Appendix B.2 – Umatilla County Focus Group Responses Please respond to the following questions while keeping in mind the ZIP Code you just provided What is the top root cause of poverty in your Community? Tell us why you selected what you did Cycle of Poverty This is really hard to answer because it is so interconnected and multi-faceted. Ultimately, I went with Cycle of Poverty because all of the other factors combine to create the poverty trap. Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma cycles perpetuate lack of access to education and resources that would allow for upward mobility for families generation after generation. The lack of a robust social safety net and proactive supports for families compounds the effects of cycles of family trauma and toxic stress environments. Cycle of Poverty I serve a number of families for whom poverty is generational. Families in this cycle live within a framework of poverty and don't necessarily know any other ways to live. Additionally, many social services that exist supposedly to help raise people OUT of poverty actually do the opposite - they keep people mired in the cycle of poverty. Safe & Affordable Housing Finances/Income/Wages I believe that the housing market in my area has been gouged and gentrified, making it near impossible for people to sustain a living space. People with disabilities or those of a sensitive demographic find it hard to even find work, assuming that they're able to, and when you're being charged $1,000-1,500/month for rent in an area that pays less than $18/hr, you're going to have a hard time. Lack of community resources to help people get on their feet to be fully selfsupporting. Lack of adequate housing as well as jobs Economy Safe & Affordable Housing Cycle of Poverty Cycle of Poverty Agriculturally/manufacturing-based economies (such a Umatilla County) are by in nature economies of disparity with owners/management retaining a greater proportion of the profits. Employees in this system are generally lower wage workers with fewer options for advancement. Housing costs are astronomical and there's very little low-income housing I'm not sure of the exact reason, but I think lack of affordable housing and low wages in the area are big contributing factors. There is a significant delineation between the impoverished and the well-off here. I see the same cars in the same run-down houses year after year. Finances/Income/Wages Safe & Affordable Housing Safe & Affordable Housing Numerous people that I know are unemployed/underemployed and don't have enough income for household expenses. I also know a number of people with disabilities who are unable to work and receive small social security amounts. Many of us are on fixed incomes and as prices rise, we do not have the financial resources we had in the past. There is affordable housing but it's for people way below that if you get a job or save up you lose your housing doesn't make sense If an individual/family does not have a 'basic need' met such as safe and affordable housing it makes it very challenging and sometimes almost impossible to find/maintain a job, prepare healthy meals as well as ensure your personal items are kept safe and secure, stay healthy and/or address specific medical issues. Finances/Income/Wages Because at all steps in life those are the things that impact how much one can do for their family. If you don't have the finances to support your family, that's the direct impact. Housing, food, and bills don't get paid. I waited for almost 4 yrs for my SSDI claim just to be seen by a judge. Forcing my son and I to live in desperate CAPECO | Community Needs Assessment Report | 2021 324
326 Publizr Home