October 2006

In this Issue

• United Way’s Torch Drive engages community to improve lives
• Metro Detroit's Promise volunteer spreads more than warmth
• Versus becomes And - Finding common ground
• More than just a job fair: The 2006 Southeast Michigan Employment, Training and Family Resource Expo
• Kurt's Corner

United Way’s annual campaign engages community to improve lives
United Way for Southeastern Michigan kicked off its 58th annual campaign on Sept. 8. Richard E. Dauch, 2006 general campaign chair and co-founder, chairman and CEO, American Axle & Manufacturing, was joined by Michael J. Brennan, president and CEO, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, and other guests for an early morning lighting of United Way's 54-foot high torch in downtown Detroit to officially start this year’s campaign. (Watch the torchlighting ceremony -- 2:24) This year's fundraising goal is $61 million. Campaign contributions help provide funding for hundreds of programs and services in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

"This region is facing unprecedented, challenging times,” said Dauch. “As in decades past, United Way is there to help those who need it most. With hard work, good planning, teamwork and commitment, United Way can continue to provide assistance. If there was ever a time for all of us to work together to achieve the Torch Drive goal, it is now.”

“We know these are tough times, but it’s in these times that the residents of southeastern Michigan shine,” said Brennan.

Brennan added, “No one organization can meet all the demands by itself. Just as the community came together to create resource libraries to enhance early childhood literacy, we have an even greater opportunity as a region to work together to address human service issues and make a lasting change in peoples lives.”

To contribute to United Way's campaign visit www.onewaytohelp.org or call 2-1-1.

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Metro Detroit's Promise volunteer spreads more than warmth
Darryl Johnson recently migrated to metro Detroit from San Diego, and is slowly making the adjustment from perpetual warmth and sunshine to four distinct seasons, complete with rain, chills and snow.

Since he’s most comfortable during the summer months, Darryl figured he would find a way to spend more time outdoors once weather heated up. In the process, he discovered a project that allowed him to pursue a long-held passion -- helping young people. 

Darryl became a volunteer with the Sevenfold Coalition Addressing Neighborhood Needs (SCANN) program in Belleville, which meets at Elwell School. SCANN provides positive youth development activities as a Metro Detroit’s Promise (MDP) Site of Promise, including a summer program that offers learning and enrichment opportunities during non-school months.

United Way for Southeastern Michigan coordinates the MDP initiative, which helps build the character and skill of youth in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

Darryl developed a curriculum he calls  “On Board Against Violence,” designed to teach young people to avoid sacrificing their future in a moment of violence. 

He used MDP’s “pillars of character” -- Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship – as the foundation of his program, with one of the pillars serving as a theme each week.  Through exercises like chess, Darryl taught participants decision-making skills, while athletic activities reinforced daily life lessons, and field trips exposed youth to the world beyond their neighborhoods.

By the end of the program, 92 youths had enrolled. Darryl says his work with SCANN, thanks to United Way’s support, allowed he and his staff to make a positive difference.

“There were many (in the program), but the sad truth is there were many more that could have been there,” Darryl says. “Daily we passed kids who were just sitting in neighborhoods, no enrichment.  Then we would pass churches with buses, sitting there, no children. Next year will be different.”

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Versus becomes And - Finding common ground
By Michael J. Brennan, president and CEO, United Way for Southeastern Michigan

Management vs. Labor. Ford vs. GM vs. Chrysler. Comerica vs. Chase vs. Fifth Third. Lear vs. Visteon. City vs. Suburbs. Politically Right vs. Politically Left. Domestic vs. Global.

Most days, we can find competition between groups or organizations fighting for market position, or for social justice, or for a particular point of view. Yet, what often goes unseen is when those same competitors come together around common purpose.

United Way is one of the few places in community that VERSUS becomes AND. I am often in work where companies/individuals that compete fiercely check the competition at the door and sit next to each other---work with each other--- for the purpose of improving community. Quite honestly, I get to see each day our region at its best.

The other day, management AND Labor - the Detroit Newspaper Partnership, Detroit Free Press and Detroit News - came together to help community. Many in our region often have the imprint of strife from the strike long ago. Not today. Not now. Not for the purpose of community.

This is one example of how the leadership of management (Publisher David Hunke) and the leadership of labor (local union presidents/representatives) put community first. The focus is on writing a "new story" of progress for the region.

If you would like to see this coming together for community, just click on the short video below or click here to watch the Detroit Newspaper Partnership 2006 United Way Kickoff (9:52) in a new window.

Keep up-to-date with Michael Brennan's travels through our community by visiting his blog, Window on Community.

