United Way of Cumberland County

United Way of Cumberland County 222 Maiden Lane Fayetteville, North Carolina 28301 Speak Out! Cumberland County 2009 Community Health & Human Service Needs Assessment 1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS United Way of Cumberland County Speak Out! Cumberland County 2009 Community Health & Human Service Needs Assessment Chair Vera Bell, United Way of Cumberland County Board of Directors/Community Impact Council Statistical Analyst Dr. Constance Lightner, Ph.D., Interim Chair, Department of Management & Associate Professor, MBA Program, Fayetteville State University Community Research Crystal Moore-McNair, Community Impact Director, United Way of Cumberland County Survey Development Committee Cathy Barkley UWCC Board of Directors Dr. Shirley Chao Fayetteville State University Hank Debnam Cumberland County Mental Health Erica Gordon Cumberland Community Foundation Mary Flagg Haugh UWCC Community Impact Council Tom Lambeth City Rescue Mission Kristie Lozano Chamber of Commerce Amanda Olson CONTACT of Fayetteville Dr. Jerry Powell Fayetteville Family Life Center Deborah Brown CC Department of Social Services Teresa Currey City of Fayetteville Police Department Kathy Dickson Cumberland County Schools Sonya Green Cumberland County Community Development Gladys Hunt Cumberland County Association for Indian People Tammy Laurence Child Advocacy Center Ron McElrath City of Fayetteville Human Relations Department Cathy Ory The Care Clinic Manny Specht The Salvation Army Jeanne Carmichael American Red Cross, Highlands Chapter Judy Dawkins Retired Senior Volunteer Program Denise Giles Cumberland Interfaith Hospitality Network David Griffin Second Harvest Food Bank of SENC Dr. Robin Jenkins Cumberland County CommuniCare, Inc. Rusty Long Fayetteville Urban Ministry Laura Moore Cumberland County Schools Cortez Phillip Second Harvest Food Bank of SENC Catherine Van Sickle CC Coordinating Council on Older Adults Sylvia Adamczyk Cumberland County Schools Meta Barham-Trombley Girl Scouts-NC Coastal Pines Council Jackie Blue Community Volunteer Roderick Davison US Army, Fort Bragg Susan Guy In-School Scouting Program Rusty Long Fayetteville Urban Ministry Rose Navarro Army Community Services Pamela Story Cumberland County Schools Catherine Van Sickle CC Coordinating Council on Older Adults Community Focus Group Facilitators Brenda Anderson Nijmegen Neighborhood Center Vera Bell UWCC Board of Directors Barbara Briggs Vision Resource Center Kimberly Durden SENC Radio Reading Service Delma Jackson FSU-Department of Social Work Joyce Loughlin UWCC Board of Directors George Quigley Community Impact Council Denise Suggs Community Volunteer James Woods Piedmont Natural Gas Charlene Austin UWCC Board of Directors Chief Tom Bergamine City of Fayetteville Police Department Terri Clark MSW, UNC Pembroke Deanne Gerdes Rape Crisis Volunteers of Cumberland County Judy Klinck Better Health of Cumberland County Patricia Lyons Piedmont Natural Gas Harold Richardson UWCC Community Impact Council Leslie Tukes Fayetteville State University 2

