Demographic Profile
While our focus is on local issues, it is important to see how our community reflects national and state trends.
National: In 1995, one in five people (20%) in the United States had difficulty satisfying basic needs. This means that nationally 49 million people lived in households in which members didnt make mortgage/rent payments, failed to pay utility bills and/or had service shut off, didnt get enough to eat, didnt access needed medical/dental care, or otherwise could not meet essential expenses. (While medical/dental is not included in our definition of basic needs, it is part of this Census Bureau analysis and retained in this context). This number exceeds the national poverty rate, which at the same time was less than 15% (U.S. Census Bureau, 1999).
State: Texas statistics also reflect this condition. In spite of continued economic growth at both the national and State levels, the poverty rate in Texas remains high (16.7% in the mid 1990s). Even more telling, nearly one quarter (24.2%) of children in Texas were poor at that time. Further compounding this situation, the majority of poor families were working. More than 80% of poor Texas families with children in which parents were able-bodied included at least one worker. Nearly 40% of these working parents worked full time. Only 11.1% of poor Texas families with children relied on welfare for the majority of their income (Center for Public Policy Priorities, 1999).
Local: While Travis County has experienced a prolonged period of tremendous economic growth, poverty continues to have a significant impact on our community.
- According to Census Bureau estimates released in 1999, 12.9% of Travis County population lived at or below the poverty level in 1995. While this compares favorably to the state (18.5%) and national (13.8%) rates, it still means that 87,177 people in our county live below the poverty level. The poverty guideline is defined as $16,700/year for a family of four.
- The Texas Department of Human Services (TDHS) reports that 2,612 households received Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits in February 1999 (Welfare to Work Coalition, 1999).
- TDHS also reported 10,214 households received food stamps in February 1999 (Welfare to Work Coalition, 1999).
- In 1998 WIC served an average of 14,092 women and children per month.
- Local service providers estimate that there are 3,850 homeless in our community on any given day (41% single adults, 46% families with children, 13% "street" youth).
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Working Poor: Complicating the struggle of low-income families to meet their basic needs in our community is the steady increase in the cost of living, particularly housing. One measure that has traditionally been used to gauge prosperity in a community is unemployment. With a June 1999 unemployment estimate of 2.6% (compared to 4.7% statewide), Travis County is clearly thriving. However, this number can be misleading. It does not reflect people who are working, but are still not self-sufficient: employed at low wage levels, working multiple low wage jobs, or employed part time. It is often the case that individuals work but still require basic needs assistance. As noted above, 80% of poor children in Texas are in families in which at least one parent works. TDHS estimates that there are up to 200,000 working poor in Travis County (defined as living at or below 200% of the federal poverty income guideline).
Another indicator of the magnitude of the "working poor" in Travis County, is the number of students who are considered economically disadvantaged. Students are considered economically disadvantaged when they qualify for reduced-price or free meals. According to the USDA, the eligibility criteria for receiving reduced-price meals is an annual income at 185% of the poverty level, and for free meals, an annual income at 130% of the poverty level (see Table 3). 43% of all public school students in Travis County meet this qualification. Of 96 elementary schools in Travis County (TEA, AEIS reports), 37 (38.5%) have over 75% low-income students, and 51 (53%) have at least 50% low low-income students. These school populations offer a good indication of where, geographically, low low-income families are located in our community. These are shown in the map below.
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Elementary school campus with 75% or more economically disadvantaged students- Elementary school campus with 50% - 74.9% economically disadvantaged students
Elementary school campus with 0% - 49.9% economically disadvantaged students
Across all Travis County school districts (including Round Rock ISD), the number of economically disadvantaged students has increased 5.5% since 1994-95. On a positive note, from 1996-97 to 1997-98, the number of low income students in Travis County districts (including Round Rock) dropped 1.58%.
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Demand for Emergency Assistance: Another indicator of need is the growing amount of Emergency Assistance Travis County has provided. Despite an eligibility threshold of just 50% of the Federal Poverty Income Guideline ($8,350/yr for a family of 4) for most assistance, over 21,00 people received emergency assistance from Travis County (detail in Appendix H).
In July 1999, Travis County basic needs providers reported a growing demand for assistance. In particular, they report an increase in the number of working poor, recent immigrants (frequently undocumented), elderly and with a few exceptions, homeless families. Further detail provided by Travis County Emergency Assistance is presented below to further illustrate the changing need for basic needs assistance.
Travis County Emergency Assistance Programs
Total emergency assistance expenditures climbed to $2.1 million in FY98 from $1.1 million in FY95. Most of this increase can be attributed to utility assistance, which increased by 81.3% during the four-year period.
Figure 2 Number of Individuals Granted Emergency Assistance, FY95-FY98
Note: The group of people denied assistance shared very similar characteristics with those people granted assistance including income (92% of both groups reported annual income of less than $2,000), demographic and gender breakdown.
The number of unduplicated individuals granted assistance increased from 12,491 in FY95 to 21,468 in FY98 (Figure 2).
In FY98, 21,468 unduplicated individuals were granted assistance. Additionally, they were unable to assist 16,703 unduplicated individuals who requested aid, for a total of 38,171 individuals seeking emergency assistance. This compares to FY95, when 19,787 individuals sought emergency assistance (an increase of almost 100%). These individuals share the following characteristics:
- Over 92% of those requesting assistance had an annual income of less than $2,000 (estimate based upon information collected at intake);
- Primary applicants were 38% African-American, 32% white, and 29% Hispanic;
- Over 38% of assistance was awarded to children under the age of 12, 4.3% to persons over 60;
- Less than 3% of assistance was received by non- US citizens.
Of the 7,677 households that were granted assistance in FY98, 58.4% were only assisted once during the fiscal year, 21.9% were granted assistance twice, and 9.1% were granted assistance three times. Assistance was granted four or more times to 10.6% of households during the fiscal year. Persons ineligible for Travis County assistance are referred to the loose network of congregations and private non-profits offering emergency assistance (Travis County, Emergency Assistance Program, 1999).
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Health Related Issues: Three healthy behaviors have been identified as key to a healthy community: exercise, good nutrition, smoking cessation. Access to basic needs assistance clearly impacts the nutrition status of our community. There are a number of chronic health conditions that magnify demands for basic needs assistance. Among the most prominent are HIV/AIDS and diabetes. In both cases, access to the basic needs takes on an even more immediate significance.
A recent needs assessment completed by the Austin Area Comprehensive HIV Planning Council identified food bank services and emergency rent/utility assistance as priorities number seven and eight respectively. During this planning process, persons living with HIV/AIDS placed an even greater significance on basic needs assistance, ranking food bank and emergency rent/utility assistance as the second and third most important service need.
Basic Needs, particularly food assistance takes on particular importance with a growing population living with diabetes. The growing impact of diabetes in our community is indicated by a death rate due to diabetes that has increased over 50%, from 12 per 100,000 in 1990 to 18.4 per 100,000 in 1997 (Texas Department of Health). Good nutrition is vital to maintain a good quality of life for a person with diabetes and can also help prevent the onset of diabetes.
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