Current Homeless and Poverty
Statistics—January 2008

The Timothy House, a ministry of Good Works, provides shelter to the rural homeless serving 9 southeast Ohio Appalachian Counties

Timothy House Statistics

• From 1997 to 2006, a period of ten years, the Timothy House sheltered nearly 1500 different people.
• The average age of these individuals was 35
• 64% were single men, 21% were single women, 5% were two parent families, and 6% were single parent families.
• The Timothy House provides shelter to 9 counties in Appalachian Ohio; five of those counties are the five poorest counties in the state of Ohio.

Poverty in Appalachian Ohio

• 5 of the 6 occupations with the most job openings available in a 2006 study of Southeast Ohio were low-wage-earning, fast-food, cashier, and retail positions.
• Median household income in Athens county is $27 thousand per year; $14 thousand lower than the national average.
• In 2006, Athens county had an individual poverty rate of 27.4%

Rural Poverty and Homelessness

• People who live in rural areas are twice as likely to be poor as people who live in cities. For example, with a poverty rate of 12%, Cleveland is the poorest city in the US, but, as the poorest county in Ohio, Athens poverty rate is 26%.
• Rural homelessness is often invisible. According to the US Department of Agriculture, most rural people who become homeless are likely to live doubled and tripled up with family in substandard housing. This is a contrast to the more stereotypical picture of homelessness that occurs in urban areas, where, when people lose their housing they are quite visible, living on the streets or in parks.
• Approximately 1/3 of homeless persons living in urban areas are families with children. In rural areas, this number is even higher. Family homelessness has been on the rise in recent years.
• Rural people who become homeless are more likely to be white, employed females than their urban counterparts. They are also more likely to be homeless for the first time.
• The root cause of homelessness anywhere is nearly always poverty. Most rural poverty currently is resultant from decline in industry in rural areas. Small towns all over Appalachian Ohio are littered with closed factories, and our countryside is full of abandoned coalmines.
• Rural areas are plagued by lower wages and fewer opportunities to work.

 National Poverty and Homelessness

• Nationwide, two factors have contributed to the increase in homelessness over the past several years—an increase in poverty and a decrease in the availability of affordable housing units.
• Someone is homeless (as defined by the McKinney—Vinto Act) if they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, or if they are living in a shelter.
• The 2006 Mayor’s conference found that 51% of people who became homeless the year before were single men, 30% were single women, 17% were families with children, and 2% were unaccompanied youth.

Resources

The National Coalition for the Homeless
Campaign to End Homelessness
US Census Bureau
Athens County Job and Family Services 2006—2007 Poverty Report

Appalachian Ohio

Introduction:
The ministry of Good Works, Inc. has been serving citizens from the Appalachian region since 1981. Today, Good Works is involved in providing emergency shelter, transitional housing and a wide range of community development initiatives to 7+ counties in the Appalachian region. For more information about the ministry of Good Works, Inc.—A COMMUNITY OF HOPE, contact us at (740) 594-3333 or through e-mail at goodworks@good-works.net.

A Snapshot Of Appalachian Ohio:
Appalachian Ohio is more expansive than many people realize. It consists of twenty-nine of Ohio’s eighty-eight counties and represents one-third of the state’s land. approximately 1.4 million people resided in Ohio’s 29-county Appalachian region in 1995, or 12.9% of all Ohioans. This part of our state is only a part of the country’s Appalachian Region recognized by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). It is a region that stretches from southern New York to northern Mississippi and includes all or parts of 13 states.
Statistics derived from the Ohio Department of Development indicate a high percentage of people living in poverty, low per capita income, higher than average high school drop out rates, higher infant mortality rates, and out migration from the region. Due to the rolling terrain, development of basic linear infrastructure (roads, bridges, water and sewer) is difficult and costly. Appalachian Ohio displays a diverse economy which runs the gamut from steel towns to Amish farms, from forested hillside to unreclaimed strip pits, from upscale metro fringe communities to struggling growth areas, from traditional farm centers to depressed and decaying hamlets. In 1990, for persons 25 years and older, the areas’s high school graduation rate was 69.2%; for the state, it was 75.7%. The per capita income in Ohio’s Appalachian region was $15,145 in 1993; 77% of the statewide per capita income of $19,696. The unemployment rate in Ohio’s Appalachian region was 6.6% in 1995, compared to a 4.8% unemployment rate in the entire state.
In spite of these challenges, the region has a rich culture that continues to occupy a strong place in daily life. It has experienced significant economic development in several growth centers within the region. There are individuals of means within the region, and there are corporations with current or historic ties to the region.
Philanthropy in Appalachian Ohio: Compared with all other states, Ohio ranks 6th in the number of foundations and 8th in dollar value of foundation assets. Although Ohio is known for its rich philanthropic tradition, a regional comparison within the state reveals a disproportionately small amount of philanthropic resources available in Appalachian Ohio.
According to the 1995-96 edition of the Charitable Foundations Directory of Ohio published by the Ohio Attorney General’s office, a total of 2,176 grant-making charitable foundations were located in the state. Of those, only 128 were found in Appalachian Ohio. Of the $7 billion in assets held by all foundations in the state, about $120 million, or 1.7%, were held in Appalachian Ohio. Of the $518 million in grants awarded in the state, only $9 million, or 1.7% were made in Appalachian Ohio.

THE GAP*

The Income Gap : 25% of the poorest counties in America are located in Appalachia. Per capita income, region-wide, is one-third less than the national average. Four of the ten counties with the highest rate of child poverty in the nation are located in Appalachia.

The Job Gap: Unemployment rates of 11 to 15% are common in the counties of Appalachian Ohio, even in the midst of today’s booming economy. In West Virginia, 1,900 mining jobs have been eliminated in the past year.

The Health Care Gap: In Appalachian Ohio, 25 of the 29 counties have been designated “Health Professional Shortage Areas.” In West Virginia, the inevitable result of inadequate health care coverage is all too evident: the rate of heart disease is 19% higher that the national average; the rate of lung disease is 22% higher higher; the death rate is 12% higher.

The Education Gap: The percentage of adults not finishing the 9th grade is 12% in the Appalachian region of Ohio, nearly three times the national average. Spending per pupil in Appalachian Ohio was $2, 822.00 in 1991, far below the statewide average of $4,390.00.

The Charitable Contribution Gap: Only 4.1% of all charitable contributions in Ohio flow to the Appalachian region of the state, even though this region accounts for 8.2% of the state’s human need.

The Capital Gap: In Appalachia, nearly one-fifth of all businesses with plans to expand, modernize, or renovate during the past three years were affected by an inability to obtain financing.

The Housing Gap: In some areas of Appalachia, more than 15% of the homes are classified as “substandard.”

*Informaton provided through the office of Rainbow/PUSH.
For more information, contact Mr. Gary Flowers at (773) 373-3366

the reality of money

We have struggled for the past 20+ years to obtain financial support through foundations. Now we have discovered why. Click the thumbnail graphs to get a clearer picture of the reality of money in Appalachian Ohio.