A Community Needs Assessment
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A Community Needs Assessment August 2010 Planning Council for Health and Human Services, Inc. 1243 North 10th Street, Suite 200, Milwaukee, WI 53205 414 224-0404 fax 414-224-0243 www.planningcouncil.org Community Needs Assessment – Kenosha County August 2010 Page 1 Planning Council for Health and Human Services, Inc Community Needs Assessment – Kenosha County August 2010 Acknowledgements The Planning Council for Health and Human Services, Inc., wishes to acknowledge Sharon Schulz, Chief Executive Officer of the Racine/Kenosha Community Action Agency; Essie Allen, Associate Director; and Cheryl Montgomery, Planning Director for providing guidance and making this effort possible. Eleven people agreed to in-person interviews; they answered questions about the needs of people in poverty in the community, barriers to addressing those needs, services available, and what else can be done to serve people in poverty. Appreciation is extended to those who shared their input: Fabiola Diaz, UW Extension Racine County; Mark Gesner, UW Parkside, Center for Community Partnerships; Adelene Greene and John Milisauskas, County of Kenosha, Department of Human Services; Michele A. Kohel, Kenosha Community Representative; Karla Krehbiel, Johnson Bank; Attorney Gai Lorenzen, Legal Action of WI, Inc.; Donna Rhodes, Kenosha County Division of Children and Family Services; Jack Waters, Kenosha Community Health Center; Denis Wikel, Congregations United to Save Humanity; Byron Wright, Kenosha Human Development Services, Inc. A total of 23 people participated focus groups. Thanks to everyone who shared information about the needs of people in poverty, as well as input about the needs that are well met and resources that could be expanded or are missing. Thanks also to Pam Klein of Fresh Coast Partners for facilitating the link to Darlene VanBendegom at Assisi Homes. Recognition is due to Ms. VanBendegom for organizing and providing space for the focus group with older adults, and to Diane Gonzalez at Glenwood Apartments for recruiting additional participants for this group. Gratitude is extended to Pam Halbach and Rebecca Witt at the Racine/Kenosha Community Action Agency for providing space for the service provider focus group. Many thanks to Racine/Kenosha Community Action Agency clients who filled out a survey regarding community assets, resources, needs, and what can be done to help people in poverty. We appreciate Pam Halbach and her staff for administering the surveys. The following people were also extremely helpful in gathering information: Larry Stigney, Jane Rovik, and Alexis Bourgeois. Finally, appreciation is extended to those in the community who work to help those in poverty. The following Planning Council staff members contributed to this effort: Kathleen Pritchard, President and CEO; Julie Whelan Capell, Director of Planning and Development; Quinton D. Cotton, Associate Planner; Lonna Kruse, Assistant Planner; Susan Tragesser, Data and Information Specialist; Ashley Tikkanen, Marquette Trinity Fellow; Kyle Rabe, UW-Milwaukee Student Intern; Chelsea Boyd, UW-Milwaukee Student Intern; Troy Mrkvicka, UW-Oshkosh Student Intern; Danny Henken, UW-Madison Student Intern, and Robert Williams, Intern. The Planning Council for Health and Human Services, Inc. is a non-profit organization serving Southeastern Wisconsin. Its mission is to advance community health and human services through objective planning, evaluation, and research. Page 2 Planning Council for Health and Human Services, Inc Community Needs Assessment – Kenosha County August 2010 Table of Contents Background & Methodology..........................................................................................................4 Community Profile - Kenosha County...........................................................................................5 Geography, Land Use & the Environment.................................................................................5 Demographics .........................................................................................................................15 Economy & Employment .........................................................................................................24 Transportation .........................................................................................................................35 Housing ...................................................................................................................................42 Food Security ..........................................................................................................................49 Early Education & Children Under 5........................................................................................54 Education & School-Aged Youth .............................................................................................57 Elderly and Adults with Disabilities..........................................................................................68 Public Health ...........................................................................................................................72 Key Informant Interviews - Kenosha County...............................................................................87 Purpose ...................................................................................................................................87 Methodology............................................................................................................................87 Limitations ...............................................................................................................................88 Key Informant Interview Themes.............................................................................................88 Focus Groups-Kenosha County................................................................................................100 Purpose .................................................................................................................................100 Methodology..........................................................................................................................100 Limitations .............................................................................................................................101 Focus Group Participants......................................................................................................101 Focus Group Summary .........................................................................................................102 Survey - Kenosha County WIC/Food Pantry ............................................................................111 Purpose .................................................................................................................................111 Methodology..........................................................................................................................111 Limitations .............................................................................................................................111 Demographics .......................................................................................................................112 Survey Themes .....................................................................................................................114 References................................................................................................................................117 Tables-Kenosha County ...........................................................................................................121 Appendices ...............................................................................................................................159 Appendix A: List of Key Informants .......................................................................................159 Appendix B: Key Informant Interview Questions ...................................................................160 Appendix C: Focus Group Questions....................................................................................161 Appendix D: Focus Group Survey.........................................................................................162 Appendix E: Community Survey Questions ..........................................................................163 Appendix F: List of Resources for Kenosha County Residents.............................................165 Page 3 Planning Council for Health and Human Services, Inc Community Needs Assessment – Kenosha County August 2010 Background & Methodology The Racine/Kenosha Community Action Agency enables low-income individuals to attain the skills, knowledge and motivation needed to achieve self-sufficiency. To ensure that programming effectively targets issues critical to the low-income population, the agency conducts periodic community needs assessments. In spring 2010, the Planning Council for Health and Human Services undertook a range of community assessment activities in order to produce this overview of Kenosha County, Wisconsin for the Racine/Kenosha Community Action Agency. The Planning Council examined secondary data sources such as the U.S. Census, school records, and State of Wisconsin data, along with data compiled by the Racine/Kenosha Community Action Agency, to produce this report. In addition, key informant interviews, focus groups and one client survey were implemented throughout