An Assessment of Area Needs and Resources in Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski Counties

An Assessment of Area Needs and Resources in Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski Counties,

and Radford City

2017

The mission of New River Community Action is to promote and support the well- being and self-reliance of individuals, families, and communities.

Comprehensive Community Needs Assessment ║ New River Community Action

Executive Summary

"If we could first know where we are and whither we are tending, we could better judge what to do and how to do it." - Abraham Lincoln

The mission of New River Community Action is to promote and support the well-being and self- reliance of individuals, families, and communities. NRCA employs 100 staff members and partners with at least 240 community organizations. In the program year 2015-2016, 1,744 volunteers donated more than 44,000 hours of service supporting NRCA to serve more than 5,000 households in poverty. NRCA bundles services by choosing programs that reach out to two generations. These programs offer parental support, education and health assistance, and an opportunity to create social networks. NRCA serves the homeless and persons at risk of becoming homeless. We provide Income Tax filing assistance and outreach to previously incarcerated individuals needing housing and jobs. Our business and faith-based community partners donate funds, food, and volunteer hours to support families in crisis, helping their neighbors. NRCA creates a needs assessment every three years documenting local needs in a process that meets the Community Action Organizational Standard requirements and the Head Start requirements of documentation. Qualitative and quantitative data reveals the community’s experience. The Needs and Resource Assessment becomes a tool and a source of information for staff and our community partners. It includes customer, partner, and community member input. For a full methodology, see page 6. Our supporting documents are referenced either directly in the assessment, listed as references on page 107, or in work/diagrams/spreadsheets/tables found in the Attachments, listed on page 111. NRCA analyzed areas of poverty, demographics, housing, education, employment, health, nutrition, income, and crime. The report Includes references from research articles that help to enlighten trends and outcomes.

Quantitative findings Beginning in 1999, the New River Valley lost more than 13,000 jobs as a result of economic structural changes experienced across the nation, including jobs lost due to technology advancement in both blue and white-collar jobs. The 2012 Community Assessment and Education to Promote Behavioral Health Planning and Evaluation (CAPE) study found that 21.9% of adults in the Valley suffer from depression. Child abuse is reported at a rate of 11.7% for every 1,000 children in the Valley, while the State rate is 3%. Life expectancy for persons at less than 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) is six years shorter than their peers at 400% FPL. Households are cost-burdened, meaning households are paying more than 30% of their incomes toward their housing costs with rates ranging from 24.9 to 58.7% across the Valley. The HUD Housing Choice Voucher program helps households at 50% of Area Median Income by subsiding rents that exceed the 30% recommendation. Two agencies administer this resource to 963 households in the New River Valley and their combined waiting list of 1,466 households. Households may wait two to three years for an opportunity to apply for the assistance. The average rental unit was built in 1973, and the average homeowner unit was built in 1975. In the year 2015-2016, members of the New River Valley Housing Partnership reported aiding 228 homeless households with 88 children. PROJECT HOPE, a community partner helping in the school systems, documented 340 homeless individuals of which 73 were unaccompanied minors.

In New River Valley Schools, Radford City had the highest rate of special education children ages 3 to 5 enrolled in individualized education plans (IEP) at 77%. Pulaski and Montgomery followed with 53%, Giles at 17% and Floyd at 10% had the lowest rate. A Radford City child with an IEP had a 27% chance of graduating high school. Radford has the highest rates of disabilities in all the New River Valley school systems.

Qualitative findings Key Informants stated jobs offering living wages, substance abuse, affordable housing, transportation, services and shelter for the homeless, affordable childcare, and coordinated services are the greatest needs in our community. Staff and partner surveys reported these needs: access to and better-paying jobs, assistance with food, adult education, more and better transportation, mental health services for children and adults, quality, affordable daycare, homeownership, affordable health care, and substance abuse counseling. Parent surveys and staff surveys showed that parents need more support from the community. NRCA’s customer surveys indicated customers desire more information about NRCA and community services. Prioritization NRCA identifies areas of need annually. Data collected and shared with the State CSBG office in previous years included: jobs, transportation, housing, emergency crisis, health care, and childcare. This year, we recommend addressing these 4 top priorities: health, education, housing, and employability. By doing so, we will work to reach our mission and address root causes and symptoms of poverty. We have reached a conclusion by utilizing a grid analysis with the following ranking criteria selected by the Board of Directors: • the magnitude of the problem; • availability of financial resources; • economic burden on the community; • and the chosen solution could impact multiple problems.

The Economic solution Magnitude Availability burden on could of the of financial the impact problem resources Total: community multiple problems Weight 5 4 3 2 Max (42) Health 3x5=15 2x4=8 3X3=9 3x2=6 38 Employability 3x5=15 1x4=4 3X3=9 3x2=6 34 Education 3x5=15 2x4=8 3X3=9 3x2=6 38 Housing 3x5=15 2x4=8 3X3=9 3x2=6 38 Substance Abuse 3x5=15 1x4=4 3X3=9 2x2=4 32 Coordinated Services 2x5=10 2x4=8 3X3=9 3x2=6 32 Transportation 3x5=15 1x4=4 1x3=3 3x2=6 28 Affordable quality childcare 3x5=15 1x4=4 1x3=3 2X2=4 24 Emergency Shelter and services 2x5=10 1x4=4 1x3=3 3x2=6 23 Homeownership 2x5=10 1x4=4 1x3=3 1x2=2 19

In addition to the grid and ranking criteria, we weighted the values of the ranking criteria. While transportation, child care, and substance abuse ranked high on surveys, when we apply the weighted values they were not priorities (see Attachment A). It has been said “without health” you have nothing. One needs to be healthy to grow, learn and reach an employable age. Substance abuse, chronic stress, child neglect and abuse, depression, food insecurity, opioid overdose, newborns exposed to addictive opiates, and obesity, all can impede one’s mental and physical health. Education can take place in many forms including preparation to learn, learning to interact with one’s peers, mentoring and modeling, the opportunity to access both vocational and academic training, learning the benefits of social and financial capital, and how to use these resources. While education is a strong predictor of earnings and benefits in employment, employability is emerging in our research to be just as important. One finds employability through social networking, soft skills (such as leadership, communication, and teamwork), and matching skill sets/training with local industry needs. Helping to build these skills while addressing known barriers to employment, one can earn a living wage to afford safe housing better and become self-sufficient. “Housing first” is a saying often heard by poverty reducing advocates and non-profits. Housing affects almost everything. Stable housing can strengthen parenting and support early childhood development. It can stabilize individuals so that they may pursue educational efforts or employment. Recent research shows that housing can decrease economic stress and food insecurity, help keep families together (and keep kids out of the child welfare system), reduce the rates of domestic violence and alcohol dependence, and limit school changes among children.

The Keys to Well-being and Self-Reliance

Key Findings Poverty The number of children in poverty ages 0 to 17 ranges from 16 to 22 % in the five jurisdictions of the New River Valley, higher than the state average of 15% (2015, p. 20). The overall poverty rate in the Valley is 18%, but for the black community, the rate is 37.9% (p. 19, 20). Single mothers represent the largest household type in poverty. Single mothers, women of color and senior women living alone have the highest risk of being in poverty. Employment From 1999 to 2015, the New River Valley lost more than 13,000 jobs (p. 51). Most of the losses were in the manufacturing of textiles, furniture, and phone equipment. Foundries closed that produced parts for vehicles. Middle management jobs decreased as the use of computers and software systems grew. The Valley experienced the same economic structural changes experienced across the United States. These events helped to reveal the “hollowing out of the middle-class”: middle-income jobs disappearing and not being replaced by similar types of employment over the last 40 years. Income Wages have stagnated across the Valley (see p. 46) due to the recessions of 2001 and 2006-2009. Because of the “hollowing out” effect referred to above, we saw a widening gap between the low, middle-income and upper-income households. The minimum wage in the state of Virginia is $7.25 per hour. If two adults (in a household/family of four) work full-time at minimum wage, their monthly gross income will be $2,320 combined. With the average monthly housing cost of $716, the average health insurance cost of $868 (p. 55,56), and the average transportation cost of $608 (p. 55), there is little room for childcare or any unexpected costs. Housing Two agencies administer the HUD Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, aiding 963 households in the New River Valley. The renter pays 30% of the household income towards rent, and Section 8 or Low-Income Housing Choice Vouchers subsidize the remaining fair market costs. In the NRV, 786 local households are on the waiting list (1,466 in total) (p. 30) for these programs, and it is common for households to wait 2–3 years to access this assistance. Average New River Valley renters with household incomes under $35,000 pay between 40 and 67 percent of their income on rental housing. Average NRV homeowners with incomes below $20,000 pay between 47 and 65 percent of their incomes on their mortgages. Housing providers and housing service providers piece together federal and state funds to build affordable housing. To address renovation or improvements for homeowners, non-profits and local governments access weatherization, indoor plumbing, and Community Development Block Grant funds. The average rental unit in the New River Valley was built in 1973 (p. 26), while the average homeowner unit was built in 1975. The Valley has no permanent supportive housing, which are housing units set aside for persons who are chronically homeless and diagnosed with a disability. While emergency shelters are available for families, men and women, space is limited and centrally located. Shelters for single men are offered only during winter months. Transportation Beginning in 2001, the Counties of Montgomery and Pulaski and the City of Radford have developed public transit with routing that serves their communities. With limited service areas, a worker from Floyd, Giles, or rural areas of Montgomery and Pulaski cannot access public transportation for work. Seventy-eight percent of workers drive alone to work (p. 52). And the average cost of transportation for a family of 4 with two working adults is $608 for rural Virginia (p. 55). Health Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome cases have risen in the New River Valley (p. 78). The increase in opiate-exposed children is becoming a major issue nationwide, yet few studies have been developed to

4 measure developmental outcome, or it is too early to measure the studies that are ongoing regarding opioid exposure (p. 78). The infant mortality rates for Floyd and Giles have increased each year since 2013 (p. 79). Pulaski’s rate began an upward swing in 2012. Dental and mental health professionals are most needed in the NRV (p. 69). Nearly 22% of adults in the NRV are diagnosed with adult depression (p. 72), while the State average is 15.9%. The rate of child abuse in the NRV is nearly three times the state average, at 11.7% compared to 3% statewide (p. 72). Education Of New River Community Action Head Start children in 2015/2016, 13.5% had diagnosed learning disabilities (p. 40). As of mid-year 2016/2017, 16% of Head Start children have disabilities. Average earnings of an individual with a bachelor degree is 75% greater than a person with a high school diploma. In the New River Valley, 45% of individuals have a high-school diploma or less (p. 36). Nutrition Food insecurity ranges from a low of 8.9% in Floyd County; 10.8% in Giles; 11.6% in Pulaski, and 14.8% in Montgomery County, to the highest rate of 19.8% in Radford. The severity of household food insecurity is positively associated with mental health disorders among children and adolescents in the US (p. 63). Crime Property crime is ten times more likely than violent crime in the Valley (p.75).

Causes and Effects of Poverty Poverty experts identify multiple theories of the causes of poverty including: 1. Individuals are responsible for their poverty situation. 2. A “culture of poverty” is created by the transmission over generations of a set of beliefs, values, and skills that are socially generated but individually held. 3. Political, economic, and social systems cause people to have limited opportunities and resources with which to achieve income and well-being. 4. Poverty caused by geographical disparities could mean rural, ghetto, Southern and third world poverty. 5. Cumulative and cyclical interdependencies look at individuals and their communities’ experience of lost opportunities. The opportunities lost lead to multiple issues impacting effective responses. These ideas are set out more fully in Theories of Poverty and Anti-Poverty Programs in Community Development written by Ted. K. Bradshaw, RPRC Working Paper No. 06-05 Feb. 2006 (Attachment B). Bradshaw states to help persons achieve “self-sufficiency” requires addressing six interdependent elements identified and tracked as: 1. Income and economic assets 2. Education and skills 3. Housing and surroundings (safe, attractive) 4. Access to health care and other needed social services 5. Close personal ties, as well as networks to others 6. Personal resourcefulness and leadership abilities. (Miller et al., 2004). “Poor people lack access to health care, living wage jobs, safe and affordable housing, clean air and water” states Paul Gorski, an educator, in his article titled The Myth of the Culture of Poverty published in Poverty and Learning (April 2008, Vol. 65, Number 7, pgs. 32-36). From local interviews and focus groups, NRCA identified the following: 1. low-income families travel further to be able to afford housing;

2. their finances are depleted by higher utility costs and longer commutes; 3. their time budgets are exhausted, limiting time to attend to family needs such as school meetings and medical appointments; 4. and the stress of poverty changes the way people think. Chronic stress creates unending feelings of despair/hopelessness because of factors such as poverty, family dysfunction, and/or traumatic early childhood experience (American Psychological Association., 2011). Poverty increases an individual’s risk of mental health, and chronic health issues can create barriers to success in work or educational efforts (p. 64), making it much more difficult for a low-income family, adult or child achieve the “American Dream.”

Methodology

NRCA’s Needs and Resource Assessment provides detailed information across a broad range of indicators. When the reader finds purple underlined text, the text links to an URL. NRCA accessed Community Commons and the Community Action Partnership datasets for preliminary quantitative data that includes the American Community Survey 2010-2015 estimates for population, race, gender, family type, veterans, and poverty. NRCA utilized the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Voices for Virginia’s Children, Department of Education, Department of Social Services, and other similar resources. NRCA conducted facilitated meetings with staff and the Board of Directors and advisory committee focus groups. NRCA has accessed community survey work carried out by Carilion Health Clinics and Legal Aid, developed and implemented partnership surveys, and customer surveys. Senior managers, program managers, and coordinators analyzed the data. NRCA used the ISixSigma’s Five Why’s exercise and grid analysis to prioritize community findings. The Board of Directors chose these statements to aid in prioritization of grid analysis: 1. Magnitude of the problem: How much of a burden is placed on the community, in terms of financial losses, years of potential 2. The availability of financial resources needed to address the issue adequately 3. Economic burden on the community 4. Solution could impact multiple problems The Board of Directors took an active role by participating in facilitated meetings and choosing the selection criteria that rank community needs. When using the Census Bureau data sets, the reader needs to be aware of the source. The data sets from the 2010 Census are an actual count, whereas data from the American Community Survey(ACS) is an estimation. When collecting data from the American Community Survey, estimates may or may not provide the margin-of-error in a simple table. One generally has to dig into the data set to find the margins-of-error. Conducted in 1, 3, and 5-year estimates are based on populations. • 1-year for populations over 65,000; • 1-year supplement estimates for areas with populations of 20,000 or more; • 3-year estimates for areas with populations of 20,000 or more persons and were last conducted between 2011 and 2013; • 5-year estimates conducted for all areas of the nation.

The reader should use caution when comparing different tables throughout the Needs Assessment, due to the source and method of data collection. We have provided you additional reading in Attachment H. Attachment H(1) contains a simple statement taken from the US Census Bureau FAQ. For a more detailed methodology see Attachment H(2), which contains the American Community Survey Rural Area Handbook. Although the American Community Survey (ACS) produces population, demographic and housing unit estimates, it is the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program that produces and disseminates the official estimates of the population for the nation, states, counties, cities and towns and estimates of housing units for states and counties. Supporting documentation on code lists, subject definitions, data accuracy, and statistical testing can be found on the American Community Survey website in the Data and Documentation section. Sample size and data quality measures (including coverage rates, allocation rates, and response rates) can be found on the American Community Survey website in the Methodology section Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. The degree of uncertainty for an estimate arising from sampling variability is represented through the use of a margin of error. The value shown here is the 90 percent margin of error. The margin of error can be interpreted roughly as providing a 90 percent probability that the interval defined by the estimate minus the margin of error and the estimate plus the margin of error (the lower and upper confidence bounds) contains the true value. In addition to sampling variability, the ACS estimates are subject to nonsampling error (for a discussion of nonsampling variability, see Accuracy of the Data). The effect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables. While the 2011-2015 American Community Survey (ACS) data generally reflect the February 2013 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) definitions of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas; in certain instances, the names, codes, and boundaries of the principal cities shown in ACS tables may differ from the OMB definitions due to differences in the effective dates of the geographic entities. Estimates of urban and rural population, housing units, and characteristics reflect boundaries of urban areas defined based on Census 2010 data. As a result, data for urban and rural areas from the ACS do not necessarily reflect the results of ongoing urbanization. Finally, this work could not have been accomplished without the support of Alexandra Paine. Ms. Paine is the VISTA Member, Volunteer in Service to America, provided by a grant through the Department of Social Services’ Office of Community Services. Alexandra has enabled us to capture data, provided the review of academic research to support findings, and worked integrally with NRCA’s staff and Board of Directors to create this report.

Table of Contents Executive Summary ...... 1 Quantitative findings ...... 1 Qualitative findings ...... 2 Key Findings ...... 4 Causes and Effects of Poverty ...... 5 Methodology ...... 6 Section I: Introduction ...... 11 Purpose of Report ...... 11 Target Population ...... 11 Section II: Demographic Data ...... 12 Population ...... 12 Population Growth by Age ...... 13 Population by Race ...... 14 Population by Age and Gender ...... 15 Veteran Population...... 15 Section III: Poverty ...... 16 Population in Poverty ...... 16 Child Population in Poverty ...... 20 Seniors in Poverty ...... 22 Veterans in Poverty ...... 22 Family Poverty ...... 23 New River Community Action Clients ...... 24 Section IIII: Housing ...... 25 Housing Tenure and Vacancies ...... 25 Housing Age ...... 26 Building Permits ...... 26 Unsafe, Unsanitary Homes ...... 27 Foreclosures ...... 27 Housing Affordability and Insecurity ...... 28 Housing Cost Burden ...... 30 Housing Choice Vouchers ...... 30 Housing Assistance ...... 31 Weatherization ...... 33 Homelessness ...... 34 Section V: Education ...... 36 Educational Attainment ...... 36 Kindergarten Readiness ...... 38 Head Start ...... 39 Special Education ...... 40 High School Drop-Out Rates...... 41 Adult Education ...... 42 Workforce Investment Opportunity Act ...... 42 Section VI: Employment ...... 43 Workforce and Barriers...... 43 Unemployment Trends ...... 44 Underemployment ...... 45

Employment Growth ...... 45 Earnings Throughout Time ...... 46 Major Employers ...... 47 Manufacturing Layoffs and Cessation ...... 50 Employment Resources ...... 51 Commuter Travel Patterns ...... 52 Travel Time to Work ...... 52 Commuter Locations ...... 53 Section VII: Income ...... 54 Income Levels ...... 54 NRCA Client Income ...... 54 Cost of Living ...... 55 TANF Recipients ...... 57 Supplemental Security Income ...... 57 Tax Benefits for Low-Wage Workers ...... 58 Tax Assistance Program ...... 58 Assets and Banking ...... 59 The Unbanked ...... 59 Section IX: Nutrition ...... 60 Free and Reduced Lunch Program ...... 60 SNAP and WIC Recipients ...... 60 Food Insecurity ...... 61 Food Access and Food Deserts ...... 63 Section VIII: Health and Social Factors ...... 64 Healthcare Coverage ...... 65 NRCA Client Insurance Coverage ...... 67 Federally Qualified Health Centers ...... 67 Mental Health Providers ...... 68 Medicaid Providers ...... 68 Health Professional Shortage Areas ...... 69 Aging in the NRV ...... 69 Health Behaviors ...... 70 CAPE Project Health Behavior ...... 72 Environmental Quality ...... 74 Violent and Property Crime ...... 75 Substance Abuse...... 77 Substance Abuse in Mothers ...... 78 Birth and Prenatal Care ...... 79 Children with Disabilities ...... 80 Section XI: Head Start ...... 81 Estimate of Eligible Children and Families ...... 81 Early Childhood Education Enrollment ...... 81 Characteristics of Head Start Children and Families ...... 83 Outcome of Program Services (Parent Survey) ...... 86 Preschools offering Early Childhood Education ...... 89 Section VIII: Community Resources ...... 93 NRCA Resources ...... 93 Floyd County ...... 95 Giles County ...... 96

Montgomery County...... 98 Pulaski County ...... 99 Radford City ...... 101 Section X: Social Service Providers ...... 102 Floyd County ...... 102 Giles County ...... 103 Montgomery County...... 103 Pulaski County ...... 104 Radford City ...... 105 Section XI: Identifying Community Needs ...... 106 Partner and Staff Survey ...... 106 Key Informant Survey ...... 106 Grid Analysis and Prioritization ...... 107 Evaluation of NRCA Services ...... 108 References ...... 109 Attachment List ...... 111

Section I: Introduction

Purpose of Report NRCA creates a needs assessment every three years in a process that meets the Community Action Organizational Standards requirements and the Head Start requirements of documenting local needs. The needs and resource assessment is meant to be used as a community tool and shared with staff, NRCA’s Board of Directors, as well as our community partners. It includes customer, partner, and community member input.