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More than just a job fair - The 2006 Southeast Michigan Employment, Training and Family Resource Expo
For the second year, members of the public and private sectors are partnering to present Working Together: The Southeastern Michigan Employment, Training and Family Resource Expo, Wednesday, Oct. 11.

The Expo will focus on providing pathways to success, matching job seekers with potential employers; providing access to training and continuing education opportunities; and providing resources to overcome barriers to keeping employment. The Expo will focus on in-demand jobs in the following industries: contract staffing, education, finance, government, health care, hospitality and food service, human services, information technology, manufacturing and engineering, retail, sales and services, and transportation. There will also be a virtual component to this year’s Expo, providing resources to jobseekers online between Oct. 9 and Oct. 13.

Partnering to put on the Expo are the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit Workforce Development Department, the Michigan Department of Human Services in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, the Michigan Department of Information Technology; the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth (Michigan Talent Bank), Michigan Works! in Oakland and Macomb counties, the Southeast Michigan Community Alliance, and United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

What
Working Together: The Southeast Michigan Employment, Training and Family Resource Expo

When
Wednesday, October 11, 2006, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Where
Michigan State Fairgrounds & Exposition Center, Woodward Ave. (just south of Eight Mile Rd.), Detroit

Who
Employers representing 12 industries along with local colleges and specialized training programs. Representatives from local governmental and human service agencies will also be on hand to assist people who face barriers to retaining employment, such as transportation, child care and assistance with disabilities.

The event is free and open to the public. Employers interested in participating in the Expo and community members who wish to attend should dial 2-1-1 for more information. Online registration is also available by logging on to www.uwsem.org/expo.

In addition to the partners, the Expo is made possible by: Comcast; Fifth Third Bank; Lanier; and Rock Financial, a Quicken Loans Company.  

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Kurt's Corner
Welcome to Kurt's Corner where you will find the latest research on information and trends shaping our region. Kurt's Corner is written by Kurt Metzger, demographer and director of research at United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

Kurt began his career with the U.S. Census Bureau's Detroit regional office where he served as a geographic planning specialist developing the map and address files used for the 1980 census. From 1980-1990 he organized and directed the data services program in Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

Prior to joining UWSEM in September of 2005, Kurt spent 15 years at Wayne State University's Center for Urban Studies as a senior research analyst and then as director of Michigan Metropolitan Information Center (MIMIC). In these roles he has overseen the documentation and investigation of trends related to urban population and housing. He has organized and conducted a variety of research, education and service programs designed to improve the understanding of population and housing patterns in metro Detroit and urban America.

This month Kurt shares two pieces of research with us, Hispanic Heritage Month underscores growth across nation and region and Income Down Across State: Poverty Increasing and Spreading Throughout the Tri-County.

For more information on UWSEM's research, please contact Kurt at kurt.metzger@LiveUnitedSEM.org. More of Kurt's research can be found online at www.uwsem.org/research.

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Hispanic Heritage Month underscores growth across nation and region

In September 1968, Congress authorized President Lyndon Johnson to institute National Hispanic Heritage Week.  The observance was expanded in 1988 to a month-long celebration (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15).

Sept. 15 was chosen as the start of the celebration because it’s the anniversary of independence in five Latin American countries -- Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Additionally, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively.

The following data on the Hispanic/Latino population is significant as our region celebrates the culture and traditions of its residents who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

Population

• The estimated Hispanic population of the United States is 42.7 million as of July 1, 2005, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or race minority.  Hispanics constitute 14 percent of the nation’s total population.

Population Growth

• About one of every two people added to the nation’s population between July 2004 and July 2005 was Hispanic.
• The Hispanic population grew by 3.3 percent between July 2004 and July 2005, making Hispanics the fastest-growing minority group.
• The projected Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2050 is 102.6 million.  According to this projection, Hispanics will constitute 24 percent of the nation’s total population on that date.
• The nation’s Hispanic population was 22.4 million during the 1990 census – just slightly over half the current total.

Component groups within the Hispanic Population

• The percentage of Hispanic-origin people in households who are of Mexican background is 64 percent.  Another approximately 10 percent are of Puerto Rican background, with about 3 percent each of Cuban, Salvadoran or Dominican origins.  Roughly half of the nation’s Dominicans live in New York City, with about half of the nation’s Cubans residing in Miami-Dade County, Fla.
• Median age (in years) of the Hispanic population in 2005 was 27.2.  This compares with 36.2 years for the population as a whole.
• There were 107 Hispanic males in 2005 per every 100 Hispanic females. This was in sharp contrast to the overall population, which had 97 males per every 100 females.

