Community Analysis: Sterling Heights - Weebly



COMMUNITY ANALYSIS: STERLING HEIGHTSCommunity Analysis: Sterling HeightsEr8362SW 4020Community Analysis: Sterling HeightsSterling Heights is the community in which I grew up in and also still live in today. There are many positive aspects of it and some negative qualities. It has shaped how I see the world and who I am today. Communities are all so different and have different qualities that make each special. I am proud of my community and feel Sterling Heights is an excellent example of a community that helps promote improvement within.DemographicsSterling Heights is a large community with about 129,880 people living in it (US Census 2011). The majority of the residents are white, (85%) with about 5% who are Black and about 6% who are Asians who occupy the area. The average median income in Sterling Heights is about $57,000, with over a quarter of the population who are 25 years old or older who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. The statistics show Sterling Heights is mostly made up of middle class white people. Ecological Perspective The human or population ecology theory states there are some aspects of communities to consider, such as competition, centralization, concentration, stratification and succession (Netting, Kettner & McMurtry, 2008). Competition for resources in Sterling Heights is moderate. The unemployment rate was 7.9% in 2012 according to ct-sterling-heights.mi (2013). This matches the national unemployment rate, so it is not worse than the average in the country. According to a residential survey done by the city of Sterling Heights in 2012, 76% of people agree that their taxes are being spent usefully and about 86% believe that the city provides quality services. With regards to concentration, there seemed to be many people from Iraq (10,777) and Albania (2,492) according to the official Sterling Heights website (ct-sterling-heights.mi 2013). There is a program called the Refugees Admissions Program, where 2,500 to 3,000 Iraqi refugees settled in Metro Detroit and 90% arriving in Sterling Heights (ct-sterling-heights.mi 2013).They choose to live in Sterling Heights because they want to live with family members and because it is a safe and affordable area to live. There are many Middle Eastern families in Sterling Heights and I remember this growing up as well. In high school I remember there was a large group of Chaldean students who attended Stevenson High School. So that is one change that has been made is an increase in Middle Eastern population in the community. Sterling Heights has a population with over 4% of its people who are Middle Eastern (Rupserburg, 2011). This has changed the businesses in the area. There are many more Middle Eastern restaurants, with a couple miles span of Arabic owned restaurants and stores.Systems TheoryThe System Theory can be described by Netting, et, al., (2008) as a community being an open system in which it is made up of many parts that can be identified to a larger community. When I analyze Sterling Heights I think of the analogy of mechanical which describes the city as well run and coordinated. There is low crime, and according to a survey done by residents of Sterling Heights, the majority feel that the city has a good police department, fire department, and educations system. Utica Community Schools received an 8 out of 10 district rating on (2013). Many of the school in Utica Community are blue ribbon awarded due to high academic achievement. Although in 2010 they board of education closed four elementary schools, causing the schools to consolidate, lay off teachers, and create large class sizes (Rose, 2010).There are programs in Sterling Heights that are in place to provide social services to the citizens. Since there are many Middle Eastern Immigrants, there is a program called ACCESS which assists new immigrants or long term citizens get linked to medical, mental health, and emergency services (, 2011). I understand that Sterling Heights is known by other communities as a place with a high number of Iraqi immigrants. How I feel it affects other communities is that surrounding areas are influenced to sell and promote businesses attracting that population. My Community Experience Growing Up When I think back and remember how Sterling Heights was when I was growing up, I think of it having more space. There was less development, I would frequent a large field right behind my house where other children in the community and I would play. Now that field has a row of nice houses occupying it. Sterling Heights is predominantly residential, with many streets lined up with cookie cutter houses. There are also many strip malls, almost every corner there is a plaza with a plethora of businesses to spend your money at. I also know some elementary schools have shut down due to funding. The elementary school I attended closed down in 2011. This change affects everyone in the community, but especially students who are new Middle-Eastern immigrants. Education is the key to enhancing our society and getting out of poverty. Although many Middle Easterners are educated with almost half of the population in America who have earned Bachelor’s degrees, many are in poverty (Camerato 2002). According to Camerato (2002), one in five Middle Easterners and their young lived in poverty in 2000. So the consolidating of schools in the long wrong could affect all youth, but especially new immigrants who already face barriers to education because their lack of English speaking skills. Sterling Heights has mostly white residents but there are not many negative interactions with other groups. Growing up I remember the Middle Eastern group at school, and they seemed to have a lot of cohesion. They expressed values such as family importance and utilizing their own support. In Stevenson High School where I attended high school, the Chaldean students would usually hang out with one another, having their own hall way so to speak. If there was any discord between students of another group with anyone in the Chaldean group than the family members and friends would stand behind the one involved. How it Shaped MeSterling Heights has helped influence me to be who I am today. I am most influenced by Albanian culture which shares values similar to Middle Eastern culture. I respect the high respect for family they possess, and also their strong religious attitudes. I attend a Catholic church in Sterling Heights called St. Cyril and Methodius Slovak Catholic Church where there are many Albanian and Middle Eastern ethnicities. I am positively affected by the love they have for their family, and how they support and care for the generations before them. My son is half Albanian and I want him to know the culture and have pride in his ethnic background. They also express values of hard work and respect which I admire.ConclusionSterling Heights is a great community from both the ecological perspective and the systems theory perspective. It is organized well, and I feel that because of the low poverty rate and high ratings of education that the systems such as police force, emergency assistance, and general community clean up are running efficiently. There are many thriving businesses, increased residential production and growing population. The unemployment rate is similar to that of the country’s, so there is similar resources in Sterling Heights compared to rest of the country. There is a large number of Middle Easterners but there are some community programs in place to encourage and empower this minority group. The only problem I can see is the closing of some schools, because although it may not be problematic now, it could seriously affect children’s education in the future.\ReferencesCamorata, S. (2002). Immigrants from the middle east: A profile of the foreign-born population from Pakistan to Morocco. Center of Immigration Studies. Retrieved from , F., Kettner, P., & McMutry, S. (2010). Social work macro practice: Fourth edition. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.The Official Site of Sterling Heights. (2013, February 27). General format. Retrieved from States Census Bureau. (2013). State and County Quick Facts. [Data file]. Retrieved from , D. (2010, March 29). UCS parents protest closing of four schools. Advisory and Source Newspapers. Retrieved from , N. (2011, October 6). Little Baghdad in Sterling Heights. Metromode. Retrieved from ................
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