NRCA Clients by Program 2015-2016 CHIP

Emergency Assistance Floyd Co Backpack Head Start 3% Target Population Housing As a community action agency, New River Community 38% Action focuses on assisting individuals and households in 41% Programs To Our House- poverty. Less than 1% The pie chart to the left identifies the program VA Cares resources NRCA provides and shows the percent of households each program serves. 5% VITA

2% Nutrition 8% 2% 1%

Section II: Demographic Data

Population

POPULATION GROWTH

Montgomery Pulaski Radford City Floyd Giles

125000 115000 105000 95000 85000 75000 65000 55000 45000 35000 25000 15000 5000 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Population growth and change, according to the 2010-15 ACS, established that the population in the New River Valley grew 9%, with Montgomery County and Floyd County leading at 14% and 11% respectively. The 9% growth rate is still below the state average of 15% and the national average of 11%. In the New River Valley, only Pulaski County had a reduction in population by about 1%. Projections for 2020, 2030, and 2040 estimates show stable to modest growth in every locality except for Montgomery which is expected to increase up to 25%. Population data points to a trend of retirees relocating to Floyd County; the same is currently true for Giles County. Many counties welcome this influx of semi-retired and retired individuals, who, after accumulating decades of earnings, bring disposable income to spend locally and generate increased local property taxes on new construction and improvements. However, while retirees do not bring many children with them to stretch school budgets, their addition to rural counties can lead to a declining birth rate and a declining local workforce (Luke Juday, 2017). According to the Weldon Cooper Center, July 2015 Components of Change Report, Giles and Floyd County have experienced a 10-20% increase in “Older Residents (born 1936-1945) Migration” between 2000 and 2010.

Population Growth by Age The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service expects roughly 30% of the New River Valley to be aged 20-29. This data is concurrent with the number of educational institutions in the New River Valley. In 2020, Weldon Cooper Center projects that 48.2% of the population in Radford City will be aged 15-24 years and 21% of the New River Valley population will be aged 60 or older. Projected Population Growth by Age 2020-2040 Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford City Age Group in Years 2020 2030 2040 2020 2030 2040 2020 2030 2040 2020 2030 2040 2020 2030 2040 Under 792 820 848 878 920 945 4,730 5,220 5,690 1,585 1,627 1,640 627 665 700 5 5 to 9 850 882 916 962 998 1,041 4,591 5,076 5,498 1,695 1,677 1,743 605 663 684 10 to 1,030 979 1,024 1,079 1,050 1,110 4,552 4,875 5,412 1,849 1,765 1,857 656 679 720 14 15 to 972 878 920 1,158 1,039 1,088 12,061 13,183 14,663 1,924 1,835 1,860 3,191 3,074 3,365 19 20 to 697 762 732 868 885 869 22,206 24,539 26,438 1,784 1,731 1,694 5,277 5,830 6,034 24 25 to 812 924 843 934 1,054 955 7,733 8,225 9,045 1,985 1,934 1,889 891 1,085 1,045 29 30 to 856 864 955 978 1,017 1,047 6,588 7,037 7,823 1,866 1,967 1,955 813 782 864 34 35 to 881 933 1,072 961 1,087 1,238 5,664 6,038 6,462 1,901 2,211 2,207 693 650 792 39 40 to 909 944 963 1,002 1,099 1,154 4,611 5,933 6,376 1,976 2,065 2,230 663 799 769 44 45 to 1,045 968 1,036 1,207 1,029 1,175 5,066 5,573 5,977 2,645 2,125 2,531 636 674 633 49 50 to 1,121 984 1,034 1,286 1,055 1,169 4,819 4,643 6,010 2,668 2,181 2,335 590 623 752 54 55 to 1,305 1,138 1,065 1,400 1,299 1,117 4,961 5,001 5,534 2,839 2,939 2,418 592 599 635 59 60 to 1,130 1,145 1,016 1,277 1,326 1,098 4,655 4,652 4,508 2,772 2,853 2,389 579 529 558 64 65 to 1,126 1,265 1,116 1,175 1,340 1,255 4,259 4,576 4,641 2,560 2,775 2,943 510 491 497 69 70 to 972 969 993 1,062 1,083 1,135 3,517 4,080 4,102 2,339 2,449 2,582 389 453 414 74 75 to 660 821 932 783 883 1,017 2,283 3,303 3,571 1,569 1,998 2,219 296 359 346 79 80 to 419 617 622 403 648 667 1,518 2,445 2,853 946 1,474 1,581 183 236 275 84 85 and 325 418 560 408 474 602 1,479 1,881 2,734 752 976 1,362 201 201 235 over Total: 15,902 16,311 16,647 17,821 18,286 18,682 105,293 116,280 127,337 35,655 36,582 37,435 17,392 18,392 19,318

Source: Weldon Cooper Center Population Projections for Virginia and its Localities, 2020-2040

Population by Race

Population by Race Estimates for 2015 Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford City Total % Total % Total % Total % Total % Population Population Population Population Population Black 391 2.9% 263 1.7% 4,195 5% 2,014 7.1% 1,567 11% White 14,900 96% 16,246 96.7% 83,657 88.2% 37,797 93.7% 14,549 87.7% Native American or 36 1.4% 121 0.7% 241 8 0.2% 0 0.3% Alaskan Native Pacific Islander 0 0% 17 0.1% 45 0.2% 0 0% 0 0% Asian 0 0% 121 0.9% 5,903 7% 46 0.1% 330 3.1% Some Other Race 16 0.5% 64 0.6% 878 1.7% 113 0.5% 125 1% Two or More Races 180 99 1,548 493 432

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Most New River Community Action clients identify as White Individuals, with Multi-Racial individuals and Black or African Americans at 11% of the client population each. NRCA Client Race

American NRCA Client 0% Indian/Alaskan Native 0% - less than 1% Ethnicity 0% 2% Asian- less than .5% 2015-2016 2% Hawaiian or Pacific 16% Islander- less than .5%

10% Other- 2%

72% Multi-Racial

98% Black or African American-- 4%

White Non-Hispanic Hispanic

Population by Age and Gender Almost 55% of individuals in the New River Valley are female, and 71% of the population over 64 are female. Of the clients served at NRCA, 55% are female as well. Population by Age and Gender Estimation County 5 to 14 18-24 18 Years and over 60 Years and Over Years Old Years Old Female Male Female Male Male Female Male Female Floyd 16.2% 14.3% 6.3% 6.6% 78.1% 80% 27.9% 30.2% Giles 15.7% 14% 8.4% 7.7% 79% 80% 25.4% 28.6% Montgomery 11.1% 11.7% 31.7% 26.8% 84.4% 83.7% 13.5% 17.7% Pulaski 14.3% 13.1% 7.7% 6.8% 80.5% 82.2% 24.5% 29.8% Radford 11% 9.9% 44.6% 46.4% 86.4% 87% 10.6% 12.3% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

The age dependency ratio is derived by dividing the combined under-18 and 65-and-over populations by the 18-to-64 population and multiplying by 100. The old-age dependency ratio is derived by dividing the population 65 and over by the 18-to-64 population and multiplying by 100. The child dependency ratio is derived by dividing the population under 18 by the 18-to-64 population and multiplying by 100. While the 2011-2015 American Community Survey (ACS) data generally reflect the February 2013 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) definitions of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas; in certain instances, the names, codes, and boundaries of the principal cities shown in ACS tables may differ from the OMB definitions due to differences in the effective dates of the geographic entities. Estimates of urban and rural population, housing units, and characteristics reflect boundaries of urban areas defined based on Census 2010 data. As a result, data for urban and rural areas from the ACS do not necessarily reflect the results of ongoing urbanization.

Veteran Population Of 12,441 clients served by NRCA (2015-2016), 201 reported being veterans. Veteran Population Estimation by Age and Sex Age Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford Gender County County County County City Male 18 to 34 years: 49 49 318 194 92 35 to 54 years: 256 196 1,054 575 172 55 to 64 years: 352 243 955 691 126 65 to 74 years: 499 482 800 768 161 75 years and over: 261 352 1,152 669 96 Female 18 to 34 years: 0 0 1 11 7 35 to 54 years: 0 3 93 104 58 55 to 64 years: 17 20 26 21 0 65 to 74 years: 0 12 64 17 0 75 years and over: 3 25 142 27 0 Source: Community Action Partnership Assessment Tool

Section III: Poverty

2017 Federal Poverty Guidelines

Persons in Poverty guideline family/household The United States has two different measures of poverty: 1 $12,060 Poverty Thresholds and Poverty Guidelines. Poverty Thresholds are mainly used for statistical purposes (U.S. 2 $16,240 Census Bureau) and are the original poverty measure. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issues the 3 $20,420 Federal Poverty Guidelines in the Federal Register annually. The guidelines are a simplified version of the Poverty 4 $24,600 Thresholds, used mainly for administrative purposes (ex: 5 $28,780 determining financial eligibility for federal programs).

6 $32,960

7 $37,140

8 $41,320

For families/households with more than 8 persons, add $4,180 for each additional person.

Source: 2017 Poverty Guidelines

Population in Poverty According to 2015 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), Virginia’s poverty rate for 2015 was the 11th lowest nationally at 11.2%. The chart on page 17 shows the poverty rate Radford City (at 32.8%) has reached in this region, with Montgomery County (20.8%) just below. This figure reveals that one in every three individuals in Radford lives in poverty. Both Radford City and Montgomery County have high post-secondary student populations that account for the majority of those in poverty. By subtracting the population of enrolled students (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS) from general population figures, we obtain the “Non-postsecondary Student Poverty” rates of 15.3% for Radford City and 12.5% for Montgomery County. Because this data comes

from the American Community Survey, it has margins of error. ACS margins of error reflect a 90% confidence interval.

Source: US Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2010-2015

This chart shows poverty percentages from years 2000-2015. These percentages do not tell the full story. In the 1960s, research indicating that families spent approximately one-third of their income on food became the standard measurement of poverty. Poverty measurements are updated annually due to inflation, but it does not account for spending habits, fuel costs or real-estate changes. Families can be working and make more than the federal poverty level and still not have enough to make ends meet, or will be lacking sufficient resources to meet their basic needs. Given how many people experience poverty, we must ask ourselves how many people are perched on the edge of poverty and slip in and out on a weekly, monthly or yearly basis. According to the Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia, “percentages below the federal poverty line fail to present a full picture of households facing economic risks…does not reflect variation across the state and within communities…[and] reports only one element of household economic security.”

Poverty by Age for the Year 2015

The following shows the U.S. Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates for 2015.

Under Age Ages 5 to 17 State / All Ages in Under Age Under Age 18 in Ages 5 to 17 Ages 5 to 17 in Families in County All Ages All Ages in Poverty 18 18 in Poverty in Families in Families in Poverty Name Population Poverty Percent Population Poverty Percent Population Poverty Percent

Virginia 8,131,331 914,226 11.2% 1,841,596 275,747 15% 1,330,273 186,603 14.0%

Floyd County 15,522 1,854 11.9% 3,165 576 18.2% 2,370 406 17.1%

Giles County 16,527 1,751 10.6% 3,354 591 17.6% 2,539 412 16.2%

Montgomery County 88,126 18,352 20.8% 15,329 2,337 15.2% 10,906 1,574 14.4% Pulaski County 33,122 4,978 15% 6,161 1,363 22.1% 4,497 889 19.8%

Radford City 14,252 4,675 32.8% 2,262 486 21.5% 1,608 326 20.3% Source: US Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2010-2015

Estimation of Population in Poverty Demographics 2015 Floyd County, Giles County, Montgomery Pulaski County, Radford City, Virginia Virginia County, Virginia Virginia Virginia Below Below Below Below Below poverty poverty poverty poverty poverty level % level % level % level % level % Population for whom poverty status is determined 1,551 11.90% 1,891 10.60% 21,707 20.80% 4,506 15.00% 5,497 32.80% AGE Under 18 years 224 18.20% 277 17.60% 2,565 16.90% 1,089 22.10% 338 21.50% Under 5 years 40 5.00% 59 7.10% 905 21.00% 460 27.70% 76 15.50% 5 to 17 years 184 16.00% 218 16.20% 1,660 14.40% 629 19.80% 262 20.30% Related children of householder under 18 years 190 5.90% 274 8.10% 2,565 16.90% 1,089 17.40% 338 15.00% 18 to 34 years 380 14.80% 510 16.50% 15,721 47.60% 1,217 20.60% 4,343 66.10% 35 to 64 years 489 7.40% 875 12.60% 2,848 9.80% 1,829 12.60% 609 15.40% 60 years and over 532 12.00% 350 7.80% 924 6.30% 562 6.10% 317 16.70% 65 years and over 458 15.40% 229 7.00% 573 5.70% 371 5.50% 207 15.70% SEX Male 803 10.30% 851 10.40% 11,805 26.20% 2,063 12.50% 2,608 38.10% Female 748 9.80% 1,040 12.20% 9,902 23.40% 2,443 14.40% 2,889 39.80% RACE AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN White alone 1,308 8.80% 1,682 10.50% 17,185 22.60% 3,912 12.70% 5,083 40.40%

Black or African American alone 237 62.90% 75 29.40% 1,597 43.80% 405 21.30% 306 32.10% American Indian and Alaska Native alone 6 16.70% 0 0.00% 47 19.50% 0 0.00% 0 - Asian alone 0 - 47 41.60% 1,753 33.20% 8 17.40% 46 16.80% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific 100.00 Islander alone 0 - 17 % 0 0.00% 0 - 0 - Some other race alone 0 0% 0 0.00% 479 58.10% 45 42.50% 0 0.00% Two or more races 0 0% 70 70.70% 646 45.20% 136 24.70% 62 26.30%

Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) 61 15.30% 65 31.90% 664 27.20% 16 3.30% 103 37.30%

White alone, not Hispanic or Latino 1,253 8.60% 1,617 10.10% 16,768 22.60% 3,912 12.80% 4,980 40.30% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates , US Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2010-2015

Although the overall poverty percentage for the New River Valley is 18.2%, the poverty percentage for Black or African Americans (who make up 5% of the population) is 37.9%.

Child Population in Poverty In Virginia, the total number of children in poverty for 2015 was 15%- a 2.8% increase from 2010. Approximately 5,353 children under the age of 17 in the New River Valley service area live in poverty (2015). The following is an estimation gathered by the New River Regional Commission and Community Action Partnership Tools.

Source: New River Valley Regional Commission Health Dashboards; Community Action Partnership Assessment Tool

More than 60% of children in single-parent families and 50% in cohabiting-parent families live in or near poverty. By comparison, only 20% of children in married-parent families live in or near poverty. While children in single and cohabiting-parent families make up one-half of all children in and near poverty, the other one-half of all poor and near-poor children lives with married parents. “Childhood poverty represents a real threat to the long-term economic security of Virginia and the nation in loss of productivity, a reduced tax base and a greater demand for social safety net programs. The wide-ranging effects of child poverty have been estimated as an annual cost to the nation of about $500 billion, or nearly 4% of GDP.” (Anna K. Roren, 2014)

Economically disadvantaged children enter school with less developed cognitive skills than their peers and then make lower grades and test scores, take lower level course work and ultimately obtain fewer degrees (Robert Crosnoe, 2010 Jun). Besides having a lower income, many circumstances can disadvantage a child’s educational achievement. Studies have definitively identified several factors directly correlated to a child’s success: the influence of race, the educational attainment of parents (especially the mother), negative parental behaviors, irregular employment of parents, access to adequate health care, and housing instability are just a few issues that can influence the youth’s outcomes (Leila Morsy, Five Social Disadvantages That Depress Student Performance: Why Schools Alone Can’t Close Achievement Gaps , 2015).

DEMOGRAPHIC ECONOMIC WELL-BEING EDUCATION HEALTH SAFETY

Number Pass Low- of Rate of Income Births to Rate of Number of Percentage of On-Time Total Children Third Children Mothers Children Children Children High Population in Percentage Graders w/o with Entering Economically Economically School Locale Under 18 Poverty of Children on SOL Health Less Than Foster Disadvantaged Disadvantaged Graduation (Below in Poverty Reading Insurance 12th Care (Below 200% Rate 100% Test (Below Grade (per FPL*) FPL) 200% Education 1,000) FPL*)

Floyd 3,249 576 18.2% 1,302 40% 71% 93% 172 8% 1.6 Giles 3,464 591 17.6% 1,229 36% 77% 85% 119 12% 11.2 Montgomery 15,344 2,337 15.2% 5,391 36% 84% 94% 760 7% 2 Pulaski 6,443 1,363 22.1% 2,836 45% 75% 93% 207 9% 5.7 Radford 2,272 486 21.5% 968 43% 64% 96% 94 6% 6 Regional 30,772 5,353 17.4% 11,726 39% - - 1,352 - 5.3 Total Source: Kids County Data Center Population, Poverty, Education, Health, and Foster Care Estimates The table and infographic above are estimations of selected data gathered by Kids Count Data Center.

Seniors in Poverty

Estimates of Population over 65 In Montgomery County, 5.7% and Poverty Status seniors live below 100% Poverty 12000 Guidelines, while 10.7% were between 100% and 150% Poverty 10000 Guidelines. The Agency on Aging is 8000 the most active organization in the 6000 New River Valley focused on seniors, with affordable or free services for 4000 those below poverty guidelines. 2000 0 Floyd County Giles County Montgomery Pulaski County Radford City County Total Over age 65 Total Below Poverty

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Veterans in Poverty

Estimation of Veteran Population and Of the 12,441 clients NRCA served for Poverty Status the fiscal year 2015-2016, 201 were veterans. 6000 Salem VA Medical Center (Salem 5000 10.60% VAMC) offers services to eligible Veterans including health care (in‐patient and out‐ 4000 patient clinics); homeless outreach; HUD‐ 3000 3.40% VASH; and mental health services (in‐ 2000 patient and out‐patient) including 8.60% 6.30% 1000 18.30% assessment and treatment for a variety of issues including PTSD, TBI, Military Sexual 0 Trauma and interpersonal violence. Salem Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford City VAMC distributes designated Housing Total Veteran Population Total Veteran's below poverty level Choice vouchers for Veterans in their service area including the NRV.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Family Poverty The following table shows marital status for families in New River’s service area sorted by poverty status.