• 49 percent of the nation’s Hispanic-origin population lives in California or Texas. California is home to 12.4 million Hispanics, and Texas is home to 7.8 million.
• There are 13 states with at least half a million Hispanic residents.  These states are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Texas and Washington.  Michigan’s Hispanic population numbered 375,041.
• Hispanics represent 43 percent of New Mexico’s population, highest of any state. Hispanics also make up more than one-third of the population in California and Texas, at 35 percent each.
• The Hispanic population of Los Angeles County, Calif. is 4.6 million – the largest of any county in the nation.
• Hispanics are the largest race or ethnic minority group in 19 states.  African Americans outnumber Hispanics almost 5-to-1 in Michigan.

• The number of Hispanic-owned businesses numbered 1.6 million in 2002.  The tri-county area was home to 4,542 Hispanic-owned businesses.
• The rate of growth of Hispanic-owned businesses between 1997 and 2002 (31 percent) was triple that of the national average (10 percent) for all businesses.  Hispanic-owned businesses grew by 13 percent in southeast Michigan.
• Hispanic-owned businesses generated revenue of $222 billion in 2002, up 19 percent from 1997. There were 29,184 Hispanic-owned firms with receipts of $1 million or more.
• People of Mexican origin owned 44 percent of all Hispanic-owned firms.
• Nearly 3-in-10 Hispanic-owned firms operated in construction and other services, such as personal services, and repair and maintenance. Retail and wholesale trade accounted for 36 percent of Hispanic-owned business revenue.
• States with the fastest rates of growth for Hispanic-owned firms between 1997 and 2002 included New York (57 percent), Rhode Island and Georgia (56 percent each), and Nevada and South Carolina (48 percent each).
• Counties with the highest number of Hispanic-owned firms were Los Angeles County, Calif. (188,472); Miami-Dade County, Fla. (163,188); Harris County, Texas (61,934); and Bronx County, N.Y. (38,325).

• There are 9.5 million Hispanic families residing in the United States.  Of these families, 63 percent include children under 18 years old. Also,  67 percent of Hispanic families consist of a married couple, and 44 percent consist of a married couple with children under the age of 18.
• 65 percent of Hispanic children are living with two parents. 

• 31 million U.S. residents age 5 and older speak Spanish at home.  Spanish speakers constitute a ratio of more than 1-in-10 U.S. household residents.  Among all those who speak Spanish at home, more than half say they speak English “very well.”

• 53 percent of the nation’s foreign-born population is from Latin America.  This amounts to 18.3 million people. 
• 10 million of the nation’s foreign-born were born in Mexico, by far more than any other Latin American country or any other country in the world for that matter.  Other countries of birth that contribute large numbers of Hispanics are El Salvador (937,000), Cuba (925,000), the Dominican Republic (688,000), Guatemala (590,000) and Colombia (500,000).
• Four states are home to about two of every three foreign-born persons born in Latin America. Those states are California, Florida, New York and Texas.

• The real median income of Hispanic households in 2005 was $35,967, up from $34,241 in 2004.
• The poverty rate among Hispanics in 2005 was 21.8 percent, virtually unchanged from 2004’s rate of 21.9 percent.
• 32.7 percent of Hispanics lacked health insurance in 2005, up slightly from 2004’s rate of 32.3 percent. 

• 58 percent of Hispanics age 25 and older had at least a high school education in 2004, while 12 percent had achieved a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• 2.7 million Hispanics age 18 and older had at least a bachelor’s degree in 2004.
• 714,000 Hispanics 25 years and older had advanced degrees in 2004 (e.g., master’s, professional, doctorate).
• Hispanics represented 11 percent of all college students in October 2004.

• 68 percent of Hispanics 16 and older are in the civilian labor force, with 18 percent working in managerial, professional and related occupations.  Approximately 24 percent of Hispanics work in service occupations, 22 percent in sales and office jobs, 15 percent in construction, extraction and maintenance jobs, and 19 percent in production, transportation and material moving occupations.

• 7.6 million Hispanic citizens reported voting in the 2004 presidential election. The percentage of Hispanic citizens voting – about 47 percent – did not change from four years earlier.

• Hispanic veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces number 1.1 million.

Information and trends shaping our region

The number of Hispanic-owned businesses in southeast Michigan has increased, along with the population.  An analysis of data collected in the Census Bureau’s Survey of Minority-owned Business shows that, with the exception of Macomb County, Hispanic businesses increased in number throughout the region.  By far, the largest increase – 149 percent – occurred in the city of Detroit.

