Community Survey Report

info@pontiaccollectiveimpact.org pontiaccollectiveimpact.org July 2021

Community Survey Report Jennifer Lucarelli, PhD

Director, Pontiac Collective Impact Community Data Hub Associate Professor, Oakland University

Rita Little, MPH

Manager, Pontiac Collective Impact Community Data Hub

Introduction

The Pontiac Collective Impact Project (PCIP) is a group of leaders and community members from the Pontiac area working to address issues of importance to the Pontiac community using a collective impact framework. In order to prioritize areas to begin work, the group utilized a data-driven approach. They looked at several types of data, including: • Existing data (e.g., census, from organizations, community needs assessments) • A survey was conducted among members to examine various ways of prioritizing the group’s work (e.g., sustainability, collective impact approach, ability to address disparities) • A survey of Pontiac residents (community survey)

Community Survey Methods

In order to gain unbiased perspectives on what was important to Pontiac community members, an open-ended survey response format was utilized. Participants were asked “What are the 5 most important things that impact your life in Pontiac? Your answers may be as long or short as you desire.”

Participants could provide between 1 and 5 responses. For participants who have been residents less than five years, they were also asked what made them move into the city.

The survey included both online and print formats, and was available in both English and Spanish. Members of the PCIP Leadership Council and Advisory Council members recruited participants through direct connections, and were encouraged to reach out to people who were underrepresented in other data sets (e.g., those who are not on social media, those who aren’t as well connected or involved in community groups). The Data Hub team regularly checked the demographics of respondents, and made efforts to recruit participants that were under-represented in the data set (males and Hispanics).

Participants

This survey had 161 total responses. Survey respondents were 36% male and 63% female. Of respondents, 65% identified as Black, 12% as white and 16% as Hispanic.

Most respondents reported having a high school education or higher (69%) and based on income level those who made up the highest percent of responses (25%) made less than $15,000 a year. Demographics compared to Pontiac census data are shown in Table 1.

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Pontiac Collective Impact Partnership

Gender

Survey

Pontiac

Male

35.90%

48.20%

Female

62.82%

51.80%

Race/Ethnicity

Survey

Pontiac

White

12.42%

37.90%

Black or African American 65.22%

50.70%

American Indian/Alaska Native

1.24%

0.50%

Asian

0.62%

1.80%

Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander

0.00%

0.10%

Hispanic

15.53%

18.90%

Mixed Ethnicity

2.48%

6.70%

Other

2.48%

Education

Survey

Pontiac

Less than high school, no diploma

2.96%

20.00%

High school graduate/ GED

18.93%

32.90%

Some college, no degree

20.12%

27.80%

Trade school/vocational training

8.88%

No data

2 year degree

8.28%

6.20%

4 year degree

21.89%

8.90%

Professional degree

14.79%

4.30%

Doctorate

4.14%

No data

Household Income

Survey

Pontiac

$0-$15,000

8.33%

24.60%

$15,00 - $24,999

10.26%

13.90%

$25,000 - $34,999

10.26%

13.10%

$35,000 - $49,999

16.03%

15.00%

$50,000 - $74,999

23.08%

18.00%

$75,000 or above

23.08%

18.00%

Prefer not to answer

8.33%

Data Analysis

The written responses were categorized by topics (e.g. childcare, cleanliness, crime, parks, relationships, road conditions), with each response counting as 1 point for that topic area. These topics were then grouped into broader outcome areas, including quality of life, safety, housing, health, economic prosperity and education. The number of topics in each outcome area varied, and are shown below.

Differences between responses between groups (sex, race/ethnicity, age) were examined, and did not influence the results.

Results

Figure 1 shows the ranking of outcome areas based on the frequency mentioned by participants. Quality of life factors (n=276) were mentioned most by participants with safety (n=74), economic prosperity (n=66), and education (n=56) all clustered together. Health (n=28) and housing (n=30) were mentioned less frequently by respondents.

Figure 1: Overall points by outcome.

Housing 30 pts (5.66%)

Education 56 pts (10.37%)

Health 28 pts (5.28%)

Economic Prosperity 66 pts (12.45%)

Quality of Life 276 pts (52%)

Safety 74 pts (13.96%)

Table 1: Respondent demographics compared to the Pontiac community.