Estimation of Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months of Families by Family Type

Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford City County County County County County Estimate Estimate Estimate Estimate Estimate Total: 3,213 3,372 15,160 6,251 2,258 Income in the past 12 months below 190 274 2,565 1,089 338 poverty level: In married-couple family: 85 68 933 294 0 Under 5 years 40 27 440 94 0 5 years 0 0 131 4 0 6 to 17 years 45 41 362 196 0 In other family: 105 206 1,632 795 338 Male householder, no wife present: 0 76 354 115 7 Under 5 years 0 14 194 11 0 5 years 0 0 73 0 0 6 to 17 years 0 62 87 104 7 Female householder, no husband 105 130 1,278 680 331 present: Under 5 years 0 18 271 355 76 5 years 0 10 84 17 0 6 to 17 years 105 102 923 308 255

Income in the past 12 months at or 3,023 3,098 12,595 5,162 1,920 above poverty level: In married-couple family: 2,752 2,206 10,445 3,664 1,278 Under 5 years 695 542 3,055 877 287 5 years 102 87 646 220 98 6 to 17 years 1,955 1,577 6,744 2,567 893 In other family: 271 892 2,150 1,498 642 Male householder, no wife present: 75 340 673 498 217 Under 5 years 41 77 94 98 37 5 years 0 0 21 13 0 6 to 17 years 34 263 558 387 180 Female householder, no husband 196 552 1,477 1,000 425 present: Under 5 years 22 148 256 226 89 5 years 0 7 0 23 17 6 to 17 years 174 397 1,221 751 319

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Single mothers with children represent the largest household type in poverty; this is not surprising to find in the New River Valley, as it is true nationwide. Year after year, data shows that men typically earn more than women and women are more likely to be poor. Single mothers, women of color, and senior women living alone are at particularly high risk of poverty. More than one in eight women nationwide (more than 16.9 million) and nearly one in five children nationwide (more than 14.5 million)

lived in poverty in 2015. More than half of all poor children lived in families headed by females. (National Women's Law Center, 2015) For the year 2015-2016, 26% of households served by NRCA were single female parent households. Single-person households were the largest family type at 34% (shown in the graph below).

New River Community Action Clients

NRCA Clients by Family Type

Single Parent/Female 3% Single 14% Parent/Male The chart on the left shows the family 26% Two-Parent status of New River’s clients. A large portion of single-person households, followed closely by 4% Single Person single female parent households, are the most 34% common clients for NRCA. 19% Two Adults/No Children Other

NRCA Client Poverty Percentages

Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford Total City Up to 50% of Poverty 382 192 762 718 369 2423 51 to 75% 130 114 321 244 115 924 76 to 100% 83 82 283 203 101 752 101 to 125% 72 35 179 114 55 455 126 to 150% 31 16 98 49 24 218 151% of Poverty and 45 12 88 126 86 357 Over Source: NRCA Client Database 2015-2016

Section IIII: Housing

Housing Tenure and Vacancies

Estimation of Housing Units by Occupancy Status and Tenure Montgomery Floyd County Giles County County Pulaski County Radford City Estimate % Estimate % Estimate % Estimate % Estimate %

Total housing units 7889 100% 8327 100% 39038 100% 17256 100% 6507 100% Occupied housing units 6271 79.50% 7230 86.80% 35199 90.20% 14619 84.70% 5477 84.20% Owner- occupied 4872 77.70% 5499 76.10% 19093 54.20% 10416 71.20% 2395 43.70% Renter- occupied 1399 22.30% 1731 23.90% 16106 45.80% 4203 28.80% 3082 56.30% Vacant housing units 1618 20.50% 1097 13.20% 3839 9.80% 2637 15.30% 1030 15.80% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

A housing challenge unique to rural Virginia is the high home vacancy rate. While one in ten homes across Virginia are vacant year-round, the majority of these are either on the market or only used seasonally. The remainder classifies as “other” vacant by the Census Bureau. This category includes units that are abandoned by their owner, being used as storage, going through foreclosure and many other reasons. No matter the cause, it’s difficult for localities to return “other” vacant units to occupied status. (Meeting Housing Needs in Rural Virginia: Trends, 2016) Community members in Floyd County have stated that low property taxes contribute to home vacancies. Families reluctant to sell their homes or farms, tend to allow the house or farm to become vacant, rather than make it available for rent.

Housing Age

Estimation of Median Age of Housing by Tenure Researchers have focused on County Total Owner-occupied Renter-occupied the connections between children’s development and well-being and Floyd 1985 1987 1976 various dimensions of housing such Giles 1968 1970 1962 as quality, crowding, affordability, Montgomery 1984 1985 1982 housing assistance, ownership, and stability. The poor physical quality Pulaski 1975 1976 1973 of housing is a strong predictor of emotional and behavioral problems Radford City 1971 1959 1976 in children, with lead-based paint and mold or moisture problems Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates presenting two well-known threats to the welfare of children (Federal Healthy Homes Work Group, 2013). Found in older homes, lead- based paint is highly toxic, especially to young children, causing damage to the brain, kidneys, nerves, and blood and impairing cognitive and socioemotional development (About Lead-Based Paint, 2014). For general information regarding the effects of lead-based paint, see Attachment E: Protect Your Family from Lead Hazards, HUD Publication. Rural Virginia has a significant amount of manufactured or mobile housing. Although this is one of the most affordable paths to homeownership, the housing tends to be older and more dilapidated. HUD began regulating safety and quality standards for manufactured housing in 1976, so the pre-1976 aged mobile communities have little to no regulation as to the safety of such housing. Also, because mobile homes most often title as personal property, repairs and upgrades do little to build equity for their homeowners (Meeting Housing Needs in Rural Virginia: Trends, 2016). RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS BY YEAR Building Permits Permits have steadily declined in our most ESTIMATION rural counties, but are rising in Montgomery 2015 2010 2005 2000 after the housing bubble burst in 2007. Almost all the building permits in 2015 were for single- 800 family homes (2 duplex units in Montgomery 700 600 County). 500

400

330 726 300

200 145

376 97 102

100 67

40 49 19 25 169 37 40 174 4 30 72 15 0

Source: Weldon Cooper Center at UVA

Unsafe, Unsanitary Homes Unsafe and unsanitary houses show the extreme case of need in our community. Researchers (Coley et al.) found that children living in homes with “leaking roofs, broken windows, rodents, non- functioning heaters or stoves, peeling paint, exposed wiring, or unsafe or unclean functioning environments” were more likely (although no causality was established) to have emotional and behavioral problems, in greater quantity, than children in better quality homes. If these housing problems worsened during the study period for the children in Coley et al.’s sample, the emotional and behavioral difficulties also increased per the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.

Estimation of Housing without Plumbing and Without Kitchen Facilities Occupied Housing Units Housing Units Occupied Housing Units Housing Units Housing Units, Without Without Housing Units, Without Without 2010 Plumbing, 2010 Kitchen 2014 Plumbing, 2014 Kitchen Facilities, 2010 Facilities, 2014 Floyd 6,334 108 57 6,086 41 0 Giles 7,100 21 34 7,253 15 34 Montgomery 34,369 124 117 34,803 81 97 Pulaski 14898 57 52 15,125 120 78 Radford City 5667 16 0 5,333 0 14 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Foreclosures Foreclosures have a long-term effect on housing tenure and stability of the housing market. NRCA offers a “Homeless Prevention Program” to clients in danger of losing their permanent housing. Individual foreclosure prevention counseling includes reviewing loan documents and correspondences, setting up a written spending plan, and contacting the client’s mortgage servicer to determine options for the homeowner. When the foreclosure process is well under way, the housing counselor helps the family through the loss of their home and re-entry into the rental housing market.

Owner-Occupied Loan Statistics: Blacksburg MSA

1.24% 1.09%

0.62% 0.57% 0.48% 0.45%

Percent 90+ Days Past Due Percent in Foreclosure Percent In Real Estate Ownership

Dec-15 Dec-16

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond/McDash Analytics (December 2016) “Real Estate Ownership” properties are in possession of the lender due to foreclosure or forfeiture. The Blacksburg Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) consists of Giles County, Montgomery County, Pulaski County, Radford City.

Housing Affordability and Insecurity Affordable housing can free up funds for nutritious food, child care and other goods and services. This infographic represents the wage needed to afford “fair market rent,” as compared to the actual mean wage of workers in their county of residence. In Montgomery County, the mean renter wage is almost half the hourly wage needed to afford a “fair market” rental.

Source: NLIHC, Out of Reach

Estimation of Housing Affordability Housing Availability at Income Level % of Population Maximum Income Level At Income Mortgage Radford Level Amount Floyd Giles City Pulaski Montgomery Less than $10,000 10.80% $33,301 0 1 11 8 2 $10,000 to $14,999 7% $57,220 0 11 4 14 2 $15,000 to $24,999 12% $105,067 10 19 5 17 26 $25,000 to $34,999 9% $152,915 8 6 21 8 29 $35,000 to $49,999 16.60% $224,686 7 4 17 5 11 $50,000 to $74,999 19% $344,304 8 7 18 2 65 Source: Housing Virginia and homes.com listings *Mortgage calculation assumes the borrowed amount is 95% of the purchase price (otherwise, assumes a 5% down payment) amortized over 30 years or 360 equal payments with a fixed interest rate at 3.47%.

The accepted maximum amount that a family can afford to spend for housing is 30% of their income. The numbers above show the maximum amount that a household can afford to pay in the New River Valley area and the amount of housing (listed on homes.com) currently available broken down by income level.

These maps show the affordability of the average sold unit based on the median household income of owners in the New River Valley. More intense red coloring indicates a higher index (meaning a family needs a larger percent of household income for housing). For example, it takes 22.6% of an average Floyd County homeowners income to afford a typical home (based on the Principal, Source above and below: Compiled by Housing Virginia Interest, Taxes, and Homeowner’s Insurance (PITI) payment for the median unit sold). It takes 59.4% of an average renter’s income to afford to rent in Radford City.

Housing Cost Burden A household is cost-burdened when paying more than 30% of their household income for housing. As of 2014, three out of ten households in Virginia are housing cost-burdened, up from two out of ten in 2000. The increase in housing cost burden has excessively affected one age group more than any others: seniors. Households reaching and passing retirement age are struggling to pay off their mortgages. The total number of seniors with mortgages increased by over 202,000 between 2000 and 2014. Rural Virginia accounted for 63% of this growth (Meeting Housing Needs in Rural Virginia: Trends, 2016).

Estimation of Housing Cost Burden by Year Housing Cost Burden 55.0% County 2016 50.0% 2nd Quarter 45.0% 40.0% Floyd 24.9% 35.0% Giles 32.6% 30.0% 39.7% 25.0% Pulaski 20.0% Montgomery 47.6% 15.0% Radford City 58.7% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford City

Sources: U.S. Census, American Community Survey and Virginia Tech Center for Housing Research

According to 2014 data from www.housingvirginia.org, for all levels of income, in Montgomery County, almost 48% of renters pay more than 30% of their income toward housing costs, referred to as being “housing cost‐burdened,” or “rent‐burdened.” This number is even higher in Radford, with more than 58% of renters paying over 30% of their income. For Floyd, Giles, and Pulaski, the percentage of housing cost‐burdened renters is lower, at 24.9%, 32.6%, and 39.7 %, respectively. Rural costs are not surprising, given that median rent in these counties is substantially lower than in Montgomery County and Radford.

Housing Choice Vouchers The City of Radford and Pembroke Management, Inc. administer the Housing Choice program. The Housing Choice Voucher Program provides housing assistance to low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled. The Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) receives funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Pembroke Management administers 878 vouchers, of which 849 are in the New River Valley: Floyd 21; Giles 139; Montgomery 320; and Pulaski 363. The City of Radford administers 114 vouchers. Housing Choice Vouchers are portable, meaning if a household decided to move to another locality including out of the area they would be able to take the voucher with them. In the NRV, 786 households (out of 1,466 applicants) are on the waiting lists for the Voucher program, which is opened once or twice a year.

Under this program, households pay only 30% or their income towards rental units, and the remaining balance is covered by the voucher and paid directly to the landlord.

Fair Market Rents 2017 County Efficiency One Bedroom Two Bedroom Three Bedroom Four Bedroom Floyd $518 $549 $633 $792 $1,115 Giles $443 $522 $659 $838 $1,131 Montgomery $664 $763 $880 $1,278 $1,551 Pulaski $522 $552 $637 $817 $1,122 Radford City $664 $763 $880 $1,278 $1,551 Source: FY 2017 Fair Market Rent Documentation System

Housing Assistance Many communities rely on a Housing Authority to develop “public housing.” Housing Authorities are a branch of local government typically found in major cities. Housing Authorities access funding for their projects directly from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Localities in the New River Valley do not have this resource available. Without the deep subsidies available from HUD to local housing authorities, a mix of funding is accessed to build and develop affordable housing by local non- profits, developers, and corporations. While the New River Valley has no public housing, there is a mix of units that have covenants attached and require the facility owner to lease to “low-income“ households based on eligibility requirements determined by the source of funding. Households whose income is significantly less hope to access the Housing Choice Voucher Program, as they will only be spending 30% of their income on housing. NEED/ SUPPLY of Lower-Income Rental Housing Estimation 6881 ‘NEED’ – Number of lower-income 2000 renter households who are cost 1387 1500 burdened (pay over 30% of income for housing) 835 1000 ‘SUPPLY’ – Number of lower-income

1449 613 380 1257 385 assisted

500 246 113 rental units in the county 0

Need Supply

Source: Compiled by Housing Virginia

Housing assistance lifts an estimated 88,000 people in Virginia above the poverty line. In total, federal rental assistance helps 220,000 Virginians keep a roof over their heads; many other families eligible for assistance do not receive it due to funding limitations. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2016) • The “Low-Income Housing Tax Credit” is one of the most valuable resources for creating affordable houses. The LIHTC encourages individual and corporate investors to invest in the development, Source: Data compiled by Housing Virginia rehabilitation and/or acquisition of low-income housing. “Low-Income Project-Based” units serve households with income between 30% • Section 8, also known as the and 60% of area median income. ”Low-Income Project-Based” include those Housing Choice Voucher Program, rentals assisted through the following federal low-income housing project- based subsidies: 1) HUD Programs — Public Housing, Section 8, Section 202, allows private landlords to rent fair Section 236 and Section 221d3 BMIR; 2) USDA Rural Development Programs — market homes or apartments to Section 515 Interest Credit; and 3) IRS Programs — Low-Income Housing Tax qualified low-income tenants, with Credits, and AMT Bonds. a rental subsidy. Section 8 covers Rentals under both the “Extremely Low-Income Project-Based” and “Extremely Low-Income Vouchers” serve households with income at or below 30% of area rents exceeding the 30% guideline. median income. “Extremely Low-Income Project-Based” include those rentals • Section 202 expands affordable assisted through the following federal project-based rent or operating housing and assistive services for subsidies: 1) HUD Programs — Public Housing Operating Subsidies; Section 8 the elderly. HUD provides capital rent and similar HUD rent subsidies; and Section 202 PRAC; and 2) USDA Rural advances to finance the Development Programs — Section 515 Rental Assistance. “Extremely Low- Income Vouchers” are tenant-based deep rental subsidized units. construction, rehabilitation or acquisition of structures that will serve as supportive housing for very low-income elderly persons, including the frail elderly and provides rent subsidies for the projects to help make them affordable. • Section 811 is a supportive housing program that assists the lowest income people with significant and long-term disabilities. It links affordable housing with voluntary services and support. • The Section 236 Rental Assistance Program provided new and rehabilitated rental housing to low and moderate-income tenants. HUD subsidized the interest on an owner's mortgage. HUD set a basic rent, and the tenant paid at least either the basic rent or 30% of income, whichever was higher. Section 236 has been effective in providing housing for moderate income families during a period when the supply of moderately-priced rentals has been shrinking. However, section 236 construction is complete, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) refused to make new commitments under the program.

Weatherization Through the federally funded Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Development, Community Housing Partnership (CHP) provides help with weatherization, crisis heating equipment, and cooling equipment to low-income households, particularly for households with seniors, individuals with disabilities, and families with children. Weatherization is crucial in the New River Valley because of the housing age (more wear and tear) and the cold winter conditions. Also, low-income renters tend to live in substandard housing, which is more expensive than modern, safe housing in that the homes are less energy efficient. Substandard housing leads already burdened households to paying higher utility bills every month to stay warm.

Source: Community Housing Partnership Program Data 2015-2016

Homelessness Homelessness, at any level, is a complex issue requiring great coordination and collaboration. This issue is particularly true in rural and transitional areas, where the nature of homelessness is often less visible than in urban areas with many public spaces and a variety of service providers. Both literal homelessness and housing insecurity must be addressed to end homelessness. Data on the state of the former are easier to come by, though still Point In Time Counts incomplete, through the yearly Point in 2014 2015 2016 Time (PIT) count. Total Surveys 55 38 41 Annually, the New River Community Action participates in the Point In Time Children 36 12 20 Count. This event is a counting of all Adults 54 47 45 identified persons who are homeless on a Total Homeless Persons 90 59 65 specific night of the year, which is typically the last Wednesday night in the Transitional Shelter 20 11 17 month of January. The event provides a Emergency Shelter 52 44 46 snapshot of homelessness in the New Unsheltered 18 4 2 River Valley. Total Persons 90 59 65 Take these numbers with several caveats. First, of course, is that they provide only one night’s data for the state Last Place of Residence of homelessness in the area. Secondly, Floyd 8 4 2 unsheltered counts in more rural areas Giles 2 0 6 are difficult to obtain, as residential areas Montgomery 37 16 32 and public spaces are more spread out, Pulaski 14 4 12 making an already‐difficult task even Radford 8 2 1 harder. Finally, the NRV has only recently Out of Area 12 8 8 moved toward full participation among shelters, and so the 2011 numbers may be Unknown 9 25 4 low, for comparison’s sake. For more Total 90 59 65 information on homelessness in the New River Valley, see Attachment C, Ending Primary Reason for Homelessness Homelessness. Domestic Violence 36% 26% 19% The New River Valley Housing Unemployed/under employed 13% 39% 12% Partnership participates as a Balance of Eviction 4% 11% 17% State Planning Group in the State of Virginia Continuum of Care. Three agencies in the New River Valley utilize Disability Status Rapid Rehousing funds to help the Mental/Behavioral Health 36% 5% 7% homeless become sheltered. In the year Physical disability 20% 2% 3% 2015, 228 households accessed assistance Long term diagnosed illness 5% 0% 0% through the Virginia Homeless Solutions Program in the Valley. Eighty-eight of Employment Status these households had children in them. Employed 25% 50% 35% Unemployed 62% 21% 58% Unknown 7% 29% 10% Source: 2014, 2015, 2016 Point In Time Survey Overview, PITC Committee NRCA

PROJECT HOPE (EDUCATION FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN AND Project HOPE NRV, a partner of NRCA, is a regional YOUTH) CLIENTS BY HOUSING program for Homeless Education. It ensures the SITUATION success of homeless children 2015-2016 and youth in schools. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Total 271 42 22 5 Improvements Act of 2001 Radford 43 8 funds Project Hope. This chart Pulaski 42 26 5 displays the housing situations of their clients. Of the 340 Montgomery 153 16 9 5 homeless individuals Project Giles 15 Hope assisted, 75 were Floyd 18 unaccompanied minors.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Doubled Up in Homes Hotel/Motel In Homeless Shelter Unsheltered

Homeless Shelters Serving Persons/Households in the NRV Emergency Shelter

NRFS (families only) 30 beds

WRC (Women and Children) 26 beds Transitional Housing WRC (1 one-bdrm; 4 two-bdrm; 2 three-bdrm) 7 units

Winter shelters Warming Station (5 men/5 women) below 40 degrees at night 10 beds

To Our House (men only) November - March 14 beds

Other 's providing shelter Grace Episcopal (women only) 2 beds Hope House (one studio; one 1 bedroom) 2 units NRCA (couples only. Amount varies 0 to 6 persons per week contract hotel) Permanent Supportive Housing 0 beds and 0 units

While the New River Valley has lost transitional housing units (approximately 20 units between 2011 and 2013), the community has developed other emergency shelter units. The faith-based community operates three of the new emergency shelters. These new shelters provide 26 new beds for persons. Two of the sites are gender specific. One site will take both men and women.