The vast majority of these businesses are single proprietor or family run, with no paid employees.  Such businesses accounted for 809 of the 955 total.  The remaining 146 businesses employed 1,268 individuals.

The Census Bureau conducts this survey every five years (years ending in “2” and “7”).  Results of the 2002 survey were released earlier this year.

Learn More

Additional information about the area's Hispanic population can be found in United Way's report, The Hispanic Community in Metropolitan Detroit. To obtain a copy of this report, please call United Way for Southeastern Michigan at 313-226-9412.

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Income down across state: Poverty increasing and spreading throughout the tri-county
    
In a dramatic sign of its ailing economy, Michigan's household income dropped, more children joined the ranks of the poor and the number of people living below the poverty level jumped in the suburbs, according to recently released data from the American Community Survey.
 
The figures show Michigan's median household income fell more than any other state in the nation during the last six years. Median income was $46,039 in 2005 – 12 percent less than what it was in 1999, when adjusted for inflation. None of the 28 counties and 21 municipalities for which data was reported showed a rise in median household income between 1999 and 2005.

The news was grim in other areas, too.

In 2005:

• 19 percent of children in Michigan lived in poverty, up from the rate six years earlier.
• Almost a third of the state's African Americans lived below the poverty level.
• Detroit remained one of the poorest big cities in the country, with almost a third of its residents living below the poverty line.
• Cities and townships posted drops in median household incomes ranging from 6 percent to 24 percent and poverty rates increased in all but three cities.

The hard numbers bear out what metro Detroit and Michigan residents have experienced as many teeter between financial survival and financial ruin. As the auto and manufacturing industries sputter along, people are not only losing their higher-paying jobs, but they are also losing their homes to foreclosures and being forced to take lower-paying work.

The income numbers were coupled with poverty data showing that in metro Detroit communities such as Troy and Clinton Township, the number of people living below the poverty level – making less than about $20,000 for a family of four – has about doubled in the last six years.  The number of children under 18 living in poverty in those same cities also jumped during that time. For example, 459 children lived in poverty in Troy six years ago. By 2005, that number leaped to 2,000, according to the new census estimates.

Detroit, with 31 percent of its residents and 45 percent of its children living below the poverty line, remains one of the poorest big cities in the country, neck and neck with Cleveland (32 percent of its residents living in poverty).

Of note is how this economy has really found its way into what is not considered the typical poor. Poverty is finding its way into the lower middle class and middle class. Those who never thought they would are now seeking financial help.

In the tri-county area, Macomb County saw the biggest jump in the number of poor people. Six years ago, 44,000 people lived in poverty in the county, but the latest estimates show that number jumped to almost 71,000.

Figure 1 shows the effect of the declining economy on the purchasing power of households in Michigan and the tri-county area.  Michigan households, as a whole, experienced a 12 percent decline in median income between 1999 (data collected in the 2000 Census) and 2005.  With the exception of Oakland County households, which lost 11.7 percent of their buying power, the remainder of the tri-county saw household income dropping faster than the statewide average.  Macomb County household income fell by 12.6 percent, while Detroit households experienced an 18.8 percent drop.  Wayne County households experienced a 14.4 percent decline in median household income.

The significance of these large decreases is the fact that, even with poverty rates increasing, there are a rising number of households that have seen their income edging closer to the poverty line.  When this is combined with the fact that more and more households are losing health insurance and the cost of basic necessities – food, clothing, shelter, gas for heat and transportation, etc. – are continuing to rise, it is obvious that the tri-county area’s safety nets are being stretched to the limits.

Figure 1.  Median Household Income, 1999 and 2005 (in 2005 adjusted dollars)

Figure 2 illustrates the “other side of the income coin” – poverty.  Three aspects of poverty are covered:

• Poverty rates for all persons;
• Poverty rates for children 0 – 17 years of age; and,
• Poverty rates for single female householders, with related children.

The 2005 estimates reveal that the rate of poverty increased across all three measures for each of the five geographic levels.  Single female householders raising children had the highest rates of poverty across all areas.  The lowest rate was found in Oakland County at 24.2 percent, followed by Macomb County at 32.3 percent. The rate statewide was 40.3 percent, while Wayne County came in at 44.6 percent and Detroit more than doubled the rate of Oakland County with 49.6 percent. While the poverty rate for children outdistanced that of the general population, nowhere was the situation worse than in Detroit where the child poverty rate increased from 33.9 to 44.3 percent over the six-year period.

Figure 2.  Selected Poverty Rates, 1999 and 2005, for Michigan and the Tri-County Area

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