because:

75.86%

63.79%

65.52%

51.72%

Lack of knowledge of how to use services

Cost of accessing services

Lack of funding for the services

Lack of organization in emergency situations

Emergency Services ranked 6th on the customer survey, its stability at this spot suggest that our customers are better able to manage their emergencies, or find that HCHRA and the surrounding community have secured resources that are adequate to alleviate these situations. However, many times when a customer reaches us they are about to lose their housing, face utility disconnection, or may have to leave work due to a lack of childcare.

They are in an emergency situation for one reason or another. According to Bankrate's latest financial security index survey conducted in 2018, 34 percent of American households experienced a significant unexpected expense over the past year. However, only 39 percent of survey respondents said they would be able to cover a $1,000 setback using their savings. As we know, this percentage significantly increases in the low-income population. Federal funded programs that were meant to provide a social safety net, such as CSBG and LIHEAP have become limited in funding, therefore creating a need for emergency services than just at the individual/family level but also at the agency and community levels.

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Chart 37: Issue Area – Housing

Issue Area - HOUSING Housing is a problem in this community because: 84.03% 55.46%

54.62% 39.50%

Where housing is available, neighborhood conditions are not acceptable/high crime…

Need repairs (roof, foundation, etc.)

Need weatherization

Affordable housing not available

Lack of temporary emergency housing

Housing size doesn’t meet family needs

Cost of utility/rent deposit

Cost of rent/house payment

7.56%

4.20%

5.88%

Lack of shelter for natural disaster emergency situations

21.85%

15.97%

Lack of shelters for domestic violence emergency situations

16.81%

Housing, which has moved from the third spot to the seventh, shows that survey respondents don’t see it as one of the greatest needs in the community, but the cost of rent/house payments is still a need in the issue area.

The cost of housing is the single greatest financial burden on many American families, with tens of millions fighting to afford a decent place to live, or sometimes any place to live. A recent report states that a large percentage of renters and homeowners in the U.S. now spend over 30% of their monthly income on their rent or mortgage payment. HUD itself estimates that 12 million renters and homeowners spend more than 50% of their income on keeping a roof over their heads. These challenges have been recognized, and there are dozens of Federal, State and private assistance programs designed to help lower and moderate income residents of Hinds County find affordable homes, pay rent, refinance mortgages, and get relief on utility bills and more. However, many residents do not take full advantage of those benefits, often because they aren't aware of the programs or don't realize that they qualify. HCHRA has made it a priority to develop a detailed understanding of what each program offers and the unique eligibility requirements; application processes and provides it to clients, vendors, and partners. Also, in 2017 the agency was awarded the Emergency Solutions Grant through the City of Jackson which provides rapid re-housing and homeless preventions services to persons who are homeless or are at-risk for becoming homeless. The agency also partnered with HUD to refer over clients who are interested in becoming homeowners.

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Chart 38: Issue Area – Education

Issue Area - EDUCATION Education is a problem in this community because: 46.34% 39.84% 35.77% 30.89%

27.64%

27.64%

21.14%

Lack of preschool programs

6.50%

Lack of dropout prevention programs

6.50%

Lack of college education

Lack of tuition money

Lack of transportation

Lack of access to programs teaching vocational skills

9.76% 10.57%

9.76%

Cost of transportation

Lack of programs for gaining computer skills

Lack of computer skills

Lack of child care

Cost of child care

Lack of access to programs for obtaining a GED

Lack of GED

No high school diploma

6.50%

Threats of violence in schools

14.63% 13.82%

Lack of vocational skills

16.26%

Education was the former number two greatest need but has now become situated as number eight, due to a high number of individuals who lack a high school diploma, tuition money, and transportation. When a person lacks the basic education foundation from our primary schools, obtaining secondary education is much harder.

Hinds County data shows that too many people are not completing their high school education and of those that are, they are not perusing a college degree. The correlation between educational attainment and rates of unemployment is remarkable. The earning potential of a high school graduate exceeds that of a non-graduate, and the gains for students who pursue postsecondary education are even higher. Research has repeatedly shown that compared to high school and college graduates, those who have not completed high school is less likely to be employed full-time, will be unemployed more frequently, and will experience longer periods of unemployment.

HCHRA is working to fill those gaps by working with clients to address their needs holistically by referring them to partners who provide GED classes, or assisting with financial support through CSBG funds to alleviate those educational barriers.

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For HCHRA, the most important component to alleviating educational barriers and barriers of any kind is the family assessment, which is an evaluation of the family’s/individual's functioning level, strengths, and weaknesses that are completed during case management. This process involves assessing the needs from a holistic perspective, resulting in a more comprehensive assessment that will include current and past information on the family/individual thus providing a clear picture of the problems and identification of goals. Once the assessment is done, the case manager will use this information to work with the client in developing an individual case plan which will lead to a self-sufficiency model or a stabilization model. A well-formulated case plan must be developed in tandem by the family/individual and the case manager in order to set goals and objectives and create a systematic and systemic process for meeting them. The service plan will identify the specific obstacles that block the family/individual from achieving self-sufficiency and/or stability and present possible solutions.

Chart 39: Issue Area – Employment

Issue Area - EMPLOYMENT Employment is a problem in this community because: 49.59% 33.33%

38.21%

33.33%

32.52% 26.83%

25.20% 5.69%

Long commute to jobs

Current jobs are low paying

Few jobs for people without skills

Cost of child care

Lack of computer skills

Lack of child care during the hours needed

Lack of good paying jobs with benefits

People lack education to obtain a job

Unable to find jobs in the area

People lack skills to obtain a job

6.50%

Cost of transportation

13.82%

6.50%

Employers leaving the area

17.89%

Lack of transportation

40.65%

Ranking last out of the issue areas is employment. For the last couple of years, Employment has been the #1 issue area for our surveyed communities. Even though it has now become the ninth ranking, HCHRA still considers it to be a high priority. The Mississippi State Workforce Investment Board concludes that in the twenty industries the following will have the greatest projected increase by 2024:

