Community Analysis Paper Part 2



Community Analysis Paper Part 2

Raelle Plante

fm5467

Wayne State University

Author's note: This paper was prepared for SW4020 taught by Professor Schropshire.

Utica Challenges

Utica Michigan is one of the many Michigan suburbs that is experiencing an increase in poverty as well as a general decrease in the socioeconomic status of its residents which has led to neighborhood degradation. Utica was once an idyllic area to buy a home and raise children. The homes and lawns were manicured and many of the noises coming from the backyards were loud and cheerful sounds of children.

Utica, like most of Michigan, was hit particularly hard in the 2008 recession. Home values plummeted and still have not come back to pre-recession rates. The average home/condo value in 2000 was $145,000 and in 2012 the average value was $107,715 ("Utica Michigan", 2014). Wealthier residents wanted to take advantage of the housing market to buy homes at bottom prices but weren't able to sell their current homes. Therefore, many of those residents turned their homes into rental properties. In fact, the Joint Center for Housing Studies says, "the pace of conversions of homes from owned to rented tripled between the 2001-03 period and the 2005-07 period, then it nearly doubled again in 2007-09 to 1.9 million units, with single-family homes leading the way" (McCausland, 2011) The increase in rental properties has brought in many families that are relatively transient in nature compared to their homeowner counterparts. In an article written by McCausland (2011) he states that the being community minded is a direct result of how long a person plans to stay in that community. Certainly there are long term renters, but most feel renting is a transitional station.

While the number of rental homes increased it still hasn't provided affordable housing. Many who lost their homes in bankruptcy and foreclosure have no choice but to rent but aren't seeing much relief financially. According to one study, rent and utilities has not grown proportionately with income but has out paced it (McCausland, 2011). It's the transitional renter that would be more likely to forgo maintaining and improving their home due to budget constraints and a disconnect from the community.

Another contributing factor to the neighborhood decline is the age of the residents. The number of residents of Utica that are aged 65 or older has increased by

25% from the 2000 to 2010 census. Physical limitations of the elderly may also increase neighborhood degradation due to an inability to perform maintenance on their homes. Furthermore, in 2007 it was estimated that 70,360 Macomb County residents age 65 years and older were living in poverty ("Census Statistics", 2014). The elderly are an at risk population and in order for the neighborhood to thrive this population needs to be cared for.

One of the risk factors for continuing neighborhood decline in Utica is the lack of police officers. Utica is very small and therefore limited in resources. The local government decides how much funding is in the budget for police and fire and has decided not to replace officers that have retired thereby reducing department size. The current staffing of officers is 31% less than it was approximately five years ago. This reduces the police presence in the neighborhoods by nearly 1/3 resulting in fewer arrests and increase response times. Thereby it allows a greater chance for criminals to remain free to continue more criminal acts. This then effects the safety of the residents in the neighborhood as well as their property (Plante, personal communication, 2014).

Utica Strengths

Utica is community focused. The city puts on many community events and brings activities like art shows into the city for its residents to enjoy. This community mindfulness is a strength that may slow or cease neighborhood degradation. Another strength is the programs within Utica that seek to provide aide to the residents. One such program is Supper/Sack Lunch/Showers (SSS). This program is run by Trinity Lutheran Church and they service approximately 100 people every Sunday. A quarter of the participants are homeless, while a majority of the people they serve are income challenged within the community ("Social Outreach", 2012). Trinity Community Care is a free clinic where those in need can receive medical and dental care ("Social Outreach", 2012). A detailed list of federal programs within and near Utica are provided in appendix A. It's programs like these that are valiantly fighting the increasing poverty in Utica.

Another wonderful strength of Utica is the excellent school system. Each of the public schools within Utica received a score from GreatSchool Ratings of nine out of ten with an overall Utica Community Schools receiving an eight out of ten ("Best Schools", 2014).

The downtown area has been greatly revived by the Downtown Development Authority. The DDA has the freedom to use a variety of means, "Funds to finance activities of the authority may be derived from several sources including taxes, revenues generated from the use of assets, proceeds from revenue bonds, municipal funds including state and federal grants, special assessment levies, and tax increment financing receipts," ("Downtown Development", 2014). This, of course, is a good thing for the downtown businesses but now it's time to start investing in the neighborhoods, in the people and families that actually live within the borders of Utica. Therefore, the focus of this paper is a neighborhood.