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Figure 2: Points allocated by topic QUALITY OF LIFE (276 pts) People & Relationships

55

Recreation

40

Built Infrastructure

29

Blight

34

Youth Recreation

21

Government

18

Community Center

15

General

14

Religious Community

12

Parks & Outdoor Spaces

12

Restaurant Options

9

Transportation

8

Grocery Options

6

Taxes

3

SAFETY (74 pts) General

66

Law Enforcement

8

ECONOMIC PROSPERITY (66 pts) 28

Jobs 20

General Business

18

EDUCATION (56 pts) 52

General Childcare

4

HOUSING (30 pts) 25

General 4

Renting

1

Home Ownership HEALTH (28 pts) Healthcare

11

Healthy Food Options

10

Mental Health

4

General

3

TOTAL (530 pts)

0

4

10

20

30

Pontiac Collective Impact Partnership

40

50

60

70

Quality of Life

Quality of life issues were mentioned more frequently than other categories, with 276 points.

The most common topic mentioned by respondents related to people and relationships, having family and friends within the community, or in community organizations they were part of. Many residents said things like the people, the sense of community, kids and grandkids, etc were important to them. Some responses from participants reflected this with statements like, “Showing more genuine love to one another” “My family is here” “Some of the good people around” “caring citizens” or simply, “love.”

Other topics included recreation and entertainment, which was broken down into several sub-categories including food and restaurant options, parks, youth recreation, and a desire for a community center. Residents expressed a desire for more community events, things to do with their family and friends, and being able to shop and eat within their own community. Participants said, “As far as shopping, entertainment, dining,even to see a doctor the residents have to go outside the city to find all of these things. When people visit the city of Pontiac again we must go outside the city of Pontiac to show friends and family a nice time.”

“The lack of community centers and parks. There is nowhere to relax and enjoy the clean outdoors, I can not take my kids to not one park in Pontiac which is sad. The parks are dirty, scarce of equipment, no functioning bathrooms etc…”

Residents also expressed concern over the physical state of the community. The built infrastructure included comments about road conditions, potholes, and sidewalks. A second category was created for blight, which included general cleanliness and maintenance, litter, and blighted buildings. “Pot holes on my street; I have to report every year” “Trash/illegal dumping” “Being able to walk, run, bike on sidewalks that are safe (smooth sidewalks, and clean neighborhoods)” “Homeless & mentally ill people downtown make me sad.”

Residents also discussed government related concerns, which included leadership, use of tax dollars, and transportation options. Participants were clear in their responses for example, “I would like for the city council and mayor to get along and work together. I don’t like that they argue with each other. I need them to be on the same page and to rebuild our city back.”

Safety

Topics related to safety were mentioned the second most often with 74 points. Many residents simply said “safety” with others specifically stating crime rate, drug and gang activity. “Violence has a big impact on the city” “Too many guns on the street”

Economic Prosperity

There were 66 points assigned to this outcome.

Residents spoke generally about things around jobs like more opportunities and better pay. It was also important to residents to have more businesses in the community, not only small businesses but also larger ones that boost shopping options.

Education

Education related topics were mentioned 56 times. Residents talked about the quality of the school system, having language services available, and childcare assistance.

Housing

Housing issues were assigned 30 total points.

This consisted of things like affordability, safe locations, and home ownership education. “Living situations in Pontiac is not good can’t afford the rundown places can’t afford the nicer places”

Health Health was mentioned the least in the responses with 28 points. Better healthcare and mental health services were mentioned most often.

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Why do people move to Pontiac?

Residents who indicated they moved to Pontiac in the last 5 years were asked what made them move here. Responses included being closer to jobs, moving to be closer to family or their partners work, and returning to a sense of community. One participant said,“Proximity to my job, easy access to highways, affordable rent, and a sense of renaissance downtown” while another stated, “I returned to Pontiac because I wanted to come home.”

CONCLUSION

It is clear what is most important to pontiac residents is an improved quality of life. Topics related to quality of life were assigned more than half of the total points of all responses. Quality of life is a vast category but simply put, residents want to be able to enjoy the city where they live.

They want to be able to shop, eat, have entertainment and enjoy outdoor activities in a clean environment. They want safe roads to get there and nice looking neighborhoods along the way. They want a government that will work well together to make these things happen. An improved quality of life will directly affect the other outcomes, improving them as a by-product.

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Pontiac Collective Impact Partnership

Quality of Life

Opportunity

Housing

• Equal opportunity • Economic opportunity • Educational opportunity

• Housing accessibility • Housing options • Housing affordability

• Multi-generational communities • Local fiscal health

Neighborhood

Transportation • Convenient transportation option • Transportation cost • Safe streets • Accessible system design

• Proximity to destinations • Mixed-use Neighborhoods • Compact Neighborhoods • Personal Safety • Neighborhood Quality

Environment • Water quality • Air quality • Resilience • Energy efficiency

Health

• Healthy Behaviors • Access to health care • Quality of health care

Community Survey Report

Engagement • Internet access • Civic engagement • Social engagement • Equal rights

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info@pontiaccollectiveimpact.org pontiaccollectiveimpact.org July 2021