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Table 70: State Workforce Investment Board Industry Top Projected Jobs

Industry

Occupation

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting

Truck Drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer

Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction

Truck Drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer

Utilities Construction

Construction laborers

Manufacturing

Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

Wholesale Trade

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except and technical and scientific products

Retail Trade

Retail salespersons

Transportation and Warehousing

Truck Drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer

Information

Retail salespersons

Finance and Insurance

Insurance sales agents

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

Accountants and auditors

Management of Companies and Enterprises

General and operations managers

Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

Educational Services

Elementary school teachers, except special education

Health Care and Social Assistance

Home health aides

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation

Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors

Accommodations and Food Services

Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food

Other Services

Hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists

Public Administration

Police and sheriff’s patrol officers

HCHRA will encourage clients who are seeking to achieve self-sufficiency to apply for jobs within these fields. Through our Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funds will be made available to interested clients who would like to further their education or receive job training in these areas. Funds are also available to individuals who would like to obtain their GED or high school diploma.

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Chart 40: Issue Area – Linkages

Issue Area - LINKAGES Agencies in the community have a linkage problem because: 72.27% 67.23% 60.50% 53.78%

17.65%

Lack of funding to agencies

Lack of qualified staff to Lack of communication Lack of public awareness Duplication of services deliver services between different agencies

We also asked our respondents how they viewed linkages within the community between our agency and other community partners. It should be highlighted that a high number of respondents say that there is a lack of communication between agencies, lack of public awareness, and lack of funding for agencies. HCHRA seeks out agencies in the community to provide referrals for services we are unable to provide. Both Head Start and the Department of Community Programs have a Community Resources Directory that we regularly update and provide to customers of our agency.

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Head Start As part of the primary data we collected in our CSNA survey, we asked about the services provided for both Head Start families and customers of the Department of Community Programs. The following are the results of these survey questions: Questions 2 through 4 gauged whether the customer received services, were their needs met and are they more stable. We found that a majority of our customers received services, 20% said their immediate need was met, also 20% say their family is more stable after receiving services.

Chart 41: Question 3 – Immediate Need

Chart 42: Question 2 – Received Services

Was your immediate need met by services from HCHRA?

Have you ever received services from HCHRA?

Yes, 24.22%

Yes, 21.43%

No, 75.78%

N/A, 69.05%

No, 9.52%

Chart 43: Question 4 – Family More Stable

Is your family more stable since receiving services from HCHRA? Yes, 20.80%

No, 7.20%

N/A, 72.00%

Head Start respondents reported that overall a majority were satisfied with the Head Start Program and have an excellent or good overall knowledge of the Head Start Program in Hinds County.

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Table 71: Question 34 – Overall Satisfaction with Head Start

Rate your overall satisfaction with the Head Start Program in Hinds County: Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Answer Options 35 47 26 3 111

Weighted Average 1.97

Answered

111

Skipped

17

Table 72: Question 34 – Overall knowledge of Head Start

What is your overall knowledge of the Head Start Program in Hinds County?

Excellent Good Fair Poor Total Answer Options 40 62 9 1 112

Weighted Average 1.74

Answered Skipped

112 16

We then asked respondents to rank the Child Development Services from Essential to Not Important within the Head Start Program. A point system was established as the following: All points were totaled to account for all votes given by surveyors. While a ‘skilled/sensitive staff and good learning environment’ received the essential strikes, overall medical/dental/health services scaled higher with ‘services for disabled children’ second.

All five services received a majority of strikes as essential.

Chart 44: Question 36 – Family More Stable

Rate the following child development services: Services for disabled children

1.56

Nutritious meals and snacks

1.55

Medical/Dental/Health services

1.56

Skilled and sensitive staff

Good learning environment

1.55

1.53

Then we wanted to look at whether our Head Start Families were utilizing other services and programs within HCHRA. While almost 50% stated they did not need assistance, 3.96% stated they were not offered additional services. The Department of Community Programs and Head Start Family Services must plan to make Page 80 of 115

sure we are linking the services needed to ensure Head Start families are supported. Primary data shows that a majority of Head Start families are below the Poverty Line. Programs should be developed in Community Programs to serve as many Head Start families as possible.

HCHRA has assessed the importance of providing services to our HS parents and the importance of building relationships with our parents over the duration of the school year. Consideration is currently being given to a new balanced social services model between our DCP and our HS programs. This new model will allow us to focus on our HS families throughout the school year.

Chart 45: Question 40 – Opportunities Received in Addition to Head Start

As a parent/guardian, what opportunities did you receive in addition to Head Start services?

49.50%

29.70% 18.81%

5.94%

1.98% Education

Employment

Housing

Emergency assistance

3.96% Help was not offered

I did not need assistance

Lastly, Head Start is successful when parents are more involved in the program. Our centers hold several parent meetings to discuss the Head Start program, other services provided by HCHRA, and linkages to other community programs. The percentage of parents who were able to participate in meetings increased to 85%.

However, the number of participates who did not receive information about the meetings or that the meetings were held when work or school conflicted with their attending decreased from last year. Due to the increase in the number of parents able to participate in meetings, shows that our Head Start staff’s communication of parent meeting in a timely and effective manner allowed more parents to be able to become more involved.

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Chart 46: Question 41 – Able to Participate in Head Start Parent Meetings

Were you able to participate or why were you not able to participate in the parent meetings?

3.26%

11.96%

I was able to participate Meetings held while I worked/was in school No information about the meetings

No transportation to the meetings 84.78%

Partner Surveys The strength of HCHRA’s collaboration with sister agencies, funders, and community-based organizations enables the Agency to achieve its goals better. The collaboration is particularly important when conducting the annual needs assessment, as it allows the Agency to obtain a more comprehensive representation of community needs. Several members of the HCHRA management staff are actively involved on the boards and committees of many area community organizations.

Since its inception in 1976, HCHRA has developed strong partnerships with various community, state, and federal agencies and organizations to provide services to the low-income residents of the HCHRA area.