Grace Coppock RSVP/Community Volunteer Michele Culbreth FSU Student Volunteer Bimnet Fantu-Downes FSU Student Volunteer Gloria McGintuy RSVP Community Volunteer Geneva Meyers Fayetteville Housing Authority Volunteer Jody Risacher Cumberland County Public Library Edith Smith RSVP Community Volunteer Tiffany Taylor FSU Student Volunteer Natasha Vaughn FSU Student Volunteer Julius McNair Community Volunteer Distribution Committee Chequela Courts FSU Student Volunteer Kendall Dork FSU Student Volunteer Neisha Gillam FSU Student Volunteer Jasmine McNair FSU Student Volunteer Tamekia Nichols Habitat For Humanity Volunteer Tiffany Scott FSU Student Volunteer Teah Smith FSU Student Volunteer Adolph Thomas City of Fayetteville Community Development Tiffany Williams FSU Student Volunteer Mr. Crow Community Volunteer Data Entry Volunteers Marion Crowe RSVP/Community Volunteer Tatiana Faison FSU Student Volunteer Shanika Horne FSU Student Volunteer Julius McNair Community Volunteer Melissa Ray Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Larika Sexton FSU Student Volunteer Sean Spearman Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Kaodi Umerah FSU Student Volunteer Finale Williams FSU Student Volunteer Bemnet Fantu-Downes FSU Student Volunteer Koadi Umerah FSU Student Volunteer Geneva Meyers Community Volunteer Jasmine McNair FSU Student Volunteer Special Thanks to our Community Partners Beasley Broadcast Group City of Fayetteville Parks & Recreation Community Centers Cumberland County Public Libraries Cumulus Broadcast Group Fayetteville Neighborhood Resource Centers Picerne/Fort Bragg Housing Nijmegen Community Center American Speedy Printing Centers The Fayetteville Observer United Way of Cumberland County Board of Directors United Way of Cumberland County Partner Agencies Up & Coming Magazine United Way of Cumberland County Staff Robert Hines President & CEO Roberta Humphries Resource Development Director Shirley Stallings VP Finance & Operations Crystal Moore-McNair Community Impact Director DeLease Richardson Finance/Administrative Assistant Tracy Autry Accounts Receivable Associate United Way of Cumberland County Mission: Advancing the Common Good LIVING UNITED The mission of United Way is to improve the quality of lives in Cumberland County by addressing critical human needs. We do this by focusing on education, income and health. These are the building blocks for a good life a quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement, and good health. We know it takes the whole community working together to improve lives. So United Way encourages you to give, advocate, and volunteer. We invite you to be part of the change. Together, united, we can inspire hope and create opportunities for a better tomorrow. That s what it means to LIVE UNITED. 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS... 2 UWCC MISSION: ADVANCING THE COMMON GOOD LIVE UNITED 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS.. 4 LETTER FROM THE CHAIR... 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: MAJOR FINDINGS.. 6 CUMBERLAND COUNTY AT A GLANCE: COMMUNITY OVERVIEW... 7 SPEAK OUT! CUMBERLAND COUNTY 2009 COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW. 8 METHODOLOGY: HOW THE COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT WAS CONDUCTED... 10 DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDENTS 11 HOUSEHOLD SURVEY RESULTS.. 13 I. EDUCATION.. 13 A. Strengthening Children & Youth 13 a. Cumberland County Children & Youth Trends and Current Conditions 14 B. Strengthening Families. 17 b. Cumberland County Families Trends and Current Conditions... 18 i. Child Abuse, Neglect & Assault 18 ii. Family and Domestic Violence.. 19 iii. Sexual Assault.. 20 C. Strengthening Neighborhoods 21 c. Cumberland County Strengthening Neighborhoods Trends and Conditions 22 i. Crime/Criminal Activity in the Neighborhood 22 ii. Youth Crime/Gang Activity. 22 II. INCOME 25 A. Basic and Emergency Needs.. 25 a. Cumberland County Basic & Emergency Needs Trends and Conditions.. 26 i. Poverty.. 26 ii. Employment and Income. 26 b. County Employment & Income Trends and Conditions.. 27 c. Cumberland County Homelessness Trends and Conditions. 27 B. Independence in the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities.. 30 b. Cumberland County Elderly and Persons with Disabilities Trends and Current Conditions.. 30 III. HEALTH: Advocating Health and Healing. 31 A. Cumberland County Health Trends and Current Conditions... 32 KEY INFORMANT SURVEY RESULTS. 35 UWCC DONOR SURVEY RESULTS... 40 COMMUNITY FOCUS GROUP SURVEY RESULTS 42 COMMUNITY STRENGTHS 44 SUMMARY...... 46 CONCULSION 47 SOURCES OF INFORMATION 48 4

