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Southwood Mobile Home CommunityPresentation of ResultsFebruary 11, 2010

+Southwood Mobile Home

Community:

An Assessment of Community Needs and Resources for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville

Communitas Consulting, September 2009,

http:// www.communitasconsulting.com

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+Goals of the Study:

to understand the needs and resources of the community from the perspectives of agencies serving the area;

to approximate the demographics of the residents of the Southwood community for current and future planning;

to hear directly from residents about the resources they bring to the community, the needs they have, and their vision for their future.

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+Research Methods

Interviews with 28 individuals at 14 public and nonprofit community organizations

A survey of residents completed by 112 representatives of mobile homes, representing 372 residents or 32% of the population

Secondary data analysis

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+Demographics

An estimated 1,229 residents living in the Southwood Mobile Home Park.

On average, there are 3.5 residents living in each trailer.

61% of respondents identified themselves as Hispanic, 31% as White, 6% African American, and 2% Bi-Racial.

50% of respondents were female and 50% were male.

39% of residents are between the ages of 0 – 19.

The mean monthly income for a trailer in Southwood is $1624

The majority of respondents are employed either full time (45%) or part-time (22%).

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+Demographics Continued

With regard to respondents’ housing, 81% percent of respondents report owning their own trailer.

On average, two cars are affiliated with each trailer.

Fifty-four percent of respondents do not have any animals living with them either inside or outside their trailer.

Secondary data sources indicate that school enrollment of Hispanic children from Southwood has increased at a larger rate than for Albemarle County school children overall.

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+Summary of Key Findings

Respondents report satisfaction living in Southwood and appreciate the changes implemented since Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville purchased the park.

For the most part, they plan to stay at Southwood in the future.

Respondents are most eager to see a reduction in speeding drivers and infrastructure investments, in particular safer road conditions.

Some residents have worries related to lack of employment, access to dental care and health care.

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+Summary of Key Findings Continued

Parents seek more recreational opportunities for teens.

Parents of young children have an interest in learning about child development and parenting skills and meeting other parents.

About two thirds of the residents have an interest in having a coordinator help connect them to social services, yet the majority of respondents also currently know where and how to access social services outside of the neighborhood.

There are significant assets within Southwood Mobile Homes Park, as evidenced by the range of skills of the residents, the high participation rate in the survey, and the extensive support of local agencies.

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+Infrastructure, Safety and Housing Assets and Challenges

Almost half (49%) of all participating respondents report the addition of playgrounds as one of the best improvements Habitat has made since purchasing Southwood.

Thirty-two percent felt Habitat had hired good staff to work in the office and thirty percent thought the Southwood office and community room were the best improvements.

Twenty-five percent of respondents cited the increased number of kids at the Boys and Girls Club as the best improvement since Habitat became the Southwood owners.

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+Best Improvements

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+Three best things about living at Southwood

Seventy-one percent of participants selected affordability as the best thing about living in Southwood.

Location and proximity to Charlottesville was second (55%).

40 percent selected the Boys & Girls Club as the third best thing about living in Southwood.

Twenty- nine percent of respondents identified the Southwood-Habitat staff.

25 percent reported the Southwood-Habitat community room as other positive Southwood attributes.

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+Three worst things about living in Southwood

A clear majority (78%) of respondents selected speeding and fast drivers as the worst thing about living in Southwood.

The road conditions and street lighting (67%) was the second most commonly cited worst thing about living in Southwood.

Thirty-eight percent reported crime and safety while 27 percent cited animals as the worst things about living in Southwood.

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+Most Important Future Improvements

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+Human Services and Community Resources

A significant finding of the survey is that the majority of residents (69%) know where to go for human services and social service assistance.

Thirty-two percent of residents reported they would go to Albemarle County Social Services for help.

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+Biggest Worries

Forty-eight percent of survey respondents report a lack of sufficient employment The lack of language skills was cited by thirty-two percent

of respondents as the biggest barrier to improving their employment situation.

Thirty-six percent worry about having limited or no access to dental care, while twenty-seven percent worry about lack of medical care.

Twenty-one percent of respondents are worried about not having enough food to feed everyone who lives in the trailer.

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+Biggest Worries

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+Use of Human Services

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+Problems of Older Residents

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+Respondents with Children

Just over 32% of respondents with children, ages 0-17, would be interested in learning about child development.

30% would enjoy meeting other parents.

25% felt they would benefit from learning parenting skills.

Thirty one percent of respondents with children under 17 noted that finding recreational activities was a problem.

28 percent of them reported finding appropriate work for their children as a problem.

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+Recreation

Overall, sixty-six percent of respondents are satisfied with the recreational options at Southwood. In general, fifty percent of respondents use the Southwood playgrounds.

Thirty-seven percent of respondents report using the Boys and Girls Club at Southwood.

Secondary data indicates that approximately half of the Boys and Girls Club members live at Southwood, with the majority of members between the ages of 5-12.

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+Additional Recreational Services Residents Would Like to See at Southwood

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+Desire for Future Services

The top three areas in which respondents would like assistance are: classes to build skills for the job market home improvement classes classes on how to use computers classes to improve English

Sixty-nine percent of all respondents like the idea of adding a person to coordinate Southwood residents’ needs with other social service agencies. Survey participants would ask this person to help them with

health care, electric bills, repairs to home, social services, and child care.

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+Assets

The top four skills represented by residents were: Carpentry, Painting, Landscaping, Child Care.

Fifty-four percent of respondents are interested in volunteering in Southwood.

The agencies serving Southwood provide services to a rough estimate of approximately 109 children, with a third of those taking part in the Boys and Girls Club, and 75 adults.

Agencies offered additional assistance in the areas of improved coordination of services, parent education, child care assistance, assistance with obtaining health care, legal aid, and recreation.

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+Respondents’ Skills

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+Future Plans

In the next one to two years, the vast majority (87%) of respondents plan to remain living in their current trailer.

When asked if they didn’t qualify for a Southwood home in the future, would they be interested in living in a rental apartment building in Southwood, 70% of respondents said that they would.

Respondents’ top three goals for their children are: attend college, graduate from high school, and enter a profession.

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+Future Goals for Children

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+Recommendations1. Integrate the human services and redevelopment plans at

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville so that all staff, services and plans reflect attention to both the physical infrastructure and the social needs of residents.

2. Work with the County of Albemarle to accelerate the Southern Area Master Plan process and with the Albemarle County Police to decrease speeding in the area.

3. Offer equitable services to the Hispanic, Caucasian and African American residents at Southwood and encourage service providers to do the same.

4. Consider developing a new strategic alliance with the Boys and Girls Club leadership to better meet the needs of the parents and children living at Southwood.

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+Recommendations Continued

5. Formalize partnerships with local community nonprofits, particularly in the areas of dental care and employment.

6. Consider taking advantage of Habitats’ in-kind expertise and provide ongoing home improvement and financing classes – like those provided to the Greater Charlottesville community– to respond to residents’ educational interests, and build their employment and financial management skills.

7. Convene local service providers to improve the efficiency and sharing of resources of existing agencies, coordinate schedules, work collectively on issues of concern for the residents, and leverage additional resources to the area.

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+Recommendations Continued

8. Consider adding staff resources to support a bilingual individual who can refer individuals to agencies, coordinate agencies’ schedules on site, potentially staff the consortium meetings, and provide guidance and translation to residents.

9. Engage the residents in planning for redevelopment, increase communication with residents about the process and have an ongoing communication vehicle for sharing and exchanging information with residents.

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+Questions and Discussion

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