Throughout its over 40-year history, the Agency has successfully operated many major projects and programs through partnerships with other agencies. The Agency recognizes the vital importance of maintaining a close working relationship with all social service and civic organizations within the service area and realizes that more people in the community can be helped when all are striving toward the common goal. CSBG staff works diligently to develop and maintain relationships that are conducive for all involved, with the realization that a better understanding of sister agencies eliminates duplicative services; consequently, funds may be utilized more efficiently and effectively within the communities served.

To better coordinate services, ensure the most effective collaboration, and prevent duplicative services, HCHRA surveyed the opinions of partners from a variety of social service organizations, including the public, private, non-profit, community colleges, faith-based and ecclesiastical sectors. Inclusion of all representative Page 82 of 115

bodies dedicated to the elimination of poverty ensures that the maximum number of persons is reached and that all available community resources are utilized to the fullest extent.

This Agency believes that many Hinds County citizens, whether children, adults, elderly, or people with disabilities, need a range of services that are designed to meet their needs. HCHRA provides services directed toward low-income individuals and to the coordination of and linkages with services more widely directed in the community. The questions and responses from partners include: Chart 47: Partner Survey – What Needs Does Your Organization Meet

What need does your organization primarily meet?

48.48% 42.42%

39.39% 33.33%

33.33%

Childcare

Nutrition

36.36%

39.39%

24.24%

Transportation

Housing

Education

Employment

Income Management

Health

Chart 48: Partner Survey – Whom Does Your Organization Serve

Whom does your organization primarily serve?

87.50%

53.13% 37.50% 31.25%

Low-income

County public

City public

34.38%

Youth

Elderly

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Chart 49: Partner Survey – Company Type

Is your company a: For-Profit Business, 24.14%

Public Non-profit, 55.17% Government Official, 27.59%

Chart 50: Partner Survey – Visit HCHRA

Have you ever visited a HCHRA office?

Never, 14.29% A few times a year, 42.86%

Once, 34.29% Once a year, 8.57%

Chart 51: Partner Survey – Referral to HCHRA

Chart 52: Partner Survey – Referral Beneficial

Have you ever referred anyone to your local HCHRA Office?

Was the referral beneficial?

No, 24.24%

No, 27.78%

Yes, 72.22%

Yes, 75.76%

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Chart 53: Partner Survey – CSBG Service Categories Ranked by Community Partners

CSBG Category Ranking 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Chart 54: Partner Survey – What Employment Options Does Hinds County Lack

What employment options does Hinds County lack?

61.76% 52.94%

32.35%

29.41% 23.53%

Full-time

Full-time with benefits

Retired jobs

Part-time

No lack of jobs

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Chart 55: Partner Survey – Employment Barriers

What are barriers to employment that you see?

69.44%

58.33% 38.89%

36.11%

33.33%

16.67%

No barriers

No jobs match educational field

No transportation

Pay too low to No childcare during support household work

Lack of training

Chart 56: Partner Survey – Transportation Status

What is the transportation status of Hinds County?

51.43%

28.57% 22.86%

22.86% 5.71%

Plenty of transportation options

Lack private options

Have access to public

Have limited access to public

Borrowed cars

8.57%

No transportation needs

Chart 57: Partner Survey – Transportation Barriers

What are barriers to transportation that you see?

54.29%

51.43% 42.86% 37.14%

37.14%

14.29%

No barriers

Price of gas

No public routes to No public routes to home work

Can’t afford car

Can’t afford car repairs Page 86 of 115

Chart 58: Partner Survey – Housing Concerns

What are the major housing concerns for Hinds County?

62.50% 53.13%

50.00%

46.88%

31.25%

Rent to high

Utilities to high

31.25%

Houses unsafe/needs Houses payments to Unable to find house Unable to find house major repairs high to buy in price range to rent in price range

Chart 59: Partner Survey – Lack of Housing Options

Which type of housing options does Hinds County lack?

52.94% 47.06% 38.24% 26.47% 20.59%

Rental unit

Home with lower mortgage payments

Newer homes

Shelters

No lack of housing options

Chart 60: Partner Survey – Barriers to Gaining More Education

What are barriers to gaining more education?

65.71% 48.57% 34.29% 14.29%

17.14%

No barriers

No classes in my field

No transportation

34.29%

Pay too low to No childcare during manage both and classes support household

Lack of previous education

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Chart 61: Partner Survey – Barriers to Health Care

What are barriers to health care in Hinds County?

63.89%

44.44% 33.33%

30.56%

27.78%

13.89%

No insurance

Low insurance

No jobs with Insurance

Lack of transportation

Lack of health care facilities

No barriers

Chart 62: Partner Survey – Barriers to Childcare Services

What are barriers to childcare services?

51.43% 45.71% 42.86% 40.00%

28.57% 25.71%

No barriers

Children have special needs

Not enough childcare providers

Location of providers

Cost of providers

Transportation to provider

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Chart 63: Partner Survey – Scale of Barriers for Consumers Seeking Services

Check how much of a problem the following barriers are to you and your consumers in seeking services.

A Big Problem

Somewhat of a Problem

Not a Problem

Health/disability

Have to work during service hours

Prior bad experience with service/program

No childcare while receiving/obtaining assistance

Program/services not available in my area

Don’t want to ask for help

Don’t know where to go for help

No transportation to/for assistance

Not eligible/don’t qualify for assistance

Can’t afford fees/costs of assistance

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

IV. HCHRA Systems Outcome Data Systems & Program Data For 2017 HCHRA reported serving over 14,200 individuals that composed of 4,969 families. Most of the service access was located in our central office location. HCHRA has a large number of clients that visit the agency each year to access our Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). During 2017, HCHRA utilized multiple funding sources, programs, services, opportunities and referrals to achieve client outcomes.

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Outcomes The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) is the backbone of HCHRA. It provides funds to alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty in communities. CSBG funding allows HCHRA to address needs through three levels of engagement: family, community, and agency. Through CSBG, we provide opportunities that address employment, education, better use of income, housing, nutrition, safety emergency services and health. These services and activities have measurable outcomes and a major impact on increased self-reliance and improved living conditions.