Section V: Education

Educational Attainment

Educational Attainment 2010-2014 Estimates for the New River Valley

11% No High School Diploma 14% High School 15% Some College 10% 31% 19% Associates Bachelors Graduate or Professional

Geographic No High High Some Associates Bachelors Graduate or Area School School College Professional Diploma Only Floyd 16.% 35.4% 20.8% 8.6% 12.1% 6.0% Giles 17.1% 40.0% 19.5% 8.6% 9.5% 6.3% Montgomery 8.7% 21.8% 16.3% 7.4% 23.2% 22.5% Pulaski 16.0% 34.2% 21.5% 10.5% 11.4% 6.4% Radford City 10.7% 22.6% 19.0% 12.3% 20.7% 14.8% Virginia 11.7% 24.8% 19.9% 7.3% 21.0% 15.4% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

According to research completed by Arizona State University in October 2005, education has always been a route to social mobility in the United States, and a college education is increasingly important in achieving economic security. Higher education provides considerable value to individuals, the economies where educated individuals work and live and society in general. Earnings are strongly related to educational attainment. People who have completed high school earn more than those who have not; people with a bachelor’s degree earn more than those with only a high school diploma and those with a graduate education earn more than those with only an undergraduate education. Average

earnings of individuals with a bachelor’s degree are 75% higher than the earnings of high school graduates. Societal benefits of a workforce with greater educational attainment and skills lead to enhanced worker productivity. Non-monetary societal benefits in regions of higher college graduates include lower crime rates and greater and more informed civic participation. In 2015, almost nine out of ten adults (88%) nationwide had at least a high school diploma or GED, while nearly one in three adults held a bachelor’s degree. In the New River Valley, approximately one in six adults hold bachelor’s degrees, and almost nine out of ten adults (86%) have at least a high school diploma or GED. Nearly two-thirds (65.8%) of NRCA clients have at least a high school diploma/GED. Just over one in every three clients served by New River Community Action had no high school diploma or higher educational attainment. New River Community Action Clients: Educational Level Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford City

0-8th Grade 6% 5% 7% 5% 7% 9-12th Grade 27% 30% 25% 29% 30% High School Grad/GED 50% 56% 46% 56% 40% Some Post-Secondary Education 12% 7% 14% 8% 15% 2 or 4-year College 5% 2% 8% 2% 8%

NRCA Clients Educational Attainment Estimation of Individuals 60% Lacking Literacy Skills

50% Radford City 40%

30% Pulaski 20%

10% Montgomery 0%

Giles

Floyd

0% 5% 10% 15% Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford City Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates Table and Graph Source: NRCA Client Database 2015-2016

Veterans

Veteran Education % No % High % Some % Bachelors Attainment Diploma School College Estimation or Higher Diploma Diploma Diploma Floyd County, VA 15.66% 38.58% 32.60% 13.17% Giles County, VA 15.56% 40.52% 30.61% 13.31% Montgomery County, VA 13.31% 18.59% 26.15% 41.96% Pulaski County, VA 14.72% 31.27% 39.09% 14.92% Radford City, VA 10.85% 17.51% 41.10% 30.54% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Nearly nine in ten (85.98%) Veterans in the New River Valley have at least a high school diploma or GED, and just over one in five Veterans hold a bachelor’s degree.

Kindergarten Readiness Virginia’s definition of school readiness describes the capabilities of children, families, schools, and communities that promote student success in kindergarten and beyond (VA Department of Education). Each component – children, families, schools, and communities – play an essential role in developing school readiness. Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) is the state-provided screening tool for Virginia Early Intervention Reading Initiative. The purpose is to reduce the number of children with reading problems through early diagnosis and immediate intervention. One in four children in Pulaski is not ready to begin Kindergarten when they are enrolled. This figure is almost true for Giles County as well (23.4%).

Kindergarteners with Fall PALS-K Scores below Kindergarten Readiness Levels Location AY 2011 - 12 AY 2012 - 13 AY 2013 - 14 AY 2014 - 15 AY 2015 - 16 Floyd 11.30% 13.50% 16.40% 10.30% 14.50% Giles 18.30% 28.00% 29.70% 26.70% 23.40%

Montgomery 13.30% 17.10% 16.40% 16.30% 17.30%

Pulaski 18.20% 19.00% 22.60% 20.60% 25.30% Radford 14.70% 20.80% 22.20% 18.00% 16.50% Source: Kids Count Data

The basic principles of neuroscience indicate that providing Access to Preschool Services supportive conditions for early childhood development is more 150 effective and less costly than attempting to address the 100 176 consequences of early adversity later (Economic, Neurobiological, and 50 111 92 76 Behavioural Perspectives on Building 32 33 56 23 24 18 America's Future Workforce, 2006). 0 How parents shape home environments affect children’s outcomes (Leila Morsy, Five Social Disadvantages That Depress Student Head Start 4 Year Olds Receiving Services from VPI Performance: Why Schools Alone Can’t Close Achievement Gaps , 2015). Parents who read to their children, parents with more educational background and the availability of books can have a positive impact on a child’s readiness for Kindergarten. Source: Kids Count Data and NRCA Client Database July 2016- Nov 2016

Head Start

Thirteen classes operated from September 2015 Head Start Enrollment to June 2016 with 369 children enrolled and 150 children were projected to begin kindergarten the Fiscal Year 15/16 following year. Fifty-five children left the program any time after classes or home visits began and did not return to the program. NRCA provided 12 transportation services to 335 children. Fifty children had Individualized Education Plans. During this period, 18 children experienced homelessness. 174 High-quality early childhood care and education centers provide intellectually stimulating 183 environments that disadvantaged children may miss at home. (Leila Morsy, Five Social Disadvantages That Depress Student Performance, 2015)

2 Years 3 Years 4 Years

Source: NRCA Data 2015-2016

Special Education Of the 369 children served by Head Start Services, 34 had a Speech and Language Disability, 7 had Developmental Delays, 5 had Autism, and 4 had other health impairments. Head Start referred 35 students to outside resources for evaluation and diagnosis of disabilities. In the year 2015-2016, 13.5% of children served had a disability and/or IEP. The chart below shows the number of children who are potentially eligible for services. Head Start serves any child with disabilities and children whose family incomes are at or below 130% of the poverty guideline. County A B C D E F Population Population Population % of Population Children in 3 to 5 HS under 5 3 to 5 Population under 3 up NRV Age disabled estimated under 5 to 5 potentially Eligible to be Years Old estimated eligible for disabled estimated to be Head Start to be in income- poverty eligible for head start Floyd 733 2.50% 18 5.00% 37 55 Giles 899 6.70% 60 7.10% 64 124 Montgomery 4,488 3.50% 157 21.00% 943 1,100 Pulaski 1,556 2.10% 32 27.70% 431 463 Radford 736 12.60% 92 15.50% 114 206 TOTAL 8,412 359 1,589 1,948 Source: See page 81 The graph to the left represents the number of Special Education Children 3 to children with disabilities actively enrolled in 5 years old Enrolled in Individualized Education Plans in the New River Public School Divisions. School division pre-school Individualized Education Plans enrollment reports provide this information. This 100.00% 77.50% shows the percent of preschool children ages 3-5 80.00% 53.01% 52.50% 60.00% with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) who 40.00% 17.50% 10.81% received special education and related services in 20.00% 0.00% settings with typically developing peers (e.g., early childhood settings, home, and part-time early childhood/part-time early childhood special education settings). In Giles County, only 10% of Preschoolers with IEPs participate in special education services in a setting with other developing Total Number of Students with peers. IEP's in each school division 2015-2016 The graph to the left shows the number of 199 192 students with Individualized Education Plans in each 275 school division. 519 563

Sources: Virginia Department of Education, Special Education Reports 2014-2015 Radford City Pulaski Montgomery Giles Floyd

Virginias’ target is 56.39% of students with IEP’s graduating with a high school diploma. Only Floyd County met and surpassed this goal.

Students with IEP’s Graduation and Drop Out Rates for the Year 2014-2015 Topic Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford City

Percent of youth with IEPs graduating with a High School Diploma 61.54% 30.30% 50.85% 38.89% 27.27% Students with disabilities grades 7-12 who dropped out 0.00% 1.13% 1.50% 2.51% 0.00% Source: Virginia Department of Education, Special Education Reports 2014-2015

High School Drop-Out Rates

High School Graduation Percentages

All Students % Economically Economically Disadvantaged Disadvantaged % at Any Time % Floyd County Four-Year On-Time Graduation Rate 92.7 88.5 87.9 Drop-Out Rate 6.7 9.6 10.6 Giles County Four-Year On-Time Graduation Rate 87.2 88.4 81.4 Drop-Out Rate 11.3 8.7 16.7 Montgomery County Four-Year On-Time Graduation Rate 95 87.5 88.3 Drop-Out Rate 3.9 10.3 9.3

Pulaski County Four-Year On-Time Graduation Rate 95.1 91.9 92 Drop-Out Rate 3.7 6.7 6.3

Radford City County Four-Year On-Time Graduation Rate 95.8 89.8 91.9 Drop-Out Rate 3.3 8.2 6.5 Source: Virginia Dept. of Education School Report Cards

Adult Education First-Time in College Enrollment 2015-2016

62 38 36 44

259

Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford

Source: State Council for Higher Education in Virginia

Workforce Investment Opportunity Act

In July 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) was signed into law, replacing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which had governed the public workforce system since 1998. WIOA encourages states to better support more disadvantaged adults and youths by addressing barriers to success, such as child care needs for those in education and training. (Spaulding, 2015) The chart below displays the number of participants in WIOA training in the New River Valley.

Number Enrolled in 2016 WIOA Program by Enrollee Type

Section VI: Employment

Workforce and Barriers

Access to better-paying jobs, and job training services are a community-wide issue confronting the New River Valley every year. These challenges emerge in every survey NRCA has conducted, every key informant and community meeting, and every staff meeting. Identifying the barriers to employment for low-income individuals can help NRCA better serve our clients and community.

Civilian Workforce 2015

60,000 Education and training, 50,008 affordable child care and 50,000 transportation are the most common barriers to low-income 40,000 individuals’ employment. Nationally, of the 21 million parents who are low-income, 30,000 almost three out of five (58%) have low education levels (a 20,000 16,461 high school credential or less). Only about one in ten low- 8,487 10,000 8,340 8,069 income parent’s reports being enrolled in some form of - education and training. (Gina Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford City Adams, 2015)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Beyond the issues that often come with being low-income, parents must also try and find, arrange and pay for childcare. A lack of child care can make it difficult for low-income parents to invest time in improving their work skills through training or education activities. None of the public funding streams for child care or early education are sufficient to meet the needs of eligible families, though the gap between needs and services can vary across states (Gina Adams, 2015).

Unemployment Trends Unemployment ranges from 3.7% to 5.6% compared to Virginia’s 4.2% for the year 2016. Throughout the United States, Unemployment Rates 2015 unemployment rates have been decreasing. In 2014, the average Floyd 4.00% unemployment rate for the U.S. 6.2%, while the rate for Virginia was Giles 5.10% 5.2%. All counties within the New River Valley service area indicate a Montgomery 4.30% similar trend in decreasing unemployment rates; in Floyd County, Pulaski 5.00% the rate is lower than that of Virginia. Radford City 5.60% Virginia 4.40%

Source: Virginia LMI Community Profiles

Unemployment Rate Trends

12.00%

10.90% 11.10% 10.00%

8.00% 7.00% 7.40% 6.40% 6.00% 6.10% 5.50% 5.60% 5.00%

4.00% 4.00%

2.00%

0.00% 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford City Virginia

Source: Virginia LMI Community Profiles

The impact of unemployment extends beyond families and individuals to communities and neighborhoods. High unemployment and poverty go hand in hand, and the characteristics of poor neighborhoods amplify the impact of unemployment (Wilson, 1996). While it is expected that unemployment rates will continue to drop as they have in the past five years, in recent months, there has been a tug of war between a lower unemployment rate and an increase in labor force participation. For instance, last month (December 2016), the drop in the number of unemployed workers was mostly due to a fall in the size of the labor force. As the economy gains strength, more would-be workers are expected to return (or enter) the labor market as job prospects improve (Gould, 2017).

Underemployment

Source: Virginia LMI Community Profiles

The Bureau of Labor Statistics excludes underemployed individuals from their data. Five different types of underemployment have been identified: Discouraged workers- individuals who are not employed, and have been seeking work but discontinued the search due to the belief that there are no jobs available, or none for which they would qualify. Marginally Attached Workers- individuals who would be counted as discouraged workers, but are not currently looking for work due to unaffordable child care or transportation problems. Part-time Workers for Economic Reasons- this includes seasonal workers, or individuals working part time due to favorable business conditions and inability to find full-time employment. Multiple Job Holders- employed persons with multiple jobs. These people could be available for one full-time job if offered the opportunity, with which comes better benefits and outcomes for the individual. Underutilized Workers- workers who are in jobs that do not sufficiently use their skills, or workers that are underpaid compared to their contribution to the company.

Employment Growth New Start-Up Firms New companies are the primary 2007- 2nd Qtr 2016 source of job creation in the Radford American Economy. Representing 120 95% of all U.S. companies (Peter N. 100 Pulaski 80 Gal, 2014), businesses with fewer 60 than fifty employees are 40 Montgomery undoubtedly important to overall 20 0 Giles economic strength. “Many young 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 firms exhibit an “up or out” dynamic, in which innovative and Floyd successful firms grow rapidly and become a wellspring of job and economic growth, or quickly fail Source: Virginia LMI Community Profiles and exit the market, allowing capital to be put to more productive uses.” (John C. Haltiwanger, 2012)

Earnings Throughout Time

Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford City

Average Average Average Average Average Etablish Wage Per Job Etablish Wage Per Job Etablish Wage Per Job Etablish Wage Per Job Etablish Wage Per Job Jobs Jobs Jobs Jobs Jobs ments (Adjusted for ments (Adjusted for ments (Adjusted for ments (Adjusted for ments (Adjusted for CPI Inflation) CPI Inflation) CPI Inflation) CPI Inflation) CPI Inflation) Year 2001 278 2404 $ 30,693 335 5083 $ 38,854 1858 35718 $ 37,943 701 14704 $ 37,783 383 7400 $ 41,177 2002 281 2558 $ 29,432 335 4932 $ 39,127 1892 37254 $ 38,604 700 14066 $ 39,343 365 6793 $ 41,919 2003 280 2581 $ 29,632 332 4849 $ 39,433 1891 37318 $ 38,352 684 14729 $ 39,228 359 6571 $ 41,315 2004 293 2701 $ 30,258 330 4982 $ 38,756 1936 37767 $ 38,983 680 14666 $ 40,050 354 6481 $ 39,552 2005 301 2850 $ 29,734 333 5041 $ 38,520 1969 38066 $ 39,427 701 15254 $ 39,930 365 6556 $ 40,334 2006 303 2804 $ 29,666 328 5024 $ 38,617 1980 38293 $ 40,212 708 15303 $ 41,356 365 6765 $ 41,649 2007 352 2894 $ 28,686 348 4851 $ 36,726 2107 38893 $ 41,990 715 14483 $ 38,917 356 6706 $ 40,919 2008 376 2817 $ 28,113 363 4800 $ 37,436 2210 40042 $ 39,815 734 13318 $ 37,066 354 6524 $ 42,258 2009 387 2765 $ 28,686 367 4721 $ 39,331 2219 39764 $ 40,357 738 11757 $ 35,052 350 6035 $ 43,073 2010 390 2784 $ 28,417 362 4681 $ 39,507 2186 39117 $ 40,374 748 11250 $ 35,798 347 5954 $ 43,307 2011 394 2850 $ 28,064 355 4816 $ 38,718 2151 39221 $ 39,615 738 12255 $ 36,997 349 6072 $ 42,821 2012 408 2907 $ 27,761 366 4794 $ 38,878 2168 39656 $ 40,441 747 12886 $ 35,952 349 6132 $ 43,546 2013 403 2894 $ 28,233 366 4670 $ 38,172 2149 40373 $ 39,887 749 13122 $ 36,968 326 5994 $ 42,052 2014 397 2933 $ 28,700 356 4571 $ 39,237 2142 40626 $ 40,653 748 13642 $ 38,314 314 5784 $ 42,384 2015 410 3011 $ 29,334 373 4590 $ 38,926 2217 41394 $ 41,501 749 14342 $ 37,776 319 5816 $ 42,894 14 Year 132 607 -$1,359 38 -493 $ 72 359 5676 $ 3,558 48 -362 -$7.00 -64 -1584 $ 1,717 Change

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, and BLS CPI Inflation Calculation

Major Employers

Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford City Virginia Polytechnic Floyd County School Volvo Group North Celanese Acetate Institute and State Radford University Board America Inc. University Montgomery Hollingsworth and Giles County School Pulaski County Kollmorgen County School Vose Company Board School Board Corporation Board Carilion New River Strengthening Our Shaw Maintenance Valley Medical Wal-Mart Radford University System Inc. Inc. Center Giles Memorial Bae Systems New River Radford City School County of Floyd Hospital Ordnance Systems Community College Board

Phoenix Packaging Wall Residences County of Giles Moog Inc. City of Radford Operations

New River Valley Pyrotechnique by Bank of Floyd Wal Mart Valley Staffing Inc. Community Services Grucci

Riverbend Nursery Echosphere HCA Virginia Health Radford Nursing & Heritage Hall LLC Corporation System Rehabilitation

Skyline Nursing & General Electric HCA Virginia Health U.S. Department of Moog Inc. Rehabilitation Company System Defense

Chemical Lime Federal Mogul ADP Totalsource De Chateau Morrisette County of Pulaski Company Group Iv Inc.

