The latest edition of the Roanoke Regional Community Indicators Report, issued last week, details a number of areas of concern related to the current economic climate.
“While it’s no secret that we are in very difficult economic times, this report substantiates the financial stress most households are feeling right now,” said Pamela Kestner-Chappelear, President, Council of Community Services.
Kestner-Chappelear points to job related indicators such as unemployment rates, unemployment benefits claims and net employment growth, which all fell from the positive to the negative trend column over the past year.
While trends were still positive in the income and asset related indicators, the region continues to lag behind the state in annual average wage (-$10,868), and per capita income (-$7,564.00). At the same time, the consumer price index increased for this region of the state by 4.5%.
The growing need families have for assistance can be seen in the fact that children eligible for free and reduced lunch in the region jumped to a high of 37.4% in 2008, said Kestner-Chappelear. Food Stamps also showed big increases moving from 9.03% of the region in 2007 to 21.63% in 2008.
In 2007, the percentage graduating high school (77.7%) exceeded that of state (76.8%). One year later in 2008, the region’s performance had fallen to 76.3%, compared to 79.2% at the state level, placing the region below the statewide rate for the first time since 2006.
“The value of indicators is underscored when viewed as a constellation of factors affecting the well being of the Roanoke Region,” Kestner-Chappelear noted. “When these indicators are viewed as a whole they clearly define the beginning of the severe economic downturn of late 2008 and its effect on the people residing in the region. While the 2008 Report contained reasons for optimism, this 2009 Report shows little evidence of specific strengths in the region other than education performance in grades 3, 5 and 8. Even those strengths are dampened by the falling number of high school graduates in the region.”
Kestner-Chappelear called the 2009 Edition of the Roanoke Region Community Indicators “a clarion call for government and people to work together across jurisdictional boundaries to find innovative solutions to the growing social and economic problems faced by all who reside in our communities.” (see the full report at councilofcommunityservices.org)