HCHRA partnered with Ask for More Jackson, also known as Parents for Public Schools of Jackson, in its summer internship initiative called “Engage, Enlighten, Employ,” also known as E3. The E3 Leadership Academy program provided students the opportunity to develop a mindset for personal success in life. Each E3 Leadership Academy participant constructed the “Well-Being Promise” Plan, which emphasized wellness, leadership, collaboration, communications, and problem-solving skills for career readiness, and overall wellbeing. The problem-solving component is considered the bedrock of the leadership academy, because the interns used this concept throughout all activities to develop personal goals and empowerment strategies to fulfill their goals as promises they made to themselves to improve their individual lives and their communities, while becoming advocates of their own learning and growth.

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HCHRA partnered with the City of Jackson, Department of Human and Cultural Services to administer the Emergency Services Grant to assist residents with water and sewer emergencies. Funding provided by the Emergency Services Grant enabled HCHRA to redirect CSBG funds to assist more Hinds County residents with housing, employment, and education.

Designed to promote the general health and wellbeing of older individuals, HCHRA’s Congregate Meals program provides seniors with a hot “sit-down� style meal at gathering sites throughout Hinds County. This service is intended to reduce hunger and food insecurity, promote socialization, and delay the onset of adverse health conditions. In addition to serving healthy meals and providing opportunities for social engagement, the program gives seniors information on healthy aging and meaningful volunteer roles. HCHRA delivers five nutritious, well balanced and easy-to-prepare meals each week to elderly citizens and to people with disabilities who reside in rural Hinds County that are unable to leave home without assistance.

The Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program was designed to prevent homelessness and to support people experiencing homelessness in moving steadily toward independent living. Funds awarded to HCHRA by City of Jackson through the Office of Housing and Community Development are used to provide housing relocation and stabilization services, and to pay for rental arrears, as necessary, to assist in rapidly re-housing homeless individuals or to place families into permanent housing.

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The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps keep families safe and healthy.

Designed to assist low-income households with paying household energy bills, LIHEAP offers special provisions to reach and serve those who are homebound, the elderly, and citizens with disabilities in Hinds County.

Offering safe, reliable and accessible transportation to citizens of rural Hinds County is the primary goal of this program. HCHRA provides demand response, fixed route and contractual services for medical, shopping, education, recreation and employment needs in accordance with its grant agreement with the Mississippi Department of Transportation. HCHRA’s rural transit system has a fleet of 17 vehicles, including buses and vans that are ADA accessible.

With its flexibility and affordable rates, it has become a preferred method of transportation for seniors, persons with disabilities, and the general public.

Title IIIB Transportation Program help elderly residents in Hinds County maintain their independence and mobility by providing them with transportation to obtain goods and services, which include medical and dental treatment, social and community services.

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HCHRA’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs provide comprehensive child development services to preschool children in Hinds County. In addition to many other HCHRA Head Start services, medical and dental screenings and care was provided to over 90% of children after enrollment. To further meet their health needs, mental health and disability services were made available to children/families we served - assuring their overall health and well-being. The chart to the right shows how many of our children already had access to health care services when they enrolled in Head Start, compared to the level of access that was made available to them as part of our Head Start program services. HCHRA increased and improved the access to health care services for its children in all areas except well-child check-ups. The decrease can be attributed to the number of parents HCHRA encouraged to visit the doctor to have their children’s check-ups completed prior to enrollment.

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Results Parents and families have better results when they are safe, healthy, and have increased financial security. HCHRA uses an assessment-based data system that measures which core needs must be met for our families to be successful. Each family is assessed at the beginning of the school year and then once again later in the school year after interaction with family services staff. The following graphs show the growth of our families during the school year, as well as the average results of both the first assessment and the follow-up assessment. This data, when properly and consistently collected and studied, paints a vivid picture of progress of our families.

In Head Start, we address the needs of the family, holistically. Not only is it important for the children to be successful, but also it’s also important that the Head Start child’s family succeeds. If the family is successful, the children will be successful. In 2014-2015 Head Start and Early Head Start school year, Family Services Workers implemented a Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) Family Scales Assessment to assess each Head Start family across key categories of household characteristics. These categories are indicators of assessment that can show improvement within the household due to outcomes in the primary family supports (Core Scales 1) of Employment, Education, Housing, Health, Childcare, Transportation, Food/Nutrition and the secondary supports (Core Scales 2) Finances, Parental/Guardian Involvement, Community, Behavioral Health/Disabilities and Supportive Social Networks. Together, these scales form a Family Matrix where Family Service Workers and Head Start families can chart movement among the individual categories for an overall assessment of the family.

The scales for these categories range along a ten-point scale from In-Crisis (1-3), to Vulnerable (3-4), Stable (5-6), Safe (7-8), and Thriving (9-10). While the goal is for a family to be Thriving in all categories, realistically, taking a family from In-Crisis and Vulnerable to above the prevention line to Stable or Safe positively affects the overall well-being of the family.

Each family is assessed at the beginning of the school year and then once again later in the school year after interaction with the Family Services staff. The following charts and tables show the average results of both the first assessment and the follow-up assessment, along with documenting the growth of our families during the school year. The total number of families assessed was 2,221. The greatest gains were in Employment, Asset Page 94 of 115

Building, Household Budgeting, and Health. Overall, there are significant improvements in the Thriving (10) scale. Also, overall, the assessments show decreases between the average of Assessment 1 and Assessment 2 for In Crisis and Vulnerable which means families moved above the prevention line to Stable, Safe or Thriving.