Citizens' Telephone Greenbrier Kroger New River Regional Macado's Inc. Co-operative Engineering Jail

Source: Virginia LMI Community Profiles

Source: Virginia LMI Data

Manufacturing, Local Government, and Retail Trade are the top three industries in Giles County. Local Government, Healthcare and Social Assistance, Retail, and Manufacturing are the top four industries in Floyd County.

Source: Virginia LMI Data

State Government, Retail, and Manufacturing are the top three industries in Montgomery County. Manufacturing, Local Government and Retail Trade are the top three industries in Pulaski County. State Government, Manufacturing and Accommodation and Food Service are the top three industries in Radford City.

Manufacturing Layoffs and Cessation

Manufacturing continues to be a major sector of employment in the New River Valley. Even with its importance and value to the community, there have been several reductions in manufacturing businesses. Closings, Reductions, Layoffs (7/2014 to Date) Date Type Company Product/Service Employees Affected 7/1/2014 Closing Caterpillar Global Customer service 45 Mining* center for mining equipment manufacturer 2/5/2016 Layoffs Volvo Trucks Manufacturer of 734 North America* Volvo Trucks 9/30/2016 Layoffs Volvo Trucks Manufacturer of 300 North America* Volvo Trucks 2/13/2017 Layoffs Volvo Trucks Manufacturer of 500 North America* Volvo Trucks 5/1/2017 Closing Nordson Xaloy Manufactures 146 syringe barrels for plastics industry *= company has headquarters in another country Source: Virginia Economic Development Partnership

From 1999 to 2015, the New River Valley lost more than 13,000 jobs (see table on page 51). Most of the losses were in the manufacturing of textiles, furniture, and phone equipment. Foundries closed that produced parts for vehicles. The Valley experienced the same economic structural changes experienced across the United States. Textile factories closed as manufacturers took jobs overseas for cheaper production costs. AT&T closed their phone equipment factory in 1999 and moved those jobs to Mexico. At the same time, many middle-income white collar jobs disappeared. Game changers, like computers and software systems, eliminated jobs that were administrative support positions. As jobs closed, they were not replaced with jobs offering good pay and benefits, but with service related jobs. In rural southern communities, workers earned less and frequently multiple family members worked at the same factory. Subsequently, closures created localized issues. The loss of the industries left a big gap in local economies. These events revealed the “hollowing out of the middle-class”: middle-income jobs disappearing and not being replaced by similar types of employment over the last 40 years. The new higher-income jobs have been in technology. Service jobs have not paid as well because they are typically considered entry level jobs. In the New River Valley, we have seen a serious gap in skills and labor for the technology jobs available.

Jobs Lost to Reductions and Closings Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford Total 2016 1,034 1,034 2014 45 279 480 804

2013 124 300 264 688 2012 25 52 77 2009 935 265 1,200 2008 854 854 2007 1,677 1,677 2006 119 119 2005 300 340 640 2004 415 415 2003 638 432 1,070 2002 188 50 150 388 2001 202 673 270 1,145 2000 165 65 837 275 1,342 1995-1999 160 142 100 1,101 160 1,663 Total 325 611 859 9,505 1,816 13,116 Source: Virginia Economic Development Partnership

Employment Resources

Virginia Employment Commission (Radford City) is a workforce development center. As a partner in the Virginia Workforce Network, VEC assists employers in finding qualified workers and assists workers in finding suitable jobs. Valley Staffing (Pulaski County), Bright Services (Pulaski and Montgomery Counties), Express Personnel (Montgomery County), At Work (Radford City and Pulaski County) and Manpower (Montgomery County) provide workforce staffing solutions to employers in the NRV. Goodwill Industries of the Valleys (NRV Wide) assists youth, adults and older workers in overcoming barriers to employment. Goodwill provides job seeking services, financial literacy services, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Programs, and other vocational training services. Giles County Technology Center Career and Technical Center offers students career pathways to achieve their goals of employment and further education.

Commuter Travel Patterns

Inadequate or unaffordable transportation is a significant hurdle for residents in rural areas. No sources of public transportation run 24 hours a day. Of the available public transportation, no routes connect regionally, and many of the routes run only two times a day. Floyd and Giles Counties lack public transportation utterly. If an individual cannot afford reliable transportation, they have no other means of transport. Rural residents often need to commute to other cities and towns for employment. As you can see in the table below (Travel Time to Work), 67% of workers in Floyd County travel over 20 minutes to their workplace. If an individual has inadequate or unreliable transportation, their employment opportunities are significantly limited.

Method of Transportation to Work 5% 4% 3% In the New River Valley 10%

Drive Alone Carpool Public Transportation 78% Walk/Bicycle Work at Home

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Travel Time to Work

Travel times for workers is shown below for the New River Valley region. Travel time affects a person’s free time. The more time spent traveling to and from work, the less time for family, religious, educational pursuits, and community involvement such as volunteerism. When these aspects of life are limited, families suffer.

Travel Time to Work in Minutes

Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford County County County County City Less than 32.9% 42.9% 62.6% 51.6% 62.5% 5 to 19 20 to 39 31.5% 35.7% 29% 36.1% 29.4% 40 to 60 21.4% 16.5% 5.7% 6.8% 4.4% 61 to 90 14.2% 4.7% 2.7% 5.2% 3.7% or more Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Commuter Locations

As displayed to the right, Floyd, which is a rural town, has the highest percentage of “Out- Commuters,” followed closely by Giles. Many commuters travel to Roanoke City, but a few drive to the Richmond Area and Northern Virginia. Many of New River Valley residents travel to Montgomery and Roanoke Counties. Montgomery County is the top “out- commuting” location.

Source above and below: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Virginia LMI Community Profiles

Section VII: Income Income Levels

Virginia ranks 11th in the nation in 2015 for a per capital person income of $52,052. The median household income for Virginia was $66,262. Statewide measurements of income are significantly higher than those in the New River Valley. Interestingly, in 2014, the per capita income in the Appalachian area was $33,507. Household Income Levels 2015 Radford Income Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski City Total Households 6,271 7,230 35,199 14,619 5,477 Less than $10,000 6.60% 4.70% 11.60% 7.90% 23.50% $10,000 to $14,999 6.30% 7.30% 6.40% 5.80% 10.10% $15,000 to $24,999 11.00% 13.90% 12.60% 11.50% 11.40% $25,000 to $34,999 9.40% 9.90% 7.90% 11.00% 7.90% $35,000 to $49,999 18.70% 18.80% 14.10% 15.80% 15.70% $50,000 to $74,999 22.20% 21.90% 16.60% 21.80% 13.40% $75,000 to $99,999 11.60% 10.00% 10.90% 12.30% 6.80% $100,000 to $149,999 11.20% 9.60% 11.50% 9.10% 8.50% $150,000 to $199,999 7.00% 0.90% 3.60% 3.10% 1.30% $200,000 or more 2.40% 2.90% 4.80% 1.70% 1.40%

Median Income 48,005 46,390 46,663 47,495 29,912 (dollars) Per Capita Income 23,885 25,241 25,368 25,556 15,556 (dollars) Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

NRCA Client Income

This chart to the left shows the various income sources for New River Community Action clients. Most NRCA clients are reliant upon TANF benefits (50%), and many have no income at all (45%). While most NRCA clients remain below the poverty level, there are many different sources of income contributing to their household budgets. This data is from New River Community Action client database for years 2015 and 2016.

Cost of Living The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) conducts research and analysis on the economic status of working America. The data from EPI portrays a compelling picture of the income levels a two adult/two child family needs to be comfortable in the New River Valley.

Monthly Costs

For two adults and two children

Blacksburg/ Rural Virginia Christiansburg/ Radford, VA metro area HOUSING $716 $677 FOOD $782 $782

$1,076 $921 CHILD CARE TRANSPORTATION $608 $723 HEALTH CARE $868 $796 OTHER NECESSITIES $724 $705

$639 $584 TAXES MONTHLY TOTAL $5,413 $5,188 ANNUAL TOTAL $64,955 $62,257 Source: EPI’s 2015 Family Budget Calculator

The following is an excerpt from the Economic Policy Institutes “What Families Need to Get By” regarding their methodology and research. For a comprehensive discussion of the EPI’s methods and data sources, see Gould et al. (2015b). “Housing costs are based on the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) fair market rents, or FMRs (HUD 2014). FMRs represent rents (shelter rent plus utilities) at the 40th percentile (i.e., the dollar amount below which 40% of standard quality rental units are rented) for privately owned, structurally safe, and sanitary rental housing of a modest nature with suitable amenities. Rents for studio apartments were used for one-person families, one-bedroom apartments were used for two-adult families, two-bedroom apartments were used for families with one or two children, and three-bedroom apartments were used for families with three or four children (based on HUD guidelines). Food costs are based on the “low-cost plan” taken from the Department of Agriculture Report Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home at Four Levels (USDA 2014). This plan is the second-least-expensive of four types of food plans and assumes almost all food is bought at the grocery store and then prepared at home. The USDA food plans represent the amount families need to spend to achieve nutritionally adequate diets. Transportation expenses are based on the costs of owning and operating a car for work and other necessary trips. The National Household Travel Survey (FHA 2009) is used to derive costs based on average miles driven per month by the size of the metropolitan statistical area or rural area and multiplied by the cost per mile, as provided by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS 2013). Child care expenses are based on costs of center-based child care and family-based care for 4-year- olds and school-age children, as reported by the Child Care Aware of America annual report on the cost

of child care by state (CCAA 2014). We assume all families in urban areas utilize center-based care and all families in rural areas utilize family-based care. Health care expenses have two components: Affordable Care Act insurance premiums and out-of- pocket expenditures. Premiums are based on the lowest-cost bronze plan in the rating area, adjusted for family size, the age of the user, and tobacco surcharge (Kaiser 2014). For the family budgets, all members of the family are assumed to be non-smokers, and all adults are assumed to be 40 years old. Out-of-pocket medical expenditures are calculated for adults and children separately by region and are differentiated between metropolitan statistical areas and non–metropolitan statistical areas for those covered by private insurance (HHS 2014). EPI’s basic family budgets include the costs of other necessities such as apparel, entertainment, personal care expenses, household supplies (including furnishings and equipment, household operations, housekeeping supplies, and telephone services), reading materials, school supplies, and other miscellaneous items of necessity as reported for the second quintile from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey (BLS 2014). The family budget components enumerated thus far sum to the family’s post-tax income. To calculate the tax component of family budgets, we utilize the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Internet TAXSIM (NBER 2013) to gather information on federal personal income taxes, state income taxes, and federal Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes. EPI’s basic family budgets sum each of these components to get the total cost of living in each area across the United States. Notably, these budgets do not include several components of what might be considered a middle-class lifestyle. In particular, they do not include savings. The budget does not contain savings for a rainy day (e.g., job loss or unexpected medical bills), savings for retirement (except through Social Security payments), or further investments in their children (e.g., enrichment activities or college savings). Thus, these are adequate but decidedly modest family budgets.” (Economic Policy Institute, 2015)

TANF Recipients Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) developed out of the welfare reforms in the 1990s. States receive federal block grants to design and operate programs that accomplish one of the purposes of the TANF program. Each state and territory decide the benefits it will provide. TANF is available to children and their parents. In 2015, for every 100 TANF eligible families in Virginia, only 23 received cash assistance (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2016). The following represents TANF recipients in the New River Valley from 2010 to 2015.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Virginia spent about $273 million in federal and state funds under the TANF program in 2015 of which 14% went directly to Child Care Services. During that time, Virginia cut its spending on basic assistance, work activities, and child care, even as the number of families with children who have income below 50% of poverty line grew substantially. The annual federal TANF block grant has been frozen since its creation and has lost about a third of its value between 1997 and 2015 due to inflation (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2017).

Supplemental Security Income Supplemental Security Income SSI Recipients by Age and County (SSI) is a federal program that provides 1,200 monthly stipends to low-income 1,000 people who are either aged 65 or 800 older, blind or disabled. The U.S. 600 Treasury general funds provide payments for SSI, not the Social 400 Security trust fund, and the Social 200 Security Administration administers 0 Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford the program. Age Under 18 Age 18–64 Age 65 or older

Source: Social Security Research, Statistics, and Policy Analysis, 2015

Tax Benefits for Low-Wage Workers In addition to social welfare programs, the federal government offers tax incentives for working adults. The Earned Income Tax Credit has been instrumental in closing the poverty gap for many of the nation’s working families. Two tax credits for working families, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and the Child Tax Credit, lifts an estimated 190,000 Virginians out of poverty. Altogether, roughly 1.8 million people, including 1 million children, receive the Earned Income Tax Credit or low-income part of the Child Tax Credit (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2016). Despite the success of the program, research reveals that perhaps 25% of eligible tax filers do not claim it.

Tax Credit Participation for year 2013

8,000

6,000 1,141 4,000 737 2,000 4,847 344 407 2,812 228 1,252 1,315 0 1,018 Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford

Total of EITC Child Tax Credit

Source: EITC Website

Tax Assistance Program New River Community Action provides free income tax assistance to low-income individuals or families. Assistance is provided from February through April of each year by appointment with trained volunteer tax preparers.

During the fiscal year 2015-2016, AmeriCorps members and community volunteers working in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program prepared and performed the IRS required second check on over 700 tax returns. The average adjusted gross income for these returns was only $21,407. Clients received $325,491 in earned income tax dollars, which helped families pay bills and make ends meet. Customers received financial education including budgeting and saving tips while trained volunteers prepared their returns.

Source: NRCA Client Database

Assets and Banking Nearly half (44%) of all Asset Poverty and Banking households in major for 2016 American cities are financially vulnerable—without assets 100.0% 18.8% or adequate savings to cover 9.9% basic expenses for even three 80.0% 15.3% 15.9% 15.4% months in the event of an 5.8% 17.0% 6.7% 60.0% 6.3% emergency, such as a job loss 6.7% 46.5% or health crisis. The inability 43.0% 39.8% 40.0% 36.1% 31.6% to bounce back from financial pitfalls is not only a 20.0% 30.7% detriment to households but 20.3% 20.3% 21.2% 23.0% also to the economic growth 0.0% Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford City of the areas in which they live. Asset Poverty Liquid Asset Poverty Unbanked Underbanked

Source: Opportunity and Assets Local Data

Asset Poverty refers to the percentage of households without sufficient net worth to live at the poverty level for three months in the absence of income. Liquid Asset Poverty refers to the percentage of households without sufficient liquid assets to live at the poverty level for three months in the absence of income. Unbanked is the percentage of households with neither a checking nor savings account. Underbanked is the percentage of households that have a checking and/or savings account and have used alternative financial services in the past 12 months.

The Unbanked People give these reasons for not having a bank account: ▪ Not enough money to need an account ▪ Don’t want to share their personal information ▪ Fees are too high ▪ Don’t like dealing with banks ▪ Inconvenient hours ▪ Banks would not open account In Virginia, 20.6% of all households were unbanked in 2011. For the typical unbanked worker, the lifetime cost of cashing checks can average $40,000 (Goldberg, 2010). A business primarily aimed at low- income households, it takes 61 pages to list all check cashing outlets in the State.

Section IX: Nutrition

Free and Reduced Lunch Program

The National School Lunch Program is a federally-assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The state average of students participating is 41.9%, only Montgomery County falls below the average. Pulaski County had a 2.78% increase in students approved for Free and Reduced Lunch Program, and Giles had a 1.7% increase in 2015-2016 as compared to the previous year.

Source: Virginia Department of NRV Households SNAP Education, Program Statistics and Reports Website Participation by Poverty Level-

2015 SNAP and WIC Recipients Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 4% Program (SNAP) lifts an estimated 15% 6% 510,000 Virginians above the poverty line, and it makes many others less poor. Altogether, SNAP assists an average of 860,000 Virginians a month, including about 380,000 children. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2016) The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provided support to 132,404 low-income 75% pregnant, nursing and non-nursing postpartum women and children, ages 0-5, in Virginia during 2015. The Receiving SNAP and income in 2015 at or above poverty level monthly average was 34,743 persons Receiving SNAP and income in 2015 below poverty level served. Not receiving SNAP and income in 2015 at or above poverty level The chart on the right shows the Not receiving SNAP and income in 2015 below poverty level income level of those participating and not participating in SNAP.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Food Insecurity Although related, food insecurity and poverty are not the same. Poverty in the United States is only one of many factors associated with food insecurity. In fact, higher unemployment, lower household assets, and certain demographic characteristics also lead to a lack of access to adequate, nutritious food. Feeding America has set up an online tool called Map the Meal Gap to help the public better understand food insecurity on a local level. The following is a list of terms and their definitions used in Feeding Americas’ Map the Meal Gap charts and pictures. • Food insecurity is the household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food. • Food insecurity rate is the percentage of the population that experienced food insecurity at some point during the year. • Other nutrition program threshold (eligibility) is the point at which household income is deemed too high to allow for eligibility for federal nutrition programs such as the National School Lunch program or the special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. • Percent of the poverty line is a multiple of the federally established poverty guideline, which varies based on household size. • SNAP eligibility threshold is a dollar amount (based on the percent of poverty line) at which a household’s income is deemed too high to be eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Income eligibility is one aspect of eligibility, which also includes assets and net income. These income thresholds and other eligibility tests vary by state. • Average meal cost is the national average amount of money spent per week on food by food-secure people, as estimated by the Current Population Survey (U.S. Census Bureau). • Annual food budget shortfall displays the total annualized additional dollar amount that food-insecure individuals report needing on average, to purchase just enough food to meet their food needs. This amount is based on responses within the Current Population Survey and the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) assumption that individuals in households that are food insecure experience food insecurity, on average, seven months out of the year. This amount has been adjusted to reflect local food prices and relevant taxes.

2015 Overall County Food Insecurity in Floyd County, VA

2015 Overall County Food Insecurity in Giles County, VA

2015 Overall County Food Insecurity in Montgomery County, VA

2015 Overall County Food Insecurity in Pulaski County, VA

2015 Overall City Food Insecurity in Radford City, VA

Food insecure households are not necessarily food insecure all the time. Food insecurity may reflect a household’s need to make trade-offs between important basic needs, such as housing or medical bills, and purchase nutritionally adequate foods.

Almost 50 million people are food insecure in the United States, which makes food insecurity one of the nation’s leading health and nutrition issues. The 2011-2014 National Health Interview Survey concluded that: “The severity of household food insecurity is positively associated with mental disorders among both children and adolescents in the United States. These results suggest that improving household food security status has the potential to reduce mental disorders among US youth.” (Craig Gundersen, 2015)

Food Access and Food Deserts

Inadequate access to supermarkets, grocery stores or other sources of affordable food makes it harder to maintain a healthy diet. Accessibility to sources of healthy food, as measured by distance to a store or the number of stores in the area- with no household vehicle is the map shown on the left. (Economic Research Service (ERS), n.d.)

Source Above and Below: USDA Food Environment Atlas

According to USDA, “Vehicle access is perhaps the most important determinant of whether or not a family can access affordable and nutritious food.” Residents of low- income and low-access neighborhoods often have limited access to healthy and nutritious food. (Bhattacharya, 2004)

Section VIII: Health and Social Factors

” The social determinants of health are the circumstances in which people are born, grow up, live, work and age; and the systems put in place to deal with illness. These circumstances are in turn shaped by a wider set of forces: economics, social policies, and politics.”- World Health Organization

We now know that the stress of poverty changes the way people think. Chronic stress, a long-term form of stress, derives from unending feelings of despair/hopelessness, or because of factors such as poverty, family dysfunction, feelings of helplessness and/or traumatic early childhood experience (American Psychological Association, 2011). Chronic stress changes your DNA. It causes cells to die or become pro-inflammatory, which sets the aging process in motion along with associated health risks. Because poverty increases an individual’s risk of mental health and chronic health issues, there are greater barriers to achieving success in work or educational efforts. Barriers make it much more difficult for a low-income family, adult or child to achieve the “American Dream.”

