NEIGHBORS IN NEED: Mobilizing Your Community Through Faith and Service

1. NEIGHBORS IN NEED:Mobilizing Your Community Through Faith and Service Uma Ahluwalia Director, Department of Health and Human Services Faithfulness Together November 16, 2008

2. Scenario 1 A neighbor reported Mrs. M., a 75 year old woman fell in the bathroom and injured her hip though it was not broken. She was working part-time to augment her social security income and has now lost her job because she cannot go to work. Given her medical expenses above what Medicare will cover and pharmacy costs, she is finding it difficult to pay her coop fees and mortgage and she has been skimping on groceries and getting by with one meal a day. .Given her social security income and her part time job she was ineligible for most federal entitlement programs. She is very worried about her ability to continue to live independently and preserve her housing and her mobility.

3. Scenario 2 Jose is the father of four children. He works two jobs to make ends meet. He is worried about losing his part time evening job. He makes $62,000 a year but is hard pressed to make his mortgage payments each month. The family also does not have health care. They use the Montgomery CARES program to obtain healthcare for themselves. The children are enrolled in child care and afternoon care CARE for KIDS. He is a strict disciplinarian and is a very stern man. His wife is suffering from depression and is not a very competent housekeeper. His oldest son Randee, a 15 year old was referred to the Crisis Center when he returned to school from a suspension for marking the restroom with graffiti. Randee reported to his counselor that he wanted to commit suicide. They also have a 16 month old baby with developmental delays. This family is very stressed and all are at the point of breakdown.

4. Scenario 3 Rebekkah is a 42 year old new immigrant who does not speak English. She comes to the Dennis Avenue clinic because she has been nursing a chronic cough. Tests determine that she has active Tuberculosis and needs treatment. There appears to be some domestic violence in her home life. Her husband has just lost one of his two jobs and money is tight. She appears depressed. She has two children ages 2 and 6 and is pregnant again. Her two year old needs child care but Rebekkah cannot afford it. Her six year old has some special needs issues, but she does not know how to advocate for them. The family’s housing situation is unstable.

5. Who is poor in our County? Children - poverty in the midst of affluence Single mothers and elderly women Disabled adults and elderly have special challenges Soaring energy costs are impacting low income residents Growing rates of adolescent pregnancies

6. Faces Of Our Poor (Cont’d) Inadequate mental health services and system supports for youth – rise in anti-social behavior and risk of suicides. Low wages are increasing reliance on public assistance. Lack of affordable housing for those below 30% of AMI. Ranks of uninsured are growing in the county. Rising food costs increase hunger. Impact of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae restructuring on corporate giving to our non-profits.

7. NEIGHBORHOODS AT GREATER ECONOMIC RISK The following zip codes show increased evictions, requests for emergency assistance and applications for other HHS services: 20904 20874 20906 20877 20850

8. Some Shocking Facts Food stamps caseload grew from 16,000 in FY07 to 27,000 in FY08. 42% increase in applications so far in FY09 over FY08 for income support services In September ’08 in Germantown alone the volume of customers to our income support offices increased from an average of 3,200 a month to almost 5,000. Countywide, home energy assistance applications grew from 7,828 in FY07 to 9,043 in FY08.

9. More Shocking Facts • All 28 family shelter beds are full. All single adult shelter beds are full. We have an all time high of 52 families in motels and many more living with friends and family but are homeless. • Manna gave free groceries to over 1400 more families in first nine months of ‘08 than in ’07 -- an increase of 48% • Child Abuse referrals grew by 200 in October to a high of 800 calls. • MHA’s suicide hotline has shown an increase in referrals.

10. The Family Self-Sufficiency StandardAn interesting fact checker The family self sufficiency standard measures the level of income at which a family is considered to be economically self sufficient. It includes the cost of housing, child care, food, healthcare, transportation, tax and miscellaneous expenditures. The Federal Poverty Level for a family of three (an adult with two children) nationally is $17,600. In Montgomery County the self sufficiency standard shows that a family needs$72, 646 to live above poverty. Most families are therefore ineligible for federal aid programs

11. More Self-Sufficiency Data In 2005 with an average household size of 2.66 persons, 26% of county households had a median income below $49,999. The self sufficiency standard in the county back in 2006 for a single adult with two children was $61,438. In 2008 that number is over $72,000 In 2005, 16,095 county households lived below the federal poverty level. 4,346 of those households had related children 18 years of age and under.

12. Call to Action AgendaA Collaborative Effort Busting myths about poverty in our county – telling our story with data. Advocating for resources at the federal, state and local levels to ensure that services to the most needy residents are maintained and to bring a strong return on investment. Helping our neighbors in need – redesigning the service delivery network in zip codes where the need is most acute – improving access to services and resources with a focus on stabilizing and supporting families. If you are interested in joining with this effort then please email Uma Ahluwalia at: uma.ahluwalia@montgomerycountymd.gov