Chart 64: 2016-2017 Head Start/Early Head ROMA Assessment (Average)

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Table 73: 2016-2017 Head Start/Early Head ROMA Assessment 1 & 2 – Difference

Family Performance Results by Measure Assessment 1 Assessment 2 Employment 5.57 6.16 Healthcare 7.76 7.9 Education 6.96 6.94 Transportation 8.31 8.39 Childcare 9.04 9.04 Food and Nutrition 5.48 5.77 Housing 6.53 6.69 Energy/Utilities 7.55 7.5 Income Management 6.88 6.97 Behavioral Health-Disabilities 9.03 9.14 Total Average 7.64 7.95 Page 96 of 115

Chart 65: 2016-2017 Family Average Performance by Center Assessment 1 & 2

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Table 74: 2016-2017 Family Average Performance by Center Assessment 1 & 2 – Difference

Family Average Performance by Center Assessment 1 Assessment 2 Annie Smith 7.15 7.22 Della J. Caugills 6.8 6.94 Edwards 6.74 7.41 Edwards EHS 7.46 7.9 Eulander P. Kendrick 7.77 7.76 Gertrude Ellis 8.27 8.13 Isable 8.02 8.39 Martin 7.67 8.01 Mary C. Jones 6.63 6.12 Midtown 6.56 7.07 Oak Forrest 7.39 7.6 Oak Forrest EHS 7.08 7.74 Richard Brandon 7.73 7.68 South Jackson 6.92 7.02 St. Thomas 6.69 6.99 Welcome 7.07 7.84 Westside 7.87 7.98 Willowood 6.27 6.36 Page 98 of 115

Current Funding Hinds County Human Resource Agency strives to ensure that its operations are carried out in a highly ethical, transparent and trustworthy manner. HCHRA is a public non-profit 501c (3) which make it subject to the provisions of the Single Audit Act. For 22 consecutive years, auditors have reviewed our financial statements and found our records to be accurate, complete and in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. A comprehensive overview of the 2017 financial data shows the grant management functions of the agency have resulted in a .002% budget performance.

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Analysis To review the actually results and performance measures provided by the agency, HCHRA reviewed the year-ending 2017 outcome data, family assessment results, and grant management performance, including funding per program. This data gives a better understand on programs and outcomes that the agency is currently providing and achieving. There are ten elements that families are assessed in. Throughout the assessment, the analysis shows improvement in all elements with the exception of three data elements that virtually remained the same throughout both assessments (Education, Child Care, Energy/Utilities).

HCHRA currently operates programs in each of these elements, and are the top three funded programs in the agencies service platform. This analysis continues to confirm the agencies alignment with customer response, survey data, and element priorities that have remained a concern over the years. When these three program funds are combined, the annual expenditure rate is just over 28.6 million dollars, yet HCHRA is still unable to meet the demand for these services in the area.

First we notice that the agency is heavily involved into educational, and childcare services through the Head Start program. Head Starts financial data shows a 25 million dollar annual expenditure, however the family assessment and community data sets read that our families are still concerned with education. This continues to affirm that our parents are still concerned about the education system in Hinds County and the future of their child’s educational success.

In 2017, the Head Start program graduated over 900 four-year-olds that were tested and scored as kindergarten ready, which includes a full developmental assessment for age appropriate levels. The Head Start program provided not only education, but is coupled with the Child and Adult Food Program (CACFP) which provided nutritional services by preparing over 700,000 meals last year. This data shows that much of the agencies resources, manpower, and time are spend managing outcome performance of the 2,221 children located in the sixteen different Head Start centers and one hundred and eighteen classrooms.

Secondly, the family assessment data provides logistics on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The LIHEAP program is not only the second largest funded program, but also one of the three family assessment elements that remained at the same level through both assessments. This data set Page 100 of 115

provides the basis for high-energy burden due to substandard housing stock, and reprioritizing financial responsibilities due to housing affordability and current rental rates throughout the county. We see that even with the amount of money that HCHRA is providing through the LIHEAP program for energy burden, families remain unable to reach a thriving level, and still concerned about their ability to pay for necessary home utilities.

Overall, the top five lowest elements that were identified through the assessment data were food/nutrition, employment, housing, education, and income management. This assessment data is consistent with the demographic data, geographic analysis, as well as the community and customer survey information.

Many of the low-wage service labor jobs are the only option for our clients, as 50% of the general population lack a high school diploma or college degree. There is a very high housing burden that far exceeds national averages that consumes much of our client’s income, and very little options for home ownership. There are a very high percentage of citizens that remain without health care and the county continues to see one of the highest food insecurity rates in the nation.

V. Community Assets a. Community Opportunities Data The strength of HCHRA’s collaboration with sister agencies, funders, and community-based organizations enables the Agency to achieve its goals better. Since its inception in 1976, HCHRA has developed strong partnerships with various community, state, and federal agencies and organizations to provide services to the lowincome residents of the HCHRA area. CSBG staff works diligently to develop and maintain relationships that are conducive for all involved, with the realization that a better understanding of sister agencies eliminates duplicative services; consequently, funds may be utilized more efficiently and effectively within the communities served. To this end, our community partnerships will remain in place for 2017 and others will be identified.

Current partnerships for which HCHRA has a Memoranda of Understanding are listed as formal, and resources in the community not formalized are listed as informal. The services and opportunities will be used during our case management approach with our customers to help alleviate barriers and burdens that they face.

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Childcare 

Formal 

Family Services    



Community Opportunities   



HCHRA – Head Start Mississippi Department of Human Services – Hinds County BuDS Impact America

Hinds County School District Pre-K Program Jackson Public School District Pre-K Program Clinton Public School District Pre-K Program

Informal 

Family Services 



Children’s Defense Fund

Community Opportunities   

Boys and Girls Clubs Daycares City of Jackson daycare programs

Education 

Formal 

Family Services    



Hinds Community College Voice of Calvary Center – GED Preparation Tougaloo College Educational Opportunity Center ACE Training Center

Community Opportunities   

Hinds County School District Jackson Public School District Clinton Public School District

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

Informal 

Family Services   



Clinton Community Christian Corporation – GED Training Job Corps JSU Continuing Education Learning Center

Community Opportunities   

Jackson-Hinds Library System Jackson State University Hinds Community College

Employment 

Formal 

Family Services  



Community Opportunities 



Dress for Success Metro Jackson Jackson WIN Job Center

N/A

Informal 

Family Services   



Career Development Center City of Jackson Department of Human and Cultural Services Job Corps