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR United Way of Cumberland County, like all other United Ways, is faced with critical decisions concerning the most effective and responsible way to allocate funds raised during the annual campaign. Program emphasis and priority-settings are two of the ways that United Way can use to guide decision-making. Speak Out! Cumberland County is an assessment designed to identify current human service issues and needs within our community. The study will provide useful data for planning and directing dollars to meet critical needs. The results will also identify emerging needs and gaps in the health and human service system. The results will serve as an additional tool to assist United Way of Cumberland County s Community Impact Volunteers in making funding decisions. We wish to thank our Survey Development Committee, Community Focus Group Facilitators, the Distribution Committee, and Data Entry Volunteers. Their knowledge of issues and dedication to the community makes them leaders in the search for creative solutions to our health and human service needs. A special thank you to our statistician, Dr. Constance Lightner, PH.D., of Fayetteville State University. Dr. Lightner gave extremely valuable guidance during the entire process, and we are deeply indebted to her. Thanks also to the staff of United Way of Cumberland County who spent many long hours in support of this project. It is hoped that this document will be useful not only to the United Way of Cumberland County, but to other organizations in the county. Vera Bell, Chair 2009 Community Health & Human Service Needs Assessment 5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: MAJOR FINDINGS The following were major issues identified by the Household surveys: Unemployment and/or underemployment, 64% Lack of affordable after-school care and summer programs, 55% Overcrowded classrooms and unsafe schools, 53% Lack of job training opportunities, 52% Illegal drug use and distribution within the neighborhood, 51% Teen pregnancy prevention & intervention, 51% Crime and/or criminal activities in the neighborhood, 49% Lack of affordable medical, dental and mental care, 48% Gang activity and youth crimes within the neighborhood, 47% Literacy (reading below grade level, end of grade testing), 46% Family and domestic violence, 46% Abused, neglected and assaulted children, 44% Emergency assistance for basic needs, 41% Prescription medication assistance, 40% Key informants (community leaders) listed the following as major issues within the community: Gang activity and youth crimes within the neighborhood, 53% Lack of affordable medical, dental and mental health care, 52% Literacy (reading below grade level, end of grade testing), 52% Poverty, 49% Family violence and/or abuse of children or adults, 48% Shortage of temporary and transitional family shelters, 47% Crime and/or criminal activities in the neighborhood, 46% Alcohol and/or drug abuse, 45% Teen pregnancy prevention and intervention, 44% Unemployment and/or underemployment, 44% Emergency assistance for basic needs, 44% Homelessness, 44% Services to reduce high school dropouts, 44% Inadequate public transportation, 44% The following were major issues identified by the UWCC Donor household surveys: Literacy (Reading below grade level & testing scores), 52% High school dropout rates, 46% Overcrowded classrooms and unsafe schools, 46% Teen pregnancy prevention & intervention, 46% Abused, neglected, & assaulted children, 46% Crime and/or criminal activities in the neighborhood, 41% Adequate and affordable recreational facilities, 41% Community involvement and volunteer opportunities, 39% Illegal drug use and distribution within the neighborhood, 39% Job training opportunities, 37% Gang activity and youth crimes within the neighborhood, 37% Affordable cultural attractions and activities, 37% Family and domestic violence, 35% Sexual assault, 35% Unemployment. Shortage of jobs that pay enough money to cover basic financial needs, 31% Lack of affordable medical, dental, and mental health care, 31% The following were major issues identified by Community Focus Group household surveys: High school dropout rates, 72% Illegal drug use and distribution within the neighborhood, 72% Teen pregnancy prevention & intervention, 69% Gang activity & youth crimes within the neighborhood, 59% Crime and/or criminal activities in the neighborhood, 59% Family and domestic violence, 55% Abused, neglected & assaulted children, 52% Literacy (Reading below grade level & testing scores), 48% Lack of affordable medical, dental and mental health care, 48% Job training opportunities, 48% Overcrowded classrooms & unsafe schools, 48% Abuse, neglect & assault on elderly, 48% Homeownership, mortgage/rental assistance, 45% Affordable counseling for children, youth & families, parental support programs, 45% Homelessness; shortage of shelters, 45% Shortage of shelters for families & women, 45% Sexual assault, 45% Shortage of affordable housing, 41% Assistance with financial management, 41% Emergency assistance for utilities, etc., 41% 6