Healthcare Coverage

Medical expenses can be one of the most burdensome costs in a person’s life. Low- income individuals and families are often more underinsured or uninsured and have greater difficulty affording deductibles, copayments and the cost of medicine and medical equipment. Those living in poverty report to have poorer subjective general health/well- being than those living above poverty guidelines. Even the life- expectancy of an individual at less than 100% FPL has been shown to be almost six years shorter that those at more than 400% FPL (Chetty, Stepner, Abraham, & al., 2016).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Uninsured Population To calculate the uninsured population, subtract the estimated 2014 number of people eligible for insurance (under age 65) from the Virginia 12.40% estimated number of insured people. In 2014, the uninsured Floyd County 16.30% percentage ranged from 12.3% in Radford and Pulaski to 16.3% in Floyd County. The percentage of uninsured individuals has dropped steadily since 2005, except in Giles and Pulaski. Pulaski County uninsured Giles County 13.60% percentages declined to 12.3% in 2016, after spiking from 12.3% in 2006 Montgomery to 15.9% in 2010. In Giles, the percentage was 13.9% in 2006, spiked to 13.90% 16.1% in 2012 and dropped to the percentage of 13.6% in 2016. County The uninsured population for 2016 in Virginia was 12.5%. Nearly 40% of all uninsured Virginians live below the Federal Poverty Pulaski County 12.30% Level, and over 70% of uninsured adults have incomes at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. Radford City 12.30%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates 2014

Rate of Uninsured Children Under Age 19 11.00% Uninsured children fare worse than insured 10.00% children on medical care use 9.00% measures. Nationwide, just over 27% of 8.00% uninsured children had no medical care in the 7.00% previous twelve months compared to 10% of 6.00% insured children in the year 2006. (The Robert 5.00% Wood Johnson Foundation, 2006)

4.00% 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

As well as early childhood education services, New River Community Action Agency’s Head Start program connects families with medical, dental and mental health assistance to ensure that children are receiving the services they need. In the year 2015-2016, 274 children enrolled in health insurance, and 364 left with health insurance at the end of the enrollment year.

Source: NRCA Client Database

The Children’s Health Improvement Partnership (CHIP) assists low-income children (up to age six), pregnant women, and their families with access to medical and dental services and acts as a link to other organizations/providers in the New River Valley. During the year 2015-2016, NRCA served 178 families- over 500 persons through the CHIP program.

NRCA Client Insurance Coverage “An estimated 970,000 Virginians have coverage through Medicaid As shown below, most NRCA clients are or the Children’s Health uninsured or covered by Medicaid. Nationally, more than 2.5 million poor, uninsured adults fall into the Insurance Program (VA FAMIS).” “coverage gap” that results from state decisions not - Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to expand Medicaid. The “coverage gap” means their income is above current Medicaid eligibility but below the lower limit for Marketplace premium tax credits. One in three clients in NRCA has no health insurance coverage. Statewide, more than 870,000 Virginians are uninsured. (American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, 2014)

10% NRCA Clients Insurance Type

35% 16%

39% Private Medicare Medicaid No Insurance

Source: NRCA Client Database

Federally Qualified Health Centers Two Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) operate in the New River Valley: Community Health Center of the New River Valley and Tri-Area Community Health Center. FQHCs are critical safety-net providers to rural areas, providing primary care services to all persons, regardless of individuals’ ability to pay.

Community Health Tri-Area Community Community Health Community Health Center of the New Health Center at Floyd Center of the New Center of the New River Valley 140 Christiansburg Pike River Valley River Valley 215 Roanoke St Floyd, VA 24091 5826 Ruebush Road 219 Buchanan St Christiansburg, VA 24073 Tel: 540-745-9290 Dublin, VA 24084 Pearisburg, VA 24134 Tel: 540-381-0820 Website: Tel: 540-585-1310 Tel: 540-921-3502 Website: www.triareahealth.org Website: Website: www.chcnrv.org www.chcnrv.org www.chcnrv.org

The New River Health District (NRVHD) serves residents of the New River Valley through local health departments in Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski Counties and the City of Radford. NRVHD programs and services include Baby Care, Care Connection for Children (special support services), Communicable Disease Prevention and Control, Environmental Health services, Family Planning, Health Education, Immunizations for Children and Adults, International Travel Services, Maternity Care, the Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) and much more.

Mental Health Providers According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), there are approximately seven accessible mental health centers in the New River Valley. Six of these centers are New River Valley Community Services sites. New River Valley Community Services (throughout the New River Valley Region) offers programs for both children and adults who are living with mental illness, developmental disabilities and/or substance use disorders. Carillion Saint Albans Hospital (in Montgomery County) is the seventh mental health facility listed by SAMHSA. Carilion Clinics Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine teams offer group and individualized treatment in outpatient and inpatient settings in the Roanoke and New River Valleys. Although SAMHSA does not provide this information on their map, the Federally Qualified Health Centers (on page 67) offer mental health services to clients. FQHCs have sliding scale fees and accept Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance. In 2017, Carilion New River Valley Medical Center released the New River Valley Community Health Needs Assessment. Carilion New River Valley Medical Center developed a Health Improvement Implementation Strategy for the years 2017-2019 using the Needs Assessment findings. The largest barriers to access for New River Valley patients are transportation to Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and lack of sufficient supply of psychiatrists. To address these community- wide issues, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded a Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant to Carilion Clinic. This grant will provide infrastructure for telemedicine provision in rural counties throughout the New River Valley. Having infrastructure in place to provide telepsychiatry will reduce the need for transports and allow people to more easily access these services.

Medicaid Providers Low-income public healthcare consumers often have a difficult time finding a physician to treat them in a reasonable amount of time. The New River Valley has many Medicaid-accepting providers, as well as four Community Health Centers available for residents. The dark blue marks on the map to the left represent a greater number of physicians in an office (up to 12) to provide care to Medicaid clients; whereas the orange colored dots represent a lesser number of physicians accepting Medicaid (1 or more).

Source: Virginia Medicaid Web Portal

Health Professional Shortage Areas The New River Valley has three designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in Giles County and Floyd County. Pulaski and Radford City have two HPSAs each. Montgomery has a total of five HPSAs. Dental Health Professionals are the greatest need in the New River Valley, followed closely by Mental Health Professionals.

In the New River Valley

Source: Bureau of Health Workforce

Aging in the NRV In the New River Valley, the “Agency on Aging” provides support to older adults and their families. Adult day care is the most cost-effective option in long-term care. The three adult day care centers in the New River Valley include Pulaski Adult Day Services and Fall Center, Giles Health and Family Center and Virginia Tech’s Adult day services. Both NRV Senior Services and Giles Health and Family Center offer medical transportation. NRV Senior Services provides a volunteer med-ride option for those who have no access to public transportation with fees based on a sliding scale. By 2030, the number of people over 65 will double in the New River Valley. One in ten seniors in the NRV is living below the poverty line, and only 4% of the 65+ population is living in institutional or group care facilities. “Successfully Aging at Home in the New River Valley” is a grassroots, community-based initiative established to meet an unmet need in the NRV: the ability of residents to age in their homes and communities. The NRV Aging in Place Leadership team, a collaboration of eight regional organizations, guides the initiative. The project focuses on the dual needs that impact people’s ability to successfully age in place: home accessibility and supportive services.

Health Behaviors New River Valley Health Behaviors 2011-2015

Binge Drinking Tobacco Use Flu Vaccination No Physical Activity in the Past Month Regular Healthcare Provider Poor Mental Health Seatbelt Use 100 80 60 40 20 0 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Source above and below: Virginia Department of Health, Health Behavior Data

Several health behaviors such as smoking, physical inactivity, and an unhealthy diet contribute to adverse health outcomes and are most prevalent among low-income populations. For these populations, seeking preventative health care is often low and delay in obtaining medical care is common. (Shi L, 2005)

Per “The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America 2016”, Virginia has the highest rate of obesity in WIC participants ages 2-4 at 20% (State of Obesity, 2016) and has the 29th highest adult obesity rate in the country. Nearly twice as many young children in deep poverty are obese compared to non-poor children aged 2-9. (M. Ekano, 2016)

Children who are obese are more likely to be obese as adults. In obese adults, an increased risk of several serious health conditions including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer may occur. For obese children, their obesity and disease risk factors in adulthood are likely to be more severe. (Center for Disease Control, 2016)

Source: CAPE Project, New River Valley Profile 2014

Community Assessment and Education to Promote Behavioral Health Planning and Evaluation (CAPE) Project staff created the health indicator chart above in 2014.

CAPE Project Health Behavior

Pictograph from CAPE Phase 1 New River Valley Behavioral Health Snapshot

Environmental Quality Climate change is a poverty issue. People who live in poverty may have a difficult time coping with the changes created by environmental issues. These people have limited financial resources to deal with heat, relocate or evacuate, or respond to increases in the cost of food. Environmental quality is a major factor when assessing a community’s needs and issues of poverty (US Global Change Research Program M. J., 2014) (US Global Change Research Program C. A., 2016).

In the New River Valley, 344 River Miles are polluted and do not have a pollution control program. E Coli contaminates 212 Miles, 99 miles with PCBs in Fish Tissue, and 50 miles of river have high temperatures.

Water Quality E. Coli- Animal waste associated with pets and livestock and human waste from straight pipes, 212 leaky sewage collection and treatment systems River Miles Contaminated

PCB’s in Fish Tissue 99 River Miles Contaminated Temperature- Destruction of riparian vegetation. 50 River Miles Contaminated

Source: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, 2014 Reports

Air Quality

The yearly average is 13 PM2.5 in the New River Valley. PM2.5 is the average daily density of fine particulate matter in micrograms per cubic meter. The term fine particles, or particulate matter (PM2.5), refers to tiny particles or droplets in the air that are two and one-half microns or less in width. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established National Ambient Air Quality Standards for PM2.5 in 1997 and revised them in 2006. National Ambient Air Standards protect public health. The short-term standard (24-hour or daily average) is 35 PM2.5, and the long-term standard (annual average) is 15 PM2.5. In Virginia, annually this number ranges from 11.8-13.1 PM2.5. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality website and CDC Wonder online provided these statistics.

Violent and Property Crime

Source: Virginia State Police Annual Reports

Substance Abuse Early in November 2016, Governor Terry McAuliffe of Virginia and State Health Commissioner Melissa J. Levine declared the Virginia opioid addiction crisis a Public Health Emergency. By the end of 2016, the numbers of fatal opioid overdose deaths were expected to increase by 77%, compared to five years ago. In 2013 and 2014, more Virginians died from drug overdoses than car accidents, per the Virginia Department of Health data. Heroin and prescription opioids caused 80% of these overdoses. (Virginia Department of Health, 2016)

Source: Virginia Department of Health, Opioid Overdose

Substance Abuse in Mothers

Along with a higher rate of opioid overdoses since 2010, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome cases rose in the New River Valley. Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a group of problems that occur in a newborn who was exposed to addictive opiate drugs while in the mother's womb. It results from sudden discontinuation of substances used or abused by the mother while pregnant. The Community Assessment and Education to Promote Behavioral Health Planning and Evaluation (CAPE) chose ten communities (including the New River Valley) to participate in a community behavioral health benchmarking exercise during CAPE Phase One in 2014. CAPE partners with The New River Health District and Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance and identifies and shares best practices for benchmarking community behavioral health. Part of their studies involved the opioid abuse in pregnant mothers and the growing cases of NAS in the NRV. The following figures represent their research in the New River Valley. For additional information see their website, www.healthbench.info.

NAS CASES IN THE NRV 20 18 16 18.4 14 12 14.4 10 8 10.4 6 8 7.4 6.5 7 4 7 RATE PER 1,000 BIRTHS 1,000 PERRATE 2 0

2013 VIRGINIA RATE- 4.8

Potential long-term effects of Opioid NAS on infant and toddler development are not known, mainly because of the difficulty in isolating independent effects of methadone (used to help mother’s withdrawal), and environmental and medical factors (e.g., low socioeconomic status, inadequate prenatal care, severity and treatment for NAS). The rise in opiate-exposed children is becoming a major issue nationwide, yet few studies have been developed to measure developmental outcome, or it is too early to measure the studies that are ongoing regarding opioid exposure. (Beth A. Logan, 2013)

Birth and Prenatal Care

Live Births in the New River Valley 2012-2014 Infant Mortality Rate County Status of Birth 2012 2013 2014 Per 1,000 Births in the NRV Floyd County All Births 141 148 126 Non-Marital 49 41 40 22 20 Teens (15-19) 11 12 9 18 All Births 189 149 186 16 Giles County 14 Non-Marital 75 65 82 12 Teens (15-19) 20 8 25 10 8 Montgomery All Births 961 867 892 6 County Non-Marital 240 245 230 4 2 Teens (15-19) 54 56 70 0 Pulaski County All Births 348 316 323 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Non-Marital 147 157 141 Floyd Giles Montgomery Pulaski Radford City Teens (15-19) 48 40 40 Radford City All Births 143 160 153 Sources: Kids Count Data Center Non-Marital 67 65 71

Teens (15-19) 19 14 13

Family income and maternal education strongly relate to Infant mortality and children’s health. Children in low-income families are approximately four times as likely to be in poor or fair health as children in families with incomes at or above 400% of the federal poverty guidelines. (Braveman, 2010) Children born to adolescents are more likely to have poorer education, behavioral, and health outcomes throughout their lives, as compared to non-adolescent born children. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy shows that teen childbearing in Virginia cost an estimated $183 million in 2010.

Source: NVSS-N (CDC/NCHS); Bridged-Race Population Estimates for Census 2000 and 2010 (CDC, Census, CDC/NCHS and Census, CDC/NCHS)

Children with Disabilities The following graphic shows the disability types and counts of children and youth enrolled in the school year 2015-2016, for Pre-School through Grade 12.

Source: Virginia Department of Education

AUT= Autism DD= Developmental Delay ED= Emotional Disability ID= Intellectual Disability MD= Multiple Disabilities

OHI-Other Health Impairment SLD=Specific Learning Disability SLI= Speech or Language Impairment

Section XI: Head Start The NRCA Head Start program has eleven different sites spread throughout the New River Valley. The total funded enrollment for the year 2015 was 369 children. Program options include eleven five- day, full-day classrooms, six combination classrooms for three-year-old children, and three Virginia Preschool/Head Start braided classrooms. Three of the VPI/Head Start classrooms are in public schools. NRCA has built strong relationships with the communities in which they serve and partnerships with local public school systems and universities. Head Start works in close collaboration with families, children, and individuals. Head Start’s passionate commitment to helping children and families be successful is what makes the program work.

Estimate of Eligible Children and Families D E % of Population F C A Population under 3 up Children in B Population Population 3 under Five to 5 NRV Population 3 to 5 County to 5 Head Years Old estimated estimated to under 18 estimated Start Age estimated to be be eligible disabled to be Eligible to be in income- for Head disabled poverty eligible for Start Head Start Floyd 733 2.5% 18 5.00% 37 55 Giles 899 6.7% 60 7.10% 64 124 Montgomery 4,488 3.5% 157 21.00% 943 1,100 Pulaski 1,556 2.1% 32 27.70% 431 463

Radford 736 12.6% 92 15.50% 114 206 TOTAL 8,412 359 1,589 1,948 Information for part “A” gathered at the Virginia Department of Health from the Live Birth Statistics for Virginia Counties, 2010-2014. Information for part “B” accessed from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey Estimates for 2015. Multiplying part “A” with part “B,” gives the population estimated to be disabled and eligible for Head Start (part “C”). Part “D” sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates for 2015. Part “E” determined by multiplying Population (Part “A”) of 3 to 5 year old’s, by the % of Children under 5 in poverty estimates (Part “D”) from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates for 2015. Part “F” is the sum of the population estimated to be disabled (Part “C”) and the population estimated to be income- eligible (Part “E”).

Early Childhood Education Enrollment

Floyd County Program Type Age 0-3 Age 3-5 Total number of Slots CHIP Home Visiting Program 22 40 62 Early Head Start 0 0 0 Head Start 0 28 28 VPI 0 43 43

Age 0-3 Age 3-5 Total Capacity Centers Centers # of Licensed Child Care Facilities 2 6 238 # of Family Day Homes 1 1 12 % of Children Living in Poverty Age 0-4 (2014) 6.40%

# of Children Age 0-5 1,028 Giles County Program Type Age 0-3 Age 3-5 Total number of slots CHIP Home Visiting Program 18 48 66 Early Head Start 16 0 16 Head Start 0 63 63 VPI 0 68 68

Age 0-3 Age 3-5 Total Capacity Centers Centers # of Licensed Child Care Facilities 2 6 312 # of Family Day Homes - - 0 % of Children Living in Poverty Age 0-4 (2014) 16.90%

# of Children Age 0-5 1,209 Montgomery County

Program Type Age 0-3 Age 3-5 Total number of slots CHIP Home Visiting Program 44 125 169 Early Head Start 16 0 16 Head Start 0 136 136 VPI 0 180 180

Age 0-3 Age 3-5 Total Capacity Centers Centers # of Licensed Child Care Facilities 15 22 2,473 # of Family Day Homes 6 6 66 % of Children Living in Poverty Age 0-4 (2014) 23.70%

# of Children Age 0-5 6,148 Pulaski County Program Type Age 0-3 Age 3-5 Total CHIP Home Visiting Program 20 30 50 Early Head Start 16 0 16 Head Start 0 102 102 VPI 0 90 90

Age 0-3 Age 3-5 Total Capacity Centers Centers # of Licensed Child Care Facilities 3 8 386 # of Family Day Homes 1 2 24 % of Children Living in Poverty Age 0-4 (2014) 25.90%

# of Children Age 0-5 2,214

Radford City Program Age 0-3 Age 3-5 Total CHIP Home Visiting Program 9 40 49 Early Head Start 0 0 0 Head Start 0 32 32 VPI - 27 27

Age 0-3 Age 3-5 Total Capacity Centers Centers # of Licensed Child Care Facilities 2 5 431 # of Family Day Homes 1 1 12 % of Children Living in Poverty Age 0-4 (2014) 12.70%

# of Children Age 0-5 887

Characteristics of Head Start Children and Families

Head Start Center Locations The NRCA Head Start Program has eleven locations with 26 classrooms in five counties. Program options include eleven five-day, full-day classrooms, six combination classrooms, and three VPI/Head Start braided classrooms.

The following is selected information from the Head Start Database – the Performance Indicator Report for the year 2015-2016.