Community Opportunities   

Capitol Staffing TempStaff/ExecuStaff AAP Staffing

Emergency Services and Linkages 

Formal 

Family Services   

Atmos Energy Catholic Charities Entergy Mississippi Page 103 of 115



Community Opportunities   



Hinds County Rural Transportation Program Mississippi Center for Legal Services Shady Grove Baptist Church

Informal 

Family Services  



Salvation Army American Red Cross

Community Opportunities    

Clinton Community Christian Center (4C’s) JATRAN Transportation Services American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), MS Mission First Legal Clinic

Health and Safety 

Formal 

Family Services            



Community Opportunities 



Hinds County Sheriff’s Department – Crime Prevention, SALT Council Voice of Calvary Ministries South Central Community Action Agency – Weatherization Mississippi Society for Disabilities Inc. CARE4ME Services Mississippi Center for Legal Services Corporation WellCare Health Plans, Inc. United HealthCare Information Quality Healthcare St. Dominic’s Care-A-Van Mississippi Hinds Behavioral Health Services National Alliance on Mental Illness Mississippi

Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center

Informal 

Family Services  

Medicare Medicaid

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

Community Opportunities      

Merit Health University of MS Medical Center Baptist Medical Center St. Dominic Hospital Hinds County Health Department Mission First

Housing 

Formal 

Family Services  



Community Opportunities 



Habitat for Humanity Voice of Calvary Ministries

N/A

Informal 

Family Services   



Housing Authorities Housing Education & Economic Development (HEED) Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Community Opportunities   

Azalea Christian Manor Apartments Christian Brotherhood Homes Madonna Manor for Seniors

Income Management 

Formal 

Family Services    



United Way of the Capital Area BankPlus Jackson Area Federal Credit Union Together We Care

Community Opportunities 

Local Banks- BankPlus and Jackson Area Federal Credit Union Page 105 of 115



Informal 

Family Services  



Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Jackson First Baptist Church of Jackson – Credit Counseling Program

Community Opportunities 

Local Banks –Regions, Trustmark, Hope Credit Union, etc.

Nutrition 

Formal 

Family Services     



Community Opportunities 



Central MS Planning and Development District (CMPDD) – Senior Meals Programs HCHRA’s Congregate Meals – Senior Meals Program HCHRA’s Home Delivered Meals Program – Senior Meals Program Feeding the Gulf Coast AARP Foundation’s Fresh Savings

N/A

Informal 

Family Services  



MS Department of Human Services – Hinds County City of Jackson Department of Human and Cultural Services

Community Opportunities  

Food Banks – Mississippi Food Network, Iona House, etc.

Grocery Stores

Transportation 

Formal 

Family Services   

Willowood Development Center HCHRA’s Project Head Start Program HCHRA’s Home Delivered Meals Program – Senior Meals Program

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

Community Opportunities 



HCHRA’s Central Office

Informal 

Family Services/Community Opportunities 

City of Jackson Transit System-JATRAN

b. Analysis HCHRA actively seeks to form/join partnerships with organizations that work with HCHRA to promote family and community outcomes. HCHRA will coordinate with and establish linkages among government and other social service programs to assure effective delivery of services, while avoiding duplication of services.

This section will help HCHRA to identify the range of existing services, and consider new partnerships to bridge gaps in resources.

HCHRA has a strong partnership presents in the educational element. The agency currently operates a very large Head Start program, as well as formal partnerships with each of the areas public school districts, although, consideration should be given to early childcare partnerships. Our Demographic data tells us that our primary customer has children; therefore, HCHRA can increase local preschool and child daycare partnerships.

This will help our case management efforts, if childcare issues are identified during the family assessment, and our Head Start program is at full enrollment or the family isn’t eligible for Head Start services.

The health element is very strong in partnerships and referral opportunities throughout Hinds County.

This is consistent with our demographic information, as we can see that the area is saturated with health care providers and medical clinic access. One element of strength that can be considered, as it could also relate to health, is our transportation partnerships. HCHRA operates a rural transportation program that can be used to alleviate barriers, although the agency has few inter-city partners. Additional agencies and organizations should be considered to strengthen our inner-city transportation referrals.

The agency partners with about 4 agencies to provide income management and financial literacy training. These partnerships provide training throughout the years at many agency locations. They are able to Page 107 of 115

provide classroom style models as well as one-on-one training. Many times these partners are underutilized due to our customer’s employment situation; many times they have no income to manage. Referring to income, and the lack thereof, our employment resource partner for many years has been WIN Job Center. Although, they do have many resources and career services, we notated earlier in the report that roughly 50% of our primary customers are employed, leaving a large number of customer unemployed. The agency should consider expanding their partnerships and exploring other avenues for job placement and job training. Building partnerships with individual employers, OJT opportunities, intern and volunteer options, as well as day labor opportunities should all be considered when building and expanding community resources.

Lastly, the agency has created many housing partnerships, although most of them are informal. HCHRA has a large customer base that has been identified as renters. In fact, 69% of the agency’s clientele are renters.

Identifying more details with the informal partners and community resources would allow the agency to provide more specific and direct housing referrals to customers. Housing complex and apartment buildings are always good resources to identify in the local communities. HCHRA could partner and create a pool of local landlords that could be called during case management for housing availability.

VI. Conclusion HCHRA adopted the theory of change, which allowed the agency to take into consideration external factors and the preconditions related to the achievement of results. By incorporating the theory of change, the agency was able to focus on the connections between elements and assumptions, and learning from what has happened as a result of actions taken. HCHRA reviewed actual results identified at the end of the service period.

Incorporating the theory of change provided a framework for data reflection relative to how services are provided and how/what outcome data was used to collect it.

