Facts About MEND and Poverty
- MEND serves an average of 37,000 individuals per month.
- From 2011 to 2014, the total encounters for MEND’s various services grew 16%.
- 53% of MEND clients are women and 47% are men.
- 75% of MEND clients live on $10,000 or less per year.
- 35% of MEND clients have less than a 9th grade education.
- 33% of MEND’s clients reside in Pacoima. The rest are from nearby cities such as Sylmar and San Fernando.
- The 2010 Census Bureau reported that over 43 million Americans live below poverty level. Source
- In 2010, the national poverty rate was over 15.1%.
- In 2010, the national poverty rate for Latinos was 26.6%.
- In 2010, the national poverty rate for African Americans was 27.4%.
- 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.
- 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
- The latest Census data shows about 20% of households in Pacoima are single- mother households, a significant increase since 2000.*
- Today, California is experiencing its highest poverty in a decade.
- In 2010, the poverty rate in Los Angeles County was 17.5%.
- The latest Census data reveals that about 17% of Pacoima households are at or below the poverty level.*
- 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
- During the latest recession from 2008 to 2011, demand for MEND’s emergency food boxes grew 64%.
- According to the latest census data, over 5 million Californians live with hunger pains or in fear of hunger.
The MEND Health Center provides dental, medical and eye care to nearly 9,000 uninsured patients.
- According to the latest census data, in 2009, nearly 17% of Americans were uninsured.
- In California, 21% of women are uninsured.
- In California, 25% of adults will be uninsured at some point throughout the year.
- From 2011 to 2014, the number of patients who visited MEND’s Medical Clinic increased by 21%.
- From 2011 to 2014, the number of patients who visited MEND’s Dental Clinic increased by 18.7%.
The MEND Education and Training Center provides clients with job skills that will increase the likelihood for the future employment.
- 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.
- From 2011 to 2014, the total enrollment in MEND’s Education and Training Center increased by 11.4%.
- 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.
- In June 2012, the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the national unemployment rate to be 8.2%.
- In June 2012, the unemployment rate in Los Angeles County was 11.2%.