Eligibility

Eligibility Type of Head Start Families

Income below 100% of FPL Public Assistance such as TANF, SSI

Status as a Foster Child Status as Homeless

Over Income

300 277 250 200 150 100 50 11 8 14 24 0 # of Children

Race of Head Start Children and Staff Members Race of Children Race of Staff Members 2015-2016 Head Start Program 1% 1% American Indian 2015-2016 Head Start Program or Alaskan 13% 11% Native Asian 15%

Black or African American

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 85% 74% White

Biracial/Multi- Racial Black or African American White

Family Type

Family Type 2015-2016 Head Start

Two-Parent Single-Parent 172 173

Employment Two-Parent Employment Single-Parent Employment 2016 Head Start Program 2016 Head Start Program

Both Parents Not Working 18 Not Working 62

One parent is Employed 104

Employed 110 Both Employed 51

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 0 50 100 150

Public Assistance Receipt of Public Assistance for the Year 2015-2016 Head Start Program

235 SNAP 229

187 WIC 184

43 SSI 41

36 TANF 34

0 50 100 150 200 250

# at end of enrollment year # At beginnning of Enrollment

Educational Attainment Educational Attainment of Parents or Guardians who Families Received a Degree During 2015-2016 Head Start Enrollment 2015-2016 Head Program An Advanced degree Start Program or baccalureate 47 27 degree Completed an Associate An associate degree, Degree vocational, or some 145 120 college Completed High School or A high school was awarded a GED diploma or GED Completed a grade level in high school, prior to Less than high graduation school diploma 0 2 4 6 8 10

Disability Services

Children with an IEP 2015-2016 Head Start Program

Developmental Delay/Non‐… 10

Autism 3 Speech or Language… 40

Health Impairment 3 0 10 20 30 40 50

Outcome of Program Services (Parent Survey) In the spring of 2016, Head Start parents responded to an online survey meant to collect outcomes data from parents and guardians. Parents completed a total of 61 surveys. Of those, 29% were single- parent families, 57% were two-parent, 10% were grandparents, and 3.8% of the respondents were other family members in the home. And 61% of the respondents’ children will continue to Kindergarten or Transitional Kindergarten for the program year 2015-2016.

Characteristics The largest cohort (28%) were aged 26-30, and the smallest (9.8%) were 36-40 years of age.

How old are you?

20 or less

21-25

26-30

31-35

36-40

41+_

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

Number of respondents

How long has your family had children (not just this child) enrolled in your program?

4 years or more

3-4 years

1-2 years

6-12 months

6 months or less

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

Number of respondents

Overall, how much did the program... 60.00 54 Overall, how much did the

50.00 program help you? 39 45.00 40.00 40.00 35.00 30.00 30.00 20 25.00 20.00 20.00 10.00 6 15.00 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 Help your child? Help your family? 0.00 Not Helpful Somewhat Very Helpful Not Helpful Somewhat Helpful Very Helpful Helpful

Respondents were given a list of 49 outcome oriented items and asked to rate each on a scale of 1 to 4 (Did Not Need Help, Not Helpful, Somewhat Helpful, Very Helpful). The most positive assistance provided by Head Start, according to the survey, was that parents were taught activities to help the child learn at home (3.52 weighted average) and the confidence levels of the parent that their child will succeed in elementary school (3.5 weighted average). The least impactful assistance provided by Head Start, per the survey, was help with public speaking (1.56 weighted average), and Head Start’s ability to connect other parents in support (2.16 weighted average).

Top Ten Ways Head Start has Assisted Parents Survey Question Weighted Average With activities to help your child learn at home 3.52

Your confidence that your child will succeed in elementary school 3.5

You connect with a staff member you trust 3.27

You encourage creative play at home 3.24

You understand the ways your child learns. 3.22

You value your child's strengths 3.2

You learn how change can impact your child's behavior 3.19

With information about your child's needs/learning delays. 3.15

You find ways to support your child's good behavior. 3.12

You learn the skills your child needs in Kindergarten 3.09

Ways Head Start has not Assisted Parents Survey Question Weighted Average You get out of an unsafe place? (abuse, unsafe housing) 1.44

You find a better place to live 1.53

You with public speaking 1.56

You find a new job or keep your job. 1.58

You meet emergency needs 1.64

You enroll in an educational training program 1.67

You participate in the Policy Council 1.71

You learn to budget money 1.78

You deal with emotional health issues (depression, anxiety) 1.83

Preschools offering Early Childhood Education

The following is a list of all daycare facilities in the New River Valley registered with the Department of Social Services offering Early Childhood Education. County School/Center Capacity Ages Served (# of Available Slots) Floyd County, Virginia Blue Mountain School 16 3 years - 8 years 11 months Rising Sun Community School 12 2 years 6 months - 12 years 11 months Calvary Baptist Church 17 3 years - 6 years 11 months Milestones Childcare 81 1 month - 12 years 11 months Topeco Church 20 3 years - 6 years 11 months NRCA Floyd Head Start 20 2 years 6 months - 5 years 11 months Ms. Flora Kemp 12 1 month - 12 years 11 months VPI 42 3 years- 5 years Total slots for Floyd County 220

Giles County, Virginia First Christian Church, Narrows 20 3 years - 8 years 11 months

NRCA- Narrows Head Start Center 40 2 years 6 months - 5 years 11 months Riverview Baptist Church 99 1 month - 12 years 11 months The Mayapple School @ LoCo Arts 20 2 years - 6 years 11 months Giles Heath and Family Center 16 2 years - 6 years 11 months NRCA-Pearisburg Head Start 40 3 years - 5 years 11 months The Imagination Station 97 1 month - 12 years 11 months VPI 68 3 years- 5 years Total Slots for Giles County 400

Montgomery County, Virginia School/Center Capacity Ages Served (# of Available Slots) Adventure Club of Auburn 125 5 years - 12 years 11 months Elementary Adventure Club of Montgomery Co.- 75 5 years - 12 years 11 months Kipps The Adventure Club - Falling 100 5 years - 12 years 11 months Branch The Adventure Club at 125 5 years - 12 years 11 months Christiansburg Primary The Adventure Club of Montgomery 50 5 years - 12 years 11 months County at East Montgomery Elem. The Adventure Club - Belview 20 4 years - 12 years 11 months

Auburn Baptist Church 40 3 years - 5 years 11 months Blacksburg Montessori School 30 3 years - 6 years 11 months Blacksburg New School 45 4 years 6 months - 12 years 11 months Blacksburg Presbyterian Church 15 1 year - 4 years 11 months Blacksburg United Methodist 86 3 years - 5 years 11 months Bridges and Blossoms Preschool 20 2 years 9 months - 6 years 11 months Children's Academic Center, Inc. 100 Birth - 12 years 11 months Christiansburg Mennonite 20 2 years 6 months - 6 years 11 months Dwelling Place Christian Fellowship 50 1 month - 12 years 11 months Early Challenges Child Care Center 200 1 month - 12 years 11 months Faith Missionary Baptist Church 40 3 years - 5 years 11 months Gateway Baptist Church 10 2 years - 4 years 11 months Grace A Child USA 146 1 month - 12 years 11 months Montessori Infant Nido 58 1 month - 5 years 11 months Environment Ms. Carolyn Dowdy 12 1 month - 12 years 11 months Ms. Debbie Hamann 12 Birth - 12 years 11 months Ms. Jeanette Calloway 12 Birth - 12 years 11 months Ms. Kristina Kolodner none given Ms. Michelle Taylor 12 1 month - 12 years 11 months Ms. Tammy Palmer 9 Birth - 5 years 11 months Ms. Victoria Sowers 9 1 month - 12 years 11 months NRCA Blacksburg Head Start 40 2 years 6 months - 5 years 11 months NRCA Christiansburg Head Start 74 2 years 6 months - 5 years 11 months NRV Blacksburg Adventure Club 130 Birth - 12 years 11 months Open Arms, Inc. 112 1 month - 12 years 11 months Pathway Christian Academy 120 1 month - 11 years 11 months Rainbow Riders at St. Michael’s 16 1 month - 3 years 6 months Church

Montgomery County Continued Rainbow Riders Childcare Center 230 1 month - 12 years 11 months Rainbow Riders Childcare Center 230 1 month - 12 years 11 months St. John Neumann Academy 20 3 years - 5 years 11 months St. Mary's Catholic Church 75 1 month - 12 years 11 months

St. Michael Lutheran Church 10 1 year 6 months - 3 years 6 months St. Paul United Methodist 20 3 years - 5 years 11 months Tall Oaks Montessori School 75 1 year 6 months - 12 years 11 months The Children's Garden Primary 45 2 years 6 months - 12 years 11 months School The Children's Nest Daycare Center 122 Birth - 12 years 11 months The Learning Ladder Child 90 1 month - 12 years 11 months Development Center Valley Interfaith Child Care Center 50 Birth - 12 years 11 months VPI 180 3 years- 5 years White Memorial United Methodist 25 2 years 6 months - 5 years 11 months Church Total for Montgomery County 3085

Pulaski County, Virginia School/Center Capacity Ages Served (# of Available Slots) Building Bridges Child 185 1 month - 12 years 11 months Development Center Christian Community Outreach 95 1 month - 12 years 11 months First Presbyterian Church 10 2 years - 5 years 11 months Ms. Patricia Underwood 12 1 month - 5 years 11 months NRCA Pulaski Head Start 100 2 years 6 months - 5 years 11 months Busy B's Day Care Center 96 1 month - 12 years 11 months Dublin United Methodist Learning 50 3 years - 5 years 11 months Center Ms. Anne Hager 12 3 years - 5 years 11 months NRCA Head Start Early Learning 20 2 years 6 months - 5 years 11 months Center YMCA of Pulaski County Child 75 1 month - 12 years 11 months Development Center VPI 90 3 years- 5 years Total for Pulaski County 745 Radford City, Virginia Central United Methodist Preschool 60 2 years 6 months - 5 years 11 months

NRCA-Radford Head Start Center 15 2 years 6 months - 5 years 11 months Radford Early Learning Center 138 1 month - 12 years 11 months

School/Center Capacity Ages Served (# of Available Slots) Ms. Donna Jones 12 6 months - 12 years 11 months NRV Radford Adventure Club 148 1 month - 12 years 11 months Radford Worship Center 130 3 years - 12 years 11 months VPI 27 3 years- 5 years Total for Radford City 530

Section VIII: Community Resources

NRCA Resources New River Community Action partners with 195 organizations including local, state, and federal government, faith-based organizations, for-profit and non-profit corporations, and community coalitions. Attachment D contains New River Community Actions’ partner list. NRCA program managers and administration have a combined 264 years of service. The following graph displays the experience by program area.

NRCA STAFF YEARS OF EXPERIENCE BY PROGRAM AREA CSBG - 49 Years

2% 3% Head Start - 88 Years 3% 20%

Admininstration - 89 Years

CHIP - 7 Years 36%

Housing - 5 Years

36% VA CARES - 8 Years

VITA - 1 Year

New River Community Action Financial

Resources 2015-2016

Volunteer Income Virginia CARES Family Outreach Tax Assistance (VITA) 1.5% Connections 1% Emergency 1% Assistance Program Other Programs 4% AmeriCorps To Our House .5% 2.5% .5%

Housing Programs 6%

Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) 7%

Head Start 55% Children's Health Improvement Partnership (CHIP) 10%

Administrative 11%

Additional Community Resources

Floyd County

Transportation Floyd County has few community carpool groups with five “Park and Rides” throughout the county. New River Valley Senior Services runs through all five counties of the New River Valley. Helping Hand Transit operates in Floyd County serving residents with transport in town and throughout the county. Established in 1986, Community Transit provides passenger service throughout the New River Valley to clients of New River Valley Community Services. Emergency Services and Public Safety Floyd County Rescue Squad (FCRS) is an all-volunteer organization providing responses to 911 calls throughout the county. FCRS formed in 1974. FCRS partners with Floyd County Emergency Medical Services (est. 2004) to provide basic and advanced medical services 24 hours a day. The Floyd County Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. is an all-volunteer organization. They operate four fire stations spread throughout the county. Sheriff Brian Craig serves Floyd County. The Sheriff’s Office heads Project Lifesaver, a program designed to assist in the tracking and locating of Alzheimer’s, dementia patients, Down Syndrome and autistic children who become lost. The Sheriff’s Office runs a program called Domestic Violence Grant, a promise to assign domestic or family violence (domestic disturbances) calls as a high priority. Parks and Recreation Floyd County Parks and Recreation Authority oversees seven parks consisting of 16 fields and seven gyms. In 2015, more than 3,000 children and adults participated in the Authority’s programs. Utilities Floyd County has public “green boxes” including recycling bins. Appalachian Power provides electricity services. Floyd’s water supply consists of five groundwater wells overseen by Floyd County Public Service Authority.

Key Local Institutions Local Government A five-county Board of Supervisors governs Floyd County, elected for four-year terms on staggered two-year intervals. The County Administrator is appointed by the Board of Supervisors to manage the day-to-day activities of that portion of the County Government under the Board. Public Schools Floyd County Public Schools include: • Floyd County High School • Floyd County Elementary School • Check Elementary School • Willis Elementary School • Indian Valley Elementary School Floyd County High School offers a state of the art training facility in the field of welding and machining, building trades, design, Cisco training & certification, CAD, architectural classes, computer repair, and digital imaging. New River Community Action partners with the school system to provide Head Start services at Floyd Elementary School. Floyd County has the only school in Virginia with a dual enrollment welding credit at New River Community College.

Private Schools Floyd has six private schools: • Blue Mountain School (PK-7th Grade) • Calvary Baptist Early Education (Preschool) • Floyd Baptist Preschool • Milestones Child Care Center (Preschool) • Topeco Church Preschool • Rising Sun Community School (PK-6th Grade) Higher Education The following institutions are within 30 miles or less of county lines: • New River Community College • Virginia Tech • Radford University • Ferrum College • Virginia Western College • Hollins University • Roanoke College • Jefferson College of Health Sciences • National College of Business and Technology • ECPI College of Technology Senior Living Accommodations Skyline Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is a 90-bed nursing facility, which provides skilled and long-term nursing care in addition to respite and hospice care. Skyline, located in Floyd County, is an intermediate nursing care and Alzheimer's care facility Medical Services Tri-Area Community Health Center at Floyd is a Federally Qualified Health Center located near the center of Floyd town. Six clinics staffed with physicians, nurse practitioners, laboratory technicians, and nurses (as well as multiple other medical-related providers including dentists, chiropractors, etc.) serve Floyd County residents. Two professionally practicing dentists practice in Floyd. As part of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford MSA, Floyd County residents have access to the Carilion New River Valley Medical Center, a state-of-the-art medical office complex located in the Montgomery County.

Giles County Transportation Giles has few community carpool groups with several “Park and Rides” throughout the county. New River Valley Senior Services runs through all five counties of the New River Valley; as well as Community Transit. Community Transit provides passenger service throughout the New River Valley to clients of New River Valley Community Services. Emergency Services and Public Safety Formed in September of 1945, the Giles Lifesaving and Rescue Squad, Inc. has been providing medical and rescue services for the citizens of Giles County around the clock, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Giles County Fire Department is an all-volunteer organization with nine fire stations spread throughout the county. Sheriff Morgan Millirons serves Giles County in Pearisburg. An Area 24 Office also serves both Pulaski County and Giles County.

Parks and Recreation Giles County offers 17 parks with a variety of activities available at each. Narrows offers water slide and stream access while some town parks offer tennis and basketball courts, baseball, football and soccer fields and others have paved walking trails, community pools, kids’ playgrounds and picnic shelters. Giles County is home to Mountain Lake, one of only two natural freshwater lakes in Virginia. Utilities Giles County has public waste pickup services transported to two landfills in the area. Appalachian Power provides electricity services. Giles County water supply is overseen by Giles County Public Service Authority with five treatment centers in Giles County towns.

Key Local Institutions Local Government Residents of Giles County elect a five-member Board of Supervisors. A County Administrator manages the county. Public Schools Giles County has the following public schools: • Eastern Elementary/Middle School • Macy McClaugherty Elementary/Middle School • Narrows Elementary/Middle School • Giles High School • Narrows High School Private Schools Jefferson Christian Academy serves 105 students from Kindergarten to 12th grade. Higher Education The following institutions are within 40 miles of Giles County lines: • New River Community College • Virginia Tech • Radford University • Ferrum College • Virginia Western College • Hollins University • Roanoke College • Jefferson College of Health Sciences • National College of Business and Technology • Bluefield College • ECPI College of Technology Senior Living Accommodations Heritage Hall Rich Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation is a 120-bed nursing home that skilled nursing care to elderly residents. Medical Services Carilion Giles Community Hospital is a 24-bed critical access facility offering general medical services including 24-hour emergency care. The Roanoke Memorial Hospital helicopter transport unit also serves the hospital. Three professionally practicing dentists in the county. Community Health Center of the NRV is a Federally Qualified Health Center in Pearisburg. Public Libraries Pearisburg Public Library and Iris Brammer Library are in Giles County. The libraries host a variety of activities for their community members.

Senior Center Giles County Senior Center is in Pearisburg, Va. The center offers many programs and events to serve the interests and needs of their senior community.

Montgomery County Transportation Blacksburg Transit serves a diverse customer base in Montgomery County through a variety of public transportation services including fixed route, demand response, senior based transportation, commuter shuttles, paratransit, and connector services to regional transportation providers. Ridership for the fiscal year 2015 exceeded 3.7 million passenger trips. New River Valley Senior Services runs through all five counties of the New River Valley; as well as Community Transit. Community Transit provides passenger service throughout the New River Valley to clients of New River Valley Community Services. Emergency Services and Public Safety Montgomery County offers five different Volunteer Rescue Squads in each community. All five operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a week. Five Volunteer Fire Departments are in Montgomery County. Sheriff C.H. "Hank" Partin serves Montgomery County in Christiansburg. Along with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Christiansburg Police Department, the NRV 911 Center, Blacksburg Police Department, and Virginia Tech Police serve the needs of the community and help to foster a safe environment. Parks and Recreation Montgomery County has several park offerings throughout the County and Villages. Each park is unique - ranging from small pocket parks to linear biking and hiking trails to 110-acres at Mid-County Park. Swimming, picnicking and shelter rentals are available at different parks. Montgomery is home to some of the Jefferson National Forest. The Blacksburg Aquatic Center and the Christiansburg Aquatic Center offer swimming opportunities to the public. Utilities Blacksburg-Christiansburg-VPI Water Authority and Montgomery County Water Authority oversee water supply along with four wastewater treatment facilities. Appalachian Power and Virginia Tech Electric Service supply electricity. Montgomery County has a public trash collection service for the local landfill.