First, we identified the demographic composition of the county, which identified HCHRA’s primary customer are black or African-American female adults, aged 18 to 54, and of those, 24% are single mothers with 2 – 3 children. A majority of our customers (85%) are single individuals. While over 50% of the families are employed, 80% of the families’ income is below 100% the Federal Poverty Level. Also, our customers tend Page 108 of 115

to either not have a high school diploma (38%) or have received one and have not obtained any further education (18%). 22% of our customers have a 2- or 4-year college degree. It is also extremely important to note that the majority of customers are renters (69%).

Hinds County has a total area of 877 square miles, and is the third largest county in Mississippi by land area and fifth largest by total area. We have identified poverty within the geographical service area and narrowed the locations down to five zip codes (39201, 39203, 39204, 39209, and 39213), which are concentrated largely within the city of Jackson. The poverty-population of the communities found within these zip codes is just over of 30,000 people.

Table 67: High Poverty Zip codes and Communities

East South Central Jackson (39201) South Central Jackson (39203) South Jackson (39204) Southwest Jackson (39209) Central Northwest Jackson (39213)

Hightower Community

Downtown Jackson

Poindexter Park

Grand Avenue

Capitol

Woodla wn

Mid City

University Park

Alta Woods

Scotland Heights

Washington

Norwood South

Appleridge

Still Creek

Van Winkle

Larchmont

Colonial Heights

Dixon

Hawkins Field

McRaven

Forest Hill

Beautiful View

Georgetown

Virden

St. Paul Cottage Grove

Bel Air

Presidential Hills

Cynthia

Kimbrough Heights

We reviewed the data sets and information provided in the demographic and geographic information to identify major concerns or gaps that can be seen as we look into the high poverty zip codes and communities.

The data paints a consistent picture with the state of Mississippi in many of the categories, and in many aspects are causes due to the state’s economy condition. Furthermore, when we compare the state data with the national averages, we see that Mississippi is in far greater disparity then most of the other states throughout the nation.

(1) There are very old homes in Jackson that sit vacant and with substandard conditions. (2) The area is heavily populated with medical providers, but above national/state averages for uninsured population. They have the access to go to health care providers, but no way to pay for it. (3) Geographic data shows a large food desert in Page 109 of 115

the high poverty zip codes. There is an easier access to liquor stores in the high poverty zones than there are grocery stores. (4) We see a large number of schools located within the poverty zones, although the graduation rate, school rating, and literacy rates are extremely low. (5) Lastly, we see that Hinds County and more specifically the high-poverty areas within the county have a poor income inequality index, median family income and per capita income is so far below the state and national averages that Mississippi as a state consistently ranks near the bottom of the national listing.

Another notable gap that should be mentioned in this assessment of the geographic data is HCHRA’s main service office location and the accessibility to agency services in relation to high-poverty population zip codes.

HCHRA assists roughly 14,000 individuals each year that are composed of about 4,969 family households. The geographical location of the agencies main service location (central office) is located outside of the high poverty zones and remains to be unreachable by public transit or a majority of the individuals that live in poverty. This burden of access may have a strong indication that our services are unreachable to those that are most needy and deeply rooted in extreme poverty. Issues surrounding accessible services could indicate assisting more workingpoor families with children but less effective at protecting Americans from deep poverty. HCHRA does have a smaller service office that is located in the high-poverty zone, although it is only applicable to our unable to work customer at this time.

Secondly, we collected surveys from our customers as well as our partners and understood better what areas they rank as a priority within the community. This is always great feedback for HCHRA. We must continue to reach and collect surveys throughout Hinds County and strive for additional diversity in our surveyed communities. Specifically, the analysis revealed that the top five areas of concern are nutrition, child care, health & safety, transportation, and income management. With the exception of health & safety, which could be referring to substandard housing conditions, we see that the community surveys reveal similar concerns as the analysis of our demographic review.

HCHRA understands that the first step towards the alleviation of poverty is not only through the programs and services that we offer, but also through the relationships that we build with our customers and community Page 110 of 115

partners. The community survey ranking illustrated that the greatest need for additional information and services are in the areas of health & safety, child care, and housing. Again, this is great feedback for us, as we are committed to reviewing those relationships and become a change agent to acquire additional funding, information, community resources, and partnerships to support these concerns.

With this information in-hand, HCHRA then turned to our systems and program data, which includes: intake process from our more than 14,000+ customers that visit our offices each year, actually outcomes achieved at the end of the service period, Head Start parent assessment data, as well as current funding levels.

We are able to track the services that we provide to the customer and any additional opportunities that are needed to alleviate barriers as part of their family well-being assessments and case management plan. The family well-being assessments are essential feedback for us, and allow us to understand better exactly what areas our customers are seeking and needing the most when they access our agency. We understand the importance of this data collection, and the relevance of this step as we further tailor programs, services, opportunities, partnerships, customer relationships, and agency development as we continue our efforts in the alleviation of poverty. HCHRA utilized multiple funding sources, programs, services, opportunities and referrals to achieve client outcomes. HCHRA has a large number of clients that visit the agency each year. This gives us a clear picture of outcomes and results achieved, as we take the opportunity to review actually work performed by the agency, dollars spent on each program, and ending results for the review period.

The first and largest involvement we notice, is that the agency is heavily involved into educational, and childcare services through the Head Start program. Head Starts financial data shows a 25 million dollar annual expenditure, however the family assessment and community data sets read that our families are still concerned with education. This continues to affirm that our parents are still concerned about the education system in Hinds County and the future of their child’s educational success.

In 2017, the Head Start program graduated over 900 four-year-olds that were tested and scored as kindergarten ready, which includes a full developmental assessment for age appropriate levels. The Head Start program provided not only education, but is coupled with the Child and Adult Food Program (CACFP) which Page 111 of 115

provided nutritional services by preparing over 700,000 meals last year. This data shows that much of the agencies resources, manpower, and time are spend managing outcome performance of the 2,221 children located in the sixteen different Head Start centers and one hundred and eighteen classrooms.