Interviews

Randy Plante is a police officer in Utica as well as the Assistant Fire Chief. When asked if he feels the Utica community is degrading, he felt that it was. He recounted that many of the homes are now older and require updating. He also discussed the minimal man power on the police department as a reason the neighborhood is declining. When asked if he felt that poverty was a problem in the area he did not feel that it was. However, he went on to discuss a high transient population in the Utica area. He felt it was due to the SSS program. He says the program brings them in for a meal but then doesn't do anymore to help them and so they remain in the city. He says they then commit petty crimes which affect the residents.

When asked if he felt that the high number of rental homes in Utica was effecting the neighborhood, he said he felt that it was. He went on to say that many people are subleasing them or companies bought up the foreclosures as rental properties until the prices go back up. They aren't looking for long term renters just renters that will pay their mortgage until they can sell. The people that are moving in are relatively unstable people (Plante, personal communication, 2014).

Another interview concerning the City of Utica was with Bernie Hurchella who is the Democratic Delegate to the Macomb County Caucus. When asked if he felt the city is declining he said no he felt the neighborhood was fine. He said things are changing everywhere so it's hard to compare Utica with any other city. When asked if he felt there was an increase in poverty he said it was hard to tell. He felt that there was a wide range of socioeconomic capabilities of the residents. He felt that the city is bringing in a lot of people with the many events that it hosts which include but is not limited to an ice festival, fairs, Christmas walk, and art show. He thinks that people outside of Utica come to these events and think Utica is a nice little town and consider to buy a home. He thinks the DDA has done a nice job in the business district and the historic district is well maintained. When asked if he felt the homeless population was an indication of poverty in Utica he said no. He felt that SSS brings them in but then they leave so he doesn't view it as poverty effecting Utica residents (Hurchella, personal communication, 2014).

A final interview with a person who wished to remain anonymous due to close ties to City Hall felt that the neighborhood was declining. He felt that the local government improperly handled money. He felt that they claimed fiscal hardship and yet the DDA has made very expensive improvements while employees have reduced benefits. He feels that the DDA should spend their money on improving police, fire, and public works instead of more frivolous expenditures like hiring a part time man to water the expensive flower planters everyday, rain or shine. He felt that would free up money in the budget that could be used to clean up Grant Park or other beautification projects in the neighborhood. He said he didn't know if poverty was a factor in the decline, but he felt that many people were struggling to stay afloat (Anonymous, personal communication, 2014).

Analysis

A survey was administered to 20 residents of Utica MI to gather additional information regarding neighborhood decline. A copy of the survey can be viewed in Appendix B. The data indicated that many residents believe the higher rate of rentals is related to the housing crisis. Over half of the residents that answered the survey felt the neighborhood was beginning to degrade and another 20% felt it may be degrading. The greatest issues contributing to degrade that the residents indicated was homes being maintained less than in previous years and an increase in financial instability among the residents. The residents indicated that there was some poverty with a majority of the participants selecting 'few people' and 'many people' and the remainder indicated they didn't know.

One community strength indicated in the survey was that a great majority of the participants felt they were somewhat aware of the programs in the area that could assist them if they experienced financial instability. This is promising because suburban poverty is a relatively new phenomena. It was previously considered an urban or rural problem. Therefore many suburban communities have a meager safety net if not altogether lacking one (Kneebone & Berube, n.d.). A general understanding of where to go for help is a positive sign that people are beginning to be aware of suburban poverty and to develop community resources.

Another community strength indicated by the survey was a great indication of community mindfulness. In fact 85% of the survey participants agreed there was a sense of community and they attended at least some of the community events. This community mindfulness also serves as a protective factor because people are paying attention to the neighborhood and residents around them.

Also, the survey indicated a high level of satisfaction with the services provided by Utica which include police and fire services. This differs from the original assessment that the lack of police presence is a risk factor in the decline of the neighborhood.

Surprisingly, the program mentioned previously as an asset, SSS, that had been developed to provide relief for the community is widely viewed as a cause of neighborhood degradation. This came up in several conversations with the residents and with all three of the leaders that I interviewed. More information needs to be gathered concerning the efficacy of the SSS within and around the community.

The downtown and the historic are well maintained by the city. Therefore, the geographic area that is most affected is the neighborhoods surrounding those areas.