Key Local Institutions Local Government Montgomery County has a County Administrator and a seven-member Board of Supervisors. Terms are four years, and three or four seats are up for reelection each odd year. Public Schools Montgomery County has eleven elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools. Private Schools • Blacksburg New School K-8th Grade • The Children’s Garden Primary School Nursery-2nd Grade • Dayspring Christian Academy K-12th Grade • Pathway Christian Academy Nursery-12th Grade • St. John Neumann Academy Preschool-8th Grade • Tall Oaks Montessori School Preschool-6th Grade

Higher Education Montgomery County is home to Virginia Tech and New River Community College’s Christiansburg Campus. The following institutions are within 50 miles of Montgomery County: • Radford University • Ferrum College • Virginia Western College • Hollins University • Roanoke College • Jefferson College of Health Sciences • National College of Business and Technology • Bluefield College • ECPI College of Technology Senior Living Accommodations Commonwealth Senior Living at Christiansburg is an 84-bed center offering independent living, assisted living and/or memory care. Heritage Hall Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Blacksburg is a 194-bed nursing care center specializing in short-term rehabilitation, intermediate and long-term care. English Meadows Christiansburg Campus is an 82-bed residential and assisted living care facility. Heritage House provides assisted living services for up to three individuals. The Crossings at Blacksburg is a 110-bed facility offering residential and assisted living care to ambulatory and non-ambulatory residents with Alzheimer's or dementia. Warm Hearth Village provides the Wybe and Marietje Kroontje Health Care Center, a 60-bed nursing home located in Blacksburg, VA, and the Showalter Center, a 90- bed assisted living facility. Medical Services LewisGale Hospital Montgomery is a 146-bed, full-service medical facility. LewisGale Hospital employs over 80 physicians with expertise in nearly all medical fields. The Carilion New River Valley Medical Center is a modern $60 million hospital facility with a level III trauma center and state-of-the-art medical office complex located three miles outside of Radford City. Carilion New River Valley Medical Center employs 78 physicians, has 175-beds and a comprehensive offering of general health care services. Six private medical clinics and three home-healthcare agencies are in Montgomery County. A Federally Qualified Health Center called Community Health Center of the New River Valley is located in Christiansburg. Forty-five dentists practice in the county.

Pulaski County Transportation Pulaski Area Transit runs throughout Pulaski County, and to Christiansburg and Radford City. New River Valley Senior Services runs through all five counties of the New River Valley; as well as Community Transit. Community Transit provides passenger service throughout the New River Valley to clients of New River Valley Community Services. Emergency Services and Public Safety Regional Emergency Medical Services, Inc. utilizes career personnel to provide services during periods when squad personnel are not available in Pulaski County. The Dublin Fire Department, Inc. is an all-volunteer organization. Sheriff Jim Davis serves Pulaski County. Parks and Recreation Organized athletics are popular in the county. Fifteen baseball and football fields, three swimming pools, six tennis courts and thirteen parks are available. Pulaski is home to the 4,500 acre Claytor Lake and contains over 19,000 acres of the Jefferson National Forest.

Utilities Pulaski County has six water supply management businesses and five treatment centers. Appalachian Power and Alliant Techsystems provide electricity services. Pulaski County provides curbside weekly refuse collection services, as well as customized commercial and industrial waste hauling services.

Key Local Institutions Local Government Pulaski has a County Administrator and a five-member Board of Supervisors. Public Schools Pulaski County has five elementary schools, two middle schools, and Pulaski County High School. Pulaski is home to Southwest Virginia Governors School which provides some of the state’s ablest students with academically and artistically challenging programs beyond those offered in their home schools. Private Schools • Fairlawn Christian Academy- Kindergarten through 8th Grade Higher Education Pulaski County is home to New River Valley Community College’s main campus. The following institutions are within 50 miles of Pulaski County: • Virginia Tech • Radford University • Ferrum College • Virginia Western College • Hollins University • Roanoke College • Jefferson College of Health Sciences • National College of Business and Technology • Bluefield College • ECPI College of Technology Senior Living Accommodations Cozy Home Haven offers a private residential adult home for three residents. Fairview Home, Inc. Assisted Living Facility is a Virginia Department of Social Services licensed 64-bed facility operated by Fairview Home, Inc. and managed by New River Valley Community Services. Commonwealth Senior Living at Radford is a 74-bed facility offering memory care, and independent and assisted living care. Medical Services LewisGale Hospital Pulaski is a 147-bed facility with more than 400 employees. LewisGale is part of HCA Hospitals of Southwest Virginia, a relationship that provides a regional network of physicians, services, technologies, and support for patients. Emergency services include around-the-clock emergency physician evaluation and treatment with specialty consults. Pulaski is home to the Free Clinic of Pulaski County, Inc. providing primary medical care and referrals. A Federally Qualified Health Center called Community Health Center of the New River Valley is in Dublin. Six practicing dentists are in Pulaski County. Senior Center Senior Center of Pulaski is a popular gathering place for all senior residents of the Town and County of Pulaski. The center offers a variety of programs with an ever-increasing list of activities to serve the challenging needs and interests of seniors.

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Public Library The Free Memorial Public Library and Pulaski County Library are open seven days a week and offer many programs for adults and youth.

Radford City Transportation Radford Transit serves the City of Radford. New River Valley Community Services (NRVCS), the proud operator of Radford Transit, also operates Community Transit – a service for individuals on Medicaid and/or those who require to community-based programs. New River Valley Senior Services runs through all five counties of the New River Valley. Community Transit provides passenger service throughout the New River Valley to clients of New River Valley Community Services. Emergency Services and Public Safety The City of Radford Fire and Rescue Department is a combination (paid and volunteer) department that serves the City of Radford in addition to mutual aid with surrounding areas of Pulaski and Montgomery counties. Sheriff Mark Armentrout serves Radford City. Radford City also has a police department. Parks and Recreation The City operates an extensive Department of Parks and Recreation. Outdoor activities are available at 14 city parks. The Department also directs football, soccer, softball, basketball and volleyball leagues throughout the year. With recreation being highly important to the citizens, the City maintains and operates a 100-acre park and recreation area along its eight miles of riverfront. Utilities Radford’s source of drinking water is the New River just below the Claytor Lake reservoir. Wastewater collection systems are maintained by the City, but Pepper’s Ferry Regional Wastewater Treatment Authority located in Pulaski County treats wastewater. The City has adequate capacity to handle growth in both the water and wastewater systems. The City of Radford Public Works Department collects solid waste for the New River Resource Authority Sanitary Landfill. The Radford Electric Department is one of more than 2,000 nationwide publicly owned electric utilities serving the citizens of its community.

Key Local Institutions Local Government Radford has a City Manager and a five-member City Council. Public Schools Radford City has four public schools: • McHarg Elementary School • Belle Heth Elementary School • Dalton Intermediate School • Radford High School Private Schools Radford City offers no private schools, but there are several within 20 miles of the city limits in Montgomery County. Higher Education Radford City is the home of Radford University. The following institutions are within 50 miles of Radford City: • New River Community College • Virginia Tech

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• Ferrum College • Virginia Western College • Hollins University • Roanoke College • Jefferson College of Health Sciences • National College of Business and Technology • Bluefield College • ECPI College of Technology Senior Living Accommodations Commonwealth Senior Living at Radford is a 74-bed facility offering memory care, and independent and assisted living care. Cozy Home Haven offers a private residential adult home for three residents. Radford Health and Rehab Center is a 90-bed facility offering long-term residential care and long-term nursing care. Medical Services The Carilion New River Valley Medical Center is a modern $60 million hospital facility with a level III trauma center and state-of-the-art medical office complex located three miles outside of Radford City in Montgomery County. Ninety-six physicians and fourteen dentist practice in Radford. Nine practicing dentists are in Radford City.

Section X: Social Service Providers Floyd County • Floyd County Department of Social Services- federal and state social service programs, including TANF, SNAP, Medicaid and Heating and Cooling Assistance • New River Community Action - including Emergency Assistance, Nutrition Assistance, CHIP program, Homeless and Housing Programs, Swiftstart, To Our House, Virginia Cares, VITA Program, Floyd Backpack program, and Head Start • Plenty! Food Bank and Farm • Project Hope- aiding in educational programs for homeless youth and families • New River Community Services Floyd Clinic- mental health, substance abuse counseling • Farm and Calvary Baptist Food Shelf • Floyd County Health Department • New River Valley Community Services- providing care for mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disorders • Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP)- water and waste water access, home rehabilitation, community development • New River Valley Agency on Aging – services to seniors • Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services – services for older/vulnerable adults and people with disabilities • NRV Cares- family education, counseling support, Court Appointed Special Advocates program • New River Family Shelter-emergency housing to families and children • Young Life of NRV- mentorship program for youth • Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley • Foundation For Rehabilitation Equipment And Endowment • New River/Mt Rogers Workforce Development Board- career assistance, job training, facilitate workforce initiatives

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• Pembroke Management- Housing Choice Voucher Program Giles County • Giles County Department of Social Services- federal and state social service programs, including TANF, SNAP, Medicaid and Heating and Cooling Assistance • New River Community Action - including Emergency Assistance, Nutrition Assistance, CHIP program, Homeless and Housing Programs, Swiftstart, To Our House, Virginia Cares, VITA Program, and Head Start • New River Family Shelter-emergency housing to families and children • Project Hope- aiding in educational programs for homeless youth and families • New River Community Services Giles Clinic- providing care in mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disorders • Hope House- shelter for homeless families • Pembroke Management- Housing Choice Voucher Program • The Giles County Christian Mission- emergency assistance, thrift store, food, and a clothing bank • New River Agency on Aging- services to seniors • Giles County Health Department • Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP)- water and waste water access, home rehabilitation, community development • Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services – services for older/vulnerable adults and people with disabilities • NRV Cares- family education, counseling support, Court Appointed Special Advocates program • Young Life of NRV- mentorship program for youth • Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley • New River/Mt Rogers Workforce Development Board- career assistance, job training, facilitate workforce initiatives • Salvation Army of the New River Valley- emergency assistance, food, clothing, household items, emergency housing • Newport Cares Free Lunch Fridays • Foundation For Rehabilitation Equipment And Endowment Montgomery County • Montgomery County Department of Social Services- federal and state social service programs, including TANF, SNAP, Medicaid and Heating and Cooling Assistance • New River Community Action - including Emergency Assistance, Nutrition Assistance, CHIP program, Homeless and Housing Programs, Swiftstart, To Our House, Virginia Cares, VITA Program, and Head Start • Montgomery County Emergency Assistance Program- partners with New River Community Action to provide financial emergency assistance and emergency food assistance • New River Valley Community Services- providing care for mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disorders • Project Hope- aiding in educational programs for homeless youth and families • Community Housing Partners, Energy Solutions – develop and manage low-to-moderate income housing, weatherization/energy conservation • NRV Cares- family education, counseling support, Court Appointed Special Advocates program • Young Life of NRV- mentorship program for youth • Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley

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• Boys and Girls Club of Montgomery County- provides mentorship and after-school programs for young people • Salvation Army of the New River Valley- emergency assistance, food, clothing, household items, emergency housing • New River Family Shelter-emergency housing to families and children • Montgomery County Health Department- District Office • Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP)- water and waste water access, home rehabilitation, community development • New River Valley Agency on Aging – services to seniors • Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services – services for older/vulnerable adults and people with disabilities • New River/Mt Rogers Workforce Development Board- career assistance, job training, facilitate workforce initiatives • Pembroke Management- Housing Choice Voucher Program • Foundation For Rehabilitation Equipment And Endowment Pulaski County • Pulaski Department of Social Services- federal and state social service programs, including TANF, SNAP, Medicaid and Heating and Cooling Assistance • Project Hope- aiding in educational programs for homeless youth and families • New River Community Action - including Emergency Assistance, Nutrition Assistance, CHIP program, Homeless and Housing Programs, Swiftstart, To Our House, Virginia Cares, VITA Program, and Head Start • New River Valley Community Services- providing care for mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disorders • Pulaski County Health Department • Youth Excel Program through Salvation Army- education and support to youth transitioning to adulthood • Pulaski Community Partners Coalition- substance abuse and prevention, education • Pulaski Grow- workforce training for youth • Pulaski County Emergency Needs Task Force – partners with New River Community Action to provide financial emergency assistance and emergency food assistance • Daily Bread First Presbyterian Church- community meals five days a week • Dublin Baptist Church Food Pantry • Salvation Army of the New River Valley- emergency assistance, food, clothing, household items, emergency housing • Free Clinic of Pulaski County- medical care and medications • Volunteer! Pulaski- senior volunteer coordination • Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP)- water and waste water access, home rehabilitation, community development • New River Valley Agency on Aging – services to seniors • Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services – services for older/vulnerable adults and people with disabilities • NRV Cares- family education, counseling support, Court Appointed Special Advocates program • New River Family Shelter-emergency housing to families and children • Young Life of NRV- mentorship program for youth • Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley

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• New River/Mt Rogers Workforce Development Board- career assistance, job training, facilitate workforce initiatives • Foundation For Rehabilitation Equipment And Endowment • Pembroke Management- Housing Choice Voucher Program • Salvation Army of the New River Valley- emergency assistance, food, clothing, household items, emergency housing • Radford Fairlawn Daily Bread- free meals, and delivery of meals to Radford and Fairlawn residents Radford City • Radford City Department of Social Services- federal and state social service programs, including TANF, SNAP, Medicaid and Heating and Cooling Assistance, Housing Choice Voucher Program • New River/Mt Rogers Workforce Development Board- career assistance, job training, facilitate workforce initiatives • Women’s Resource Center – counseling, emergency and transitional shelter for domestic violence victims • Project Hope- aiding in educational programs for homeless youth and families • Radford Clothing Bank • Radford City Health Department • New River Community Action - including Emergency Assistance, Nutrition Assistance, CHIP program, Homeless and Housing Programs, Swiftstart, To Our House, Virginia Cares, VITA Program, and Head Start • New River Valley Community Services- providing care for mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disorders • Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP)- water and waste water access, home rehabilitation, community development • New River Valley Agency on Aging – services to seniors • Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services – services for older/vulnerable adults and people with disabilities • New River Family Shelter-emergency housing to families and children • NRV Cares- family education, counseling support, Court Appointed Special Advocates program • Young Life of NRV- mentorship program for youth • Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley • Radford Fairlawn Daily Bread- free meals, and delivery of meals to Radford and Fairlawn residents • Foundation For Rehabilitation Equipment And Endowment • Helping Hand

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Section XI: Identifying Community Needs Partner and Staff Survey In December 2016, New River Community Action Agency issued a partner and staff survey created to determine the community needs and issues. Fifty-five partners of NRCA completed the survey, as did 53 members of NRCA staff. The participants responded to a list of 33 services/needs and rated the items on a scale of 1 to 5 (N/A, Not Important, Slightly Important, Important, Extremely Important). Find the full surveys in the Attachment A.

Respondents Top Ten Needs Identified by Staff and Partners were asked, “Using the scale N/A (1), Not Substance abuse counseling Important (2), Slightly Affordable health services Important (3), Home ownership Important (4) and Extremely Important Affordable, quality daycare (5), how important is Mental health services for children and… this service to your More and better transportation clients/community?” Adult education The chart to the left displays the top ten Assistance with food concerns for NRCA Access to more and better paying jobs staff members and 4.7 4.75 4.8 4.85 4.9 4.95 5 NRCA partner organizations. Key Informant Survey

Key Informant Combined Survey Results NRCA facilitated four focus groups to Coordinated Services/ Outreach to Public determine the top issues/needs in the Affordable Childcare New River Valley service region. The Homeless Shelter/Services focus groups involved Transportation the Board of Directors, The Floyd Local Affordable Housing Advisory Board, The Pulaski Emergency Substance Abuse Task Force, and the Jobs that offer living wages CHIP Advisory Committee. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

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Grid Analysis and Prioritization NRCA Board members were asked to vote on statements (criteria) that would be used to prioritize the top needs identified by partners, staff, and key informants. Board members selected the following four criteria: 1. Magnitude of the problem 2. Availability of financial resources 3. Economic burden on the community 4. The solution could impact multiple problems

Top categories of needs were processed through the grid analysis (as shown below) while applying the weighted criteria to each subject.

Criteria The Economic solution Magnitude Availability burden on could of the of financial the impact problem resources Total: community multiple problems Weight 5 4 3 2 Max (42) Health 3x5=15 2x4=8 3X3=9 3x2=6 38 Employability 3x5=15 1x4=4 3X3=9 3x2=6 34 Education 3x5=15 2x4=8 3X3=9 3x2=6 38 Housing 3x5=15 2x4=8 3X3=9 3x2=6 38 Substance Abuse 3x5=15 1x4=4 3X3=9 2x2=4 32 Coordinated Services 2x5=10 2x4=8 3X3=9 3x2=6 32 Transportation 3x5=15 1x4=4 1x3=3 3x2=6 28 Affordable quality childcare 3x5=15 1x4=4 1x3=3 2X2=4 24 Emergency Shelter and services 2x5=10 1x4=4 1x3=3 3x2=6 23 Homeownership 2x5=10 1x4=4 1x3=3 1x2=2 19

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Evaluation of NRCA Services

New River Community Action, with the assistance of 1,744 volunteers who worked 44,020 hours, provided the following services to 12,441* unduplicated individuals in 2015-2016:

• EMERGENCY FOOD provided to 6,374 individuals in 2,703 families through six food pantries. • VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE (VITA) was provided free of charge for 711 families who saved $142,200 in tax preparation fees. • The HEAD START PROGRAM provided comprehensive education, nutrition, health, parent involvement and social services to 369 pre-school children. • EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE was provided to 2,469 families (5,929 individuals) alleviating their financial crises. Emergency Assistance staff aided a total of 1,706 families with 4,217 family members in the year 2015-2016 seeking help with utilities. Emergency Assistance clients include 539 families consisting of 1,297 individuals who accessed Neighbor-to-Neighbor for electric bill payments. • HOUSING COUNSELING provided to 76 households leading to improved housing. • HOMELESS and HOUSING PROGRAMS assisted 85 households (211 individuals) to obtain or maintain permanent housing through assistance with utility and security deposits, moving costs, and temporary rental assistance ($197,972). • CHILDREN’S HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PARTNERSHIP (CHIP) of the New River Valley provided 155 families with 268 children (age 0-6) with improved health care, parent education, and case management. • VIRGINIA CARES aided 226 ex-offenders in successfully transitioning from prison or jail to society. • INFORMATION AND REFERRAL SERVICES provided to 5,493 families. • FORMAL and INFORMAL PARTNERSHIPS maintained with 160 organizations. • STAFF SUPPORT OR OFFICE SPACE provided to three agencies or organizations; 4,111 low- income individuals benefited. • A total of 21 unduplicated low-income individuals were mobilized to serve on BOARDS AND COUNCILS OF NRCA AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. • FLOYD BACKPACK PROGRAM served 172 children in 90 families. • TO OUR HOUSE winter shelter served 48 homeless men by providing 1,644 bed-nights and a total of 4,932 meals. Fifteen host churches and 46 support churches/organization participated in the program. Nine hundred twenty-eight volunteers provided 6,008 hours of service to men experiencing homelessness. • Sixteen AMERICORPS MEMBERS provided a combined 12,620 service hours in these program areas: Head Start, Homeless, and Housing Programs, VITA, MCEAP, and To Our House.

A. *estimate/unconfirmed

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Attachment List

A. Qualitative Data: 1. Grid Analysis and 5 Why's- Focus Group Data; 2. 2016 Partner Survey Results; 3. 2016 Staff Survey Results; 4. (A) Key Informant, Staff and (B) Partner Combined Survey Results and (C) Copy of Survey; 5. CHIP NRCA- Parent Survey Data SFY15; 6. Head Start 2015-16 Parent Survey; 7. NRV Profile Project Cape; 8. Project CAPE Behavioral Health Snapshot. B. Theories of Poverty and Anti-Poverty Programs in Community Development C. Ending Homelessness D. NRCA Partnership List E. Protect Your Family from Lead Hazards, HUD Publication F. Financial Data FY 15-16 G. County Resource Guides 1. Floyd County; 2. Giles County; 3. Montgomery County; 4. Pulaski County; 5. Radford City. H. U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey Methodology 1. Simple Explanation FAQs 2. ACS Rural Area Handbook

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