Data Source: WA Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction

COMMUNITIES COUNT, 3/2012

In the third post spotlighting the ways in which the recession is affecting the lives of economically vulnerable families in King County, Communities Count looks at the role of social service benefits in helping families work their way to self-sufficiency.

To see the full post, click here.

After slowing down in the first half of the year, the rate of homes entering foreclosure is rising again. 

Read about new research that shows the negative impact foreclosures have on families and communities.

Last year, M.B.A. students at the Bainbridge Graduate Institute in Seattle began hunting for a business-based solution to the problem of “food deserts” — low-income neighborhoods lacking access to healthful, affordable food.

The result? Stockbox Grocers, a start-up that converts reclaimed shipping containers into miniature grocery stores and operates them out of parking lots in under-served communities. Its slogan: “Good food, where you live.”

Read the whole story here.

How is the Great Recession affecting the lives of economically vulnerable families raising young children in King County? To find out, Communities Count interviewed a diverse group of low- to middle-income parents struggling to make ends meet. To protect the confidentiality of participants, we use fictional names. In this update, we visit an economic borderland that few middle-class parents imagined they would ever inhabit.

Read full story.

A fellow with the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust discusses the power of projects like Communities Count for improving community well-being and increasing social capital :
http://sarahefrost.blogspot.com/2011/07/measuring-what-matters-empowering-local.html

Since June 2010, over 42,000 jobs have been added to Washington’s economy. The gains are primarily in the private sector, while government keeps shedding jobs due to severe budget cuts.

• In June 2011, the unemployment rate in Washington rose slightly to 9.2 percent, the same as the national rate. The rate for the Seattle metropolitan area increased slightly from 8.7 percent to 8.8 percent. Seattle regional unemployment has remained consistently below national and state levels since the beginning of the recession, although still high by historical standards.
• After four months of persistent decline, the unemployment rate in King County rose slightly between May and June, from 7.9 percent to 8.0 percent. Almost 9,000 more people in King County were looking for work in June compared to May.

How is the Great Recession affecting the lives of economically vulnerable families raising young children in King County? To find out, Communities Count has interviewed a diverse group of low-income families struggling to make ends meet in what to many feels like chronic economic pain.

Read the full report.

Total visits to food banks in King County declined since last quarter (October to December 2010), dropping 13 percent from 619,585 to 537,981.

The decline is largely due to a decline in returning customers. However, the number of new visitors to food banks increased from 52,915 to 126,834.

Children made up one of every three visits to food banks in the most recent quarter.