The original assessment of Utica appears to be very similar to the data collected from the interviews and the survey. However, the survey was distributed to a limited number of residents, and therefore may provide a fragmented picture of the challenges facing Utica. In addition, the survey was composed by a student and may contain errors in both its composition and distribution. Further, more extensive, data would need to be gathered to fully understand the breadth of poverty and neighborhood decline.

Three possible actions that may be helpful in Utica would be:

1. the formation of a neighborhood organization to organize neighborhood beautification projects. This may be successful due to the high level of community mindedness expressed in the surveys.

2. a class offered on 'how to thrive on less' through the Community Education program. This may be helpful in diminishing the effects of relative poverty. This may be successful due to the high level of community participation expressed in the surveys.

3. simply wait it out. It's possible that the decline has slowed and will soon reverse. This was indicated by the number of residents who thought there was no degradation to begin with.

Action Plan

Utica MI mostly aligns with the morphogenic analogy because it is still in a state of change from the recession and housing crisis (Netting, Kettner, McMurtry, Thomas, 2012). It is unpredictable at this point as to the fate of Utica. It is worth mentioning at this time that there is a great difference between surviving and thriving. While it appears, according to the survey and interviews, that there is financial instability and some poverty, that those affected are surviving. However, with an education initiative that focuses on concepts such as how to live well on a budget, program and resource education, and financial planning, it may allow some freedom for those residents that are just barely making it to develop a higher quality of life until conditions in Utica improve.

Community factors that would support this initiative would be the local churches, the library and possibly the schools as an after school community program. The DDA could pay for several police and fire salaries which would free up money in the general budget to pay for the organization, training, etc. that may be needed to begin the program.

Community factors that would possibly discourage this plan would be stigma. Many families may not want to disclose their financial status by enrolling in the class.

The intended outcome is to improve quality of life for citizens by education. For some families, simple understanding of things like couponing can improve their quality of life. Other families may be eligible for government programs, but don't know they exist. For others, maybe connecting to other families to swap childcare could be beneficial or perhaps just gaining an understanding of financial planning. This, of course, is not a cure-all poverty eradicator, but it may be successful in providing residents ideas and resources to push them from 'just surviving' to 'thriving' until a greater understanding of Utica's future can be ascertained.

Appendix A

This list details programs in Utica Michigan

|Program Title |Funding Agency |Recipient Address |

|Promotion of the Arts – Grants to Organizations and |National Endowment for the Arts |125 Macomb Place, Mount Clemens 48043-5650 |

|Individuals | | |

|Basic Center Grant |ACF |2 CROCKER BOULEVARD, STE #103, MOUNT CLEMENS 48043-2558 |

|Education and Prevention Grants to Reduce Sexual Abuse |ACF |2 CROCKER BOULEVARD, STE #103, MOUNT CLEMENS 48043-2558 |

|of Runaway, Homeless and Street Youth | | |

|TRIO – Upward Bound |Office Of Postsecondary Education |2200 N SQUIRREL RD, ROCHESTER 48309-4401 |

|Child Care Access Means Parents in School |Office Of Postsecondary Education |2200 N SQUIRREL RD, ROCHESTER 48309-4401 |

|Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services – Projects |SAMHSA |110 NORTH FOUNDATION HALL, ROCHESTER 48063 |

|of Regional and National Significance | | |

|Drug-Free Communities Support Program Grants |SAMHSA |300 West 13 Mile Road, MADISON HEIGHTS 48071 |

|Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services – Projects |SAMHSA |8300 Common Road, WARREN 48093 |

|of Regional and National Significance | | |

|English Language Acquisition Grants |Office Of English Language Acquisition |2940 WAUKEGAN ST, AUBURN HILLS Michigan 48326-3264 |

|Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant to the |HRSA |31900 UTICA RD, FRASER Michigan 48026-2556 |

|States | | |

|Temporary Assistance for Needy Families |ACF |2 CROCKER BLVD STE 103, MOUNT CLEMENS Michigan |

| | |48043-2558 |

|Social Services Block Grant |ACF |2 CROCKER BLVD STE 103, MOUNT CLEMENS Michigan |

| | |48043-2558 |

|National School Lunch Program |Food and Nutrition Service |11401 METROPOLITAN PKWY, STERLING HEIGHTS Michigan |