Upon further review, the family assessment data provides logistics on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The LIHEAP program is not only the second largest funded program, but also one of the three family assessment elements that remained at the same level through both assessments. This data set provides the basis for high-energy burden due to substandard housing stock, and reprioritizing financial responsibilities due to housing affordability and current rental rates throughout the county. We see that even with the amount of money that HCHRA is providing through the LIHEAP program for energy burden, families remain unable to reach a thriving level, and still concerned about their ability to pay for necessary home utilities.

Overall, the top five lowest elements that were identified, strictly using the systems and program data were: food/nutrition, employment, housing, education, and income management. This assessment data is consistent with the demographic data, geographic analysis, as well as the community and customer survey information.

Many of the low-wage service labor jobs are the only option for our clients, as 50% of the general population lack a high school diploma or college degree. There is a very high housing burden that far exceeds national averages that consumes much of our client’s income, and very little options for home ownership. There are a very high percentage of citizens that remain without health care and the county continues to see one of the highest food insecurity rates in the nation.

Third, HCHRA actively seeks to form/join partnerships with organizations that work with HCHRA to promote family and community outcomes. HCHRA will coordinate with and establish linkages among government and other social service programs to assure effective delivery of services, while avoiding duplication of services. This section will help HCHRA to identify the range of existing services, and consider new partnerships to bridge gaps in resources.

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HCHRA has a strong partnership presents in the educational element. The agency currently operates a very large Head Start program, as well as formal partnerships with each of the areas public school districts, although, consideration should be given to early childcare partnerships. Our Demographic data tells us that our primary customer has children; therefore, HCHRA can increase local preschool and child daycare partnerships. This will help our case management efforts, if childcare issues are identified during the family assessment, and our Head Start program is at full enrollment or the family isn’t eligible for Head Start services.

The health element is very strong in partnerships and referral opportunities throughout Hinds County. This is consistent with our demographic information, as we can see that the area is saturated with health care providers and medical clinic access. One element of strength that can be considered, as it could also relate to health, is our transportation partnerships. HCHRA operates a rural transportation program that can be used to alleviate barriers, although the agency has few inter-city partners. Additional agencies and organizations should be considered to strengthen our inner-city transportation referrals.

The agency partners with about 4 agencies to provide income management and financial literacy training.

These partnerships provide training throughout the years at many agency locations. They are able to provide classroom style models as well as one-on-one training. Many times these partners are underutilized due to our customer’s employment situation; many times they have no income to manage. Referring to income, and the lack thereof, our employment resource partner for many years has been WIN Job Center. Although, they do have many resources and career services, we notated earlier in the report that roughly 50% of our primary customers are employed, leaving a large number of customer unemployed. The agency should consider expanding their partnerships and exploring other avenues for job placement and job training. Building partnerships with individual employers, OJT opportunities, intern and volunteer options, as well as day labor opportunities should all be considered when building and expanding community resources.

The agency has created many housing partnerships, although most of them are informal. HCHRA has a large customer base that has been identified as renters. In fact, 69% of the agency’s clientele are renters.

Identifying more details with the informal partners and community resources would allow the agency to provide Page 113 of 115

more specific and direct housing referrals to customers. Housing complex and apartment buildings are always good resources to identify in the local communities. HCHRA could partner and create a pool of local landlords that could be called during case management for housing availability.

Lastly, HCHRA made some 1-year and 3-year element comparisons to better understand the future of our service area. The trended comparisons gives some insight and allows for us to make some projects in growth or decline that could be seen over the next year or two. The county’s population should remain close to the current level, as this report doesn’t anticipate over a +/-1% change. We do see 4 – 5 employers moving into one of Jackson’s industrial parks that will offer around 500 – 600 jobs, as well as a very large employer building just west of Clinton that will employee over 2500 individuals. This should continue to offer job opportunities in the county, on top of a growing national economy that is ten years removed from the 2008-2009 Great Recession.

Although, Mississippi is recovering at a slower pace than its wealthier counterparts, and still very much feeling the effects from the job loss, income drop, poverty increase, and adults and children loosing health insurance, the state is seeing slow economic progress. The bursting of the housing bubble and the drop in the stock market has meant that family wealth (savings and assets) has dropped dramatically, as well. This highlights the impact of the Great Recession on the labor market and on working families here in the service area.

With an anticipated increase in employment, the county will continue to see a decrease in housing vacancies as it has over the past 3 years, although we don’t expect rental rates to go down. This isn’t surprising, as many landlords and homeowners have attempted to ride-out the housing market crash. Now that the economy is increasing and individuals are able to afford more independent housing options, the landlords are attempting to claim their restitution for the past ten years of rental income loss.

HCHRA has recently signed an MOU with one of the nation’s largest health insurance providers so that we can offer the education and information about health insurance programs and services to our customers. We are also seeing an increase in health insurance products and incentives that are being offered, as well as additional Medicare and Medicaid provider into the area. This should yield a substantial increase in our uninsured

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population, especially in our low-income and senior population. It is also noted that two of the areas large hospitals and medical provider corridors are expanding and upgrading facilities.

As the Jackson Public School District hires a new superintendent to manage the crisis that the district is dealing with, we remain hopeful that graduation rates will increase and dropout rates and teen pregnancy rates decrease. Sex education and student retention should be high priority within the school district. It will be also be helpful to note that the service area has seen a heightened awareness on teen pregnancy, funding opportunities, and educational initiatives around the county.

Priority Statement The results of our combined community strengths and needs assessment concludes the greatest need for additional information and services are in the areas of employment, education, and housing, with a notable fourth place element as nutrition, due to the overwhelming huger and food insecurities found throughout the assessment. Much of the data and research that has been reviewed throughout this report continues to paint a picture of both poverty and extreme poverty conditions. It is difficult to understand if the agencies location has a factor on accessibility, although it is an element that should continue to be considered in future facility assessments. However it is in the opinion of HCHRA, based on the research of data and the analysis thereof, that in order to alleviate poverty, we must not only provide the safety net programs, but also treat the trends and conditions of poverty. We believe that it is our best position to achieve results would be to focus on employment, education, and housing during the next 2 – 3 years.

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