Facts About MEND and Poverty

  1. MEND serves as many as 42,500 individuals per month.
  2. From 2008 to 2011, the total encounters for MEND’s various services grew 91%.
  3. 70% of MEND clients are women and 30% are men.
  4. 75% of MEND clients live on $10,000 or less per year.
  5. Nearly half of MEND’s clients reside in Pacoima. The rest are from nearby cities such as Sylmar and San Fernando.

 

Poverty:

  1. The 2010 Census Bureau reported that over 43 million Americans live below poverty level. Source
  2. In 2010, the national poverty rate was over 15.1%.
  3. In 2010, the national poverty rate for Latinos was 26.6%.
  4. In 2010, the national poverty rate for African Americans was 27.4%.
  5. In 2010, 16.4 million children, or 22%, were poverty level. The poverty rate for children also varies substantially by race and Hispanic origin. Thirty-five percent of Hispanic children and 38% of African American children live in poverty in the US.
  6. Poverty rates are highest for families headed by single women, especially if they’re African American or Hispanic. In 2010, 31.6% of households headed by single women were poor in the US versus 15.8% of households headed by single men and 6.2% of married-couple households lived in poverty. Source
  7. The latest Census data shows about 20% of households in Pacoima are single- mother households, a significant increase since 2000.*
  8. Today, California is experiencing its highest poverty in a decade.
  9. In 2010, the poverty rate in Los Angeles County was 17.5%.
  10. The latest Census data reveals that about 17% of Pacoima households are at or below the poverty level.*
  11. In the Pacoima area there are fewer unemployed but more working poor.*

*Read more on poverty trends in the North East San Fernando Valley from The Center for Southern California Studies, CSUN

 

Food & Hunger:

The MEND Foodbank provides food to clients in need

  1. During the latest recession from 2008 to 2011, demand for MEND’s emergency food boxes grew 64%.
  2. According to the latest census data, over 5 million Californians live with hunger pains or in fear of hunger.

 

Health care:

The MEND Health Center provides dental, medical and eye care to nearly 9,000 uninsured patients.

  1. According to the latest census data, in 2009, nearly 17% of Americans were uninsured.
  2. In California, 21% of women are uninsured.
  3. In California, 25% of adults will be uninsured at some point throughout the year.
  4. From 2008 to 2011, the number of patients who visited MEND’s Medical Clinic increased by 22.5%.
  5. From 2008 to 2011, the number of patients who visited MEND’s Dental Clinic increased by 135.3%.

 

Education:

The MEND Education and Training Center provides clients with job skills that will increase the likelihood for the future employment.

  1. MEND’s Education and Training Center provides tutoring in math, science and reading, sewing, ESL and literacy classes and training in computer skills to members in the community.
  2. From 2008 to 2011, the total enrollment in MEND’s Education and Training Center increased by 20%.
  3. Today, receiving a high school degree or even some college education is less likely to protect Americans from poverty than it was two decades ago.

 

Employment:

  1. In June 2012, the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the national unemployment rate to be 8.2%.
  2. In June 2012, the unemployment rate in Los Angeles County was 11.2%.