| | |48312-2937 |

|Crime Victim Assistance |Office Of Victims Of Crime |131 MARKET ST, MOUNT CLEMENS Michigan 48043-1762 |

|Medical Assistance Program |CMS |22550 HALL RD, CLINTON TOWNSHIP Michigan 48036-1189 |

|Special Education – Grants to States |OSERS |44001 GARFIELD RD, CLINTON TOWNSHIP Michigan 48038-1100 |

|Special Education – Preschool Grants |Office Of Special Education And Rehabilitative Services |44001 GARFIELD RD, CLINTON TOWNSHIP Michigan 48038-1100 |

|Special Education – Grants for Infants and Families |OSERS |44001 GARFIELD RD, CLINTON TOWNSHIP Michigan 48038-1100 |

|Education for Homeless Children and Youth |Office Of Elementary And Secondary Education |44001 GARFIELD RD, CLINTON TOWNSHIP Michigan 48038-1100 |

|English Language Acquisition Grants |Office Of English Language Acquisition |44001 GARFIELD RD, CLINTON TOWNSHIP Michigan 48038-1100 |

|Social Innovation Fund |CNCS |44001 GARFIELD RD, CLINTON TOWNSHIP Michigan 48038-1100 |

|Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, |Food and Nutrition Service |10 N MAIN ST, MOUNT CLEMENS Michigan 48043-5668 |

|Infants, and Children | | |

|Employment Service/Wagner-Peyser Funded Activities |ETA |10 N MAIN ST, MOUNT CLEMENS Michigan 48043-5668 |

|Workforce Investment Act (WIA) National Emergency Grants|ETA |10 N MAIN ST, MOUNT CLEMENS Michigan 48043-5668 |

|Temporary Assistance for Needy Families |ACF |10 N MAIN ST, MOUNT CLEMENS Michigan 48043-5668 |

|Low Income Home Energy Assistance |ACF |10 N MAIN ST, MOUNT CLEMENS Michigan 48043-5668 |

|Community Services Block Grant |ACF |10 N MAIN ST, MOUNT CLEMENS Michigan 48043-5668 |

|Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant to the |HRSA |10 N MAIN ST, MOUNT CLEMENS Michigan 48043-5668 |

|States | | |

|Employment Service/Wagner-Peyser Funded Activities |ETA |120 N MAIN ST, MOUNT CLEMENS Michigan 48043-5605 |

|WIA Youth Activities |ETA |120 N MAIN ST, MOUNT CLEMENS Michigan 48043-5605 |

|Low Income Home Energy Assistance |ACF |120 N MAIN ST, MOUNT CLEMENS Michigan 48043-5605 |

|Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant to the |HRSA |120 N MAIN ST, MOUNT CLEMENS Michigan 48043-5605 |

|States | | |

|Commodity Supplemental Food Program |Food and Nutrition Service |21885 DUNHAM RD STE 10, CLINTON TOWNSHIP Michigan |

| | |48036-1030 |

|Medical Assistance Program |CMS |16200 19 MILE RD, Clinton Township Michigan 48038-1103 |

|National School Lunch Program |Food and Nutrition Service |11303 GREENDALE AVE, STERLING HEIGHTS Michigan |

| | |48312-2925 |

|English Language Acquisition Grants |Office Of English Language Acquisition |11303 GREENDALE AVE, STERLING HEIGHTS Michigan |

| | |48312-2925 |

|County 4-H Office |n/a |Verkuilen Building, 21885 Dunham Road - Suite 12, |

| | |Clinton Township MI 48036 |

("Map My Community", 2014).

Appendix B

The survey the author of this paper developed

Voluntary Survey For Residents Of Utica Michigan

1. Do you feel that the housing market crisis negatively affected Utica's home values?

[ ] I strongly disagree

[ ] I disagree

[ ] I have no opinion

[ ] I agree

[ ] I strongly agree

2. If you agree, to what extent do you feel the housing market crisis has negatively affected Utica home values?

[ ] A large decrease in home values

[ ] A moderate decrease in home values

[ ] A minimal amount of decrease in home values

3. Do you feel the number of rental homes in Utica has increased within the last five years?

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

4. If yes, do you feel the increase in rental homes is related to the housing market crisis?

[ ] I strongly agree

[ ] I agree

[ ] I have no opinion

[ ] I disagree

[ ] I strongly disagree

5. Do you feel that homes/properties in your area are in need of larger more costly repairs? Examples would be a new roof, new siding, new driveway, landscaping.

