Human Services Gaps

Children and Youth                                                    

• In 2008, 4,208 preschoolers were not enrolled in quality early education centers.
• At least 40 percent of child care programs in Duval County need additional support in order to provide high quality early learning opportunities.
• Annual job turnover in Duval County's child care workforce is between 30 and 40 percent.
• In 2006, of the approximately 9,000 kindergarteners screened for readiness, 36 percent, or 3,240 were not ready, according to initial sound recognition results on DIBELS.
• 81% of low-income students in elementary and middle schools are not participating in after school programs with academic enrichment.
• 40,000 students in Jacksonville's public schools could benefit from a mentor.
• Currently, there are 1,232 mentor matches in Jacksonville.
• An estimated 3,800 youth ages 12-17 are homeless.
• The National Association of School Psychologists recommends a ratio of 1 school psychologist for every 1,000 students.
• The ratio in Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) is 1:2,550.
• The American School Counseling Association recommends 1 guidance counselor to every 250 students.
• In DCPS high schools the ratio is 1:451.
• There were 3,468 student code of conduct violations in 2006-07 in DCPS.
• In February 2008, an estimated 111 families were waiting for therapeutic help from Full Service Schools of Jacksonville. 
• Their students will wait approximately 5-6 months for an appointment with a therapist.
• 13,789 children living in families eligible for Florida's health insurance plan remain uninsured.
• In 2005-06, one-quarter of all DCPS middle school students were served an in-school suspension.
• In the same year, one-third of all DCPS middle school students were served an out-of-school suspension.

Emergency Needs

• 2,580 persons are homeless on any given day.
• During the 2007-08 school year, 1,098 Duval County Public School students were homeless.
• 16,326 calls were made to United Way's 211 for emergency assistance in 2006-07.
• The most frequent call is for help with water and electricity bills.
• In March 2008, 34 percent of 211 callers did not receive assistance from the agency they were referred to.
• Of those who did not receive assistance, 87 percent said requests for assistance overwhelmed agency telephone lines and they got a busy signal.
• In 2007, JEA cut off electricity to 122,000 residences and small businesses due to nonpayment.

Violence

• An estimated 141,000 people were victims of domestic violence in 2006.
• Jacksonville served 10,000 survivors of domestic violence in 2006.
• Jacksonville University conducted face-to-face interviews with domestic violence victims in 2007 and found that 30% had children present at the time of the most recent incident of abuse.
• During those incidents of domestic violence that were reported to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in 2007, 948 juveniles were present.
• In 2006-07, Hubbard House, the largest domestic violence shelter in Jacksonville, served 356 children.
• In a 2007 survey conducted by Jacksonville University, 10% of respondents stated that at least  one adult  relative in their family had been a victim of domestic violence within the past year.
• In the same survey, 74% of respondents who knew of a victim of domestic violence said that counseling was needed.
• In the same survey, 48% of respondents said that victims of domestic violence had actually received counseling services.

Adults and Seniors

• 100,000 residents do not have health insurance.
• On March 26, 2008, 422 seniors were on a waiting list for Meals-on-Wheels.

Parenting

• 3,101 persons aged 60 and over were responsible for their grandchildren in 2006.

Financial Stability

• 70,530 persons received Food Stamps in 2007.
• 4,791 persons received Temporary Aid to Needy Families assistance, also known as welfare.
• In the current fiscal year, Family Foundations, a local agency nonprofit credit counseling agency, has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of inquiries about financial counseling as compared to the previous fiscal year.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse

• Half of homeless persons have recently experienced mental health problems.
• 62,000 people in Jacksonville suffer from severe mental illness.
• The mental health system in Jacksonville served less than 20 percent of the population of severely mentally ill, or 12,400.
• Public funding provides assistance to 11,000 persons with severe mental illness.
• The largest provider of mental health services for low-income children in Jacksonville cut its services by 34% since 2006 due to Medicaid reform.
• Each February, state funding for uninsured children is depleted, and no new children are served until July when the new fiscal year begins.
• The only publicly-funded detoxification program in Jacksonville turns away 400 requests for treatment each year.
• If a low-income alcoholic or addict who is not HIV positive or pregnant calls for inpatient treatment in Jacksonville, he or she will wait 6 weeks to 2 months.

Living with Disabilities

• In Northeast Florida, 1,075 persons living with mental retardation, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, autism, or Prader-Willi syndrome are eligible for services from the State of Florida and remain on a waiting list because funds for services are insufficient.
• In 2007, there were approximately 13,000 4 year-olds in Duval County, and of those, approximately 1,300 have a learning disability.
• In 2007, Nemours BrightStart! screened approximately 3,800 4 year-olds for language difficulties.

Context and Sources

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