[ ] most homes need large scale repair

[ ] many homes need large scale repair

[ ] some homes need large scale repair

[ ] few homes need large scale repair

[ ] no homes are in need of repair

6. Do you feel that Utica families were negatively impacted by the recession?

[ ] I strongly disagree

[ ] I disagree

[ ] I have no opinion

[ ] I agree

[ ] I strongly agree

7. If you agree, how do you feel the recession effected Utica resident's financial stability?

[ ] Everyone experienced financial instability?

[ ] Most people experienced financial instability

[ ] Many people experienced financial instability

[ ] Some people experienced financial instability

[ ] Few people experienced financial instability

8 Do you feel there is anyone suffering from poverty or near poverty in your neighborhood?

[ ] no, no one

[ ] very few

[ ] many

[ ] most

[ ] I don't know

9. If you were to experience financial instability, are you aware of the programs in the area that could assist you?

[ ] absolutely

[ ] somewhat

[ ] I didn't know there were programs that could help

10. Do you feel your neighborhood is starting to degrade?

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

[ ] Maybe

11. If yes, in what areas do you feel there is degrading? Check all that apply

[ ] Community Services (for example snow and trash removal)

[ ] Public Service (for example police and fire)

[ ] Homes becoming less maintained than in previous years

[ ] Increase in financially unstable residents

[ ] Poor governing

[ ] Other

If other, what areas do you feel are degrading?__________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

12. If you checked any boxes in question number 11, do you feel the recession has had an impact?

[ ] I strongly agree

[ ] I agree

[ ] I have no opinion

[ ] I disagree

[ ] I strongly disagree

13. How do you feel Utica's services compare to surrounding cities/townships? Services is defined as snow removal, trash removal, police and fire services.

[ ] Utica services are definitely better

[ ] Utica services are better

[ ] Utica services are the same

[ ] Utica services are slightly worse

[ ] Utica services are definitely worse

14. If you feel the services worse, what do you think is the reason? Check all that apply

[ ] Poor governing

[ ] Under-funding

[ ] Lack of community involvement

[ ] Poor employee performance

[ ] Other

If you selected other please explain?__________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

15. Do you feel there is a sense of community in Utica?

[ ] I strongly agree

[ ] I agree

[ ] I have no opinion

[ ] I disagree

[ ] I strongly disagree

16. Do you participate in community events?

[ ] Yes, every one

[ ] Yes, I go to many of them

[ ] Yes, I go to some of them

[ ] No, I do not go to community events

17. If no, what is the reason you do not participate? Check all that apply

[ ] I don't have the time

[ ] I didn't know there were events

[ ] I don't enjoy them

[ ] Other

If you selected other, would you please explain?_____________________________

____________________________________________________________________

(Plante, 2014).

Resources

Best Schools in Utica Community Schools. (2014). Retrieved December 3, 2014, from community-schools-434332/bb=-83.496094,42.245294,- 82.360382,42.922743®ionId=434332&zoom=9

Census Statistics and Demographic Data: Income and Property. (2014). Retrieved December 2, 2014, from

Downtown Development Authority. (2014). Retrieved December 3, 2014, from

Kneebone, E., & Berube, A. (n.d.). Confronting suburban poverty in America: Executive  summary. Retrieved November 2, 2014, from   content/uploads/2013/05/Brookings_Toolkit_Executive-Summary.pdf

Map My Community. (2014, January 1). Retrieved December 3, 2014, from

McCausland, C. (2011, June 1). Rent or own? Increasingly Americans opt for rental homes. Retrieved December 2, 2014, from Increasingly-Americans-opt-for-rental-homes

Mortgage Calculator. (2014). Retrieved November 12, 2014, from

Netting, F., Kettner, P., McMurty, S., & Thomas, M. (2012). Social work macro practice (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.

Social Outreach Ministries Trinity Lutheran Church, Utica, MI. (2012, June 8). Retrieved December 2, 2014, from Ministry Web page info.pdf

Utica, Michigan. (2014). Retrieved November 10, 2014, from city/Utica-Michigan.html

Utica Michigan 48315. (2013). Retrieved November 13, 2014, from dec2013-lowres.pdf

Utica Michigan Population. (2012). Retrieved December 2, 2014, from

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