Cumberland County at a Glance Community Overview The following tables are based upon the 2005-2007 U.S. Census Bureau American Fact Finder Population and Housing Narrative Profile: American Community Survey: Population & Housing Profile 3-year Estimates. POPULATION OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY. From 2005-2007, Cumberland County had a total population of 307,000 158,000 (52%) females and 148,000 (48%) males. The median age was 32.8 years. 28% of the population was under 18 years and 9% was 65 years and older. RACE AND ETHNICITY. For people reporting one race alone, 57% (166,149) were White; 37% (107,532) were Black or African American; 1% (3,829) were American Indian and Alaska Native; 2% (6,401) were Asian; 0.3% (814) were Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, and 3%(8,546) were some other race. 4% (133,232) reported two or more races. 6% (18,821) of the people in Cumberland County were Hispanic. SPOKEN LANGUAGE. 5% of the people living in Cumberland County from 2005-2007 were foreign born. 95% were native, including 45% who were born in North Carolina. Among people at least 5 years old living in Cumberland County from 2005-2007, 9% spoke a language other than English at home. Of those speaking a language other than English at home 57% spoke Spanish and 43% spoke some other language; 29% reported that they did not speak English very well. 7

HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES. From 2005-2007 there were 118,000 households in Cumberland County. The average household size was 2.5 people. Families made up 69% of the households in Cumberland County. This figure includes both married-couple families (46%) and other families (23%). Nonfamily households made up 31% of all households in Cumberland County. Most of the nonfamily households were people living alone, but some were composed of people living in households in which no one were related to the householder. GEOGRAPHIC MOBILITY. From 2005-2007, 76% of the people at least one year old living in Cumberland County were living in the same residence one year earlier; 13% had moved during the past year from another residence in the same county, 2% from another county in the same state, 7% from another state, and 2% from abroad. OCCUPATIONS AND TYPE OF EMPLOYER. Among the most common occupations were: management, professional, and related occupations, 32%; sales and office occupations, 26%; Service occupations, 19%; production, transportation, and material moving occupations, 13%; and construction, extraction, maintenance and repair occupations, 10%. 66% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 28% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 6% were self-employed in own not incorporated businesses. INDUSTRIES. From 2005-2007, for the employed population 16 years and older, the leading industries in Cumberland County were educational services, health care, and social assistance, 25%, and retail trade, 13%. 8

Speak Out! Cumberland County 2009 Community Assessment Background and Overview What is the Community Assessment? Advancing The Common Good Creating opportunities for a good life for all by focusing on: EDUCATION INCOME HEALTH In 2004, United Way of Cumberland County began an ambitious journey to refocus its purpose as an organization from fundraising to creating impact. Creating community impact means effectively responding to important community needs and problems by developing effective strategies that address the underlying causes of those problems. The strategic vision is based on three core principles: 1. Focusing on the achievement of meaningful and measurable results at a community level; 2. Developing those results through strategies based on inclusiveness, collaboration and integration; and 3. Building the capacity of agencies, systems and the community itself to contribute to the achievement of those results. In response to those principles, United Way organized its work around six critical need areas-supporting our children and youth; strengthening families and neighborhoods; meeting basic needs; fostering independence in the elderly and persons with disabilities; promoting health and healing; and addressing family violence/abuse of children and adults. Currently focusing on education, income, and health, to achieve United Way of Cumberland County s mission to improve the quality of lives in Cumberland County by addressing critical human needs, we strategically engage and build relationships with diverse community stakeholders, contributors and partners to Identify Community Goals and concerns Choose a Limited Number of Critical Issues Develop Impact Strategies that change community conditions to improve lives Though the community goals and objectives have been reaffirmed and fine-tuned in recent years, they have not been fully re-examined since their creation in 2004. In 2008, United Way determined that it was time to undertake a formal community assessment process and use the results to affirm or revise critical need areas, community goals and community objectives to ensure that they represent the most significant community needs that are most appropriate for United Way support. Speak Out Cumberland County: United Way of Cumberland County s Community Needs Assessment 2009 is the next step in this process, describing community conditions and community responses to those conditions. United Way volunteers and staff are using the information as a context for redeveloping long term community goals and objectives to guide United Way s community impact efforts. To advance the common good, United Way aligns its activities, resources and functions in order to: Achieve community impact Mobilize resources Create a positive brand experience 9

METHODOLOGY How the community assessment was conducted. This document is designed to be used by the entire community. The United Way of Cumberland County will employ the needs assessment within its committee structure to assist volunteers, as they make critical funding decisions that address needs identified within this document. While the United Way cannot address all of the needs contained within this report, it will prioritize and address those that it can through the programming of its partner agencies. The United Way will also strive to include even more partners around a common table to help build a better community in Cumberland County. Speak Out! Cumberland County: United Way of Cumberland County s Community Needs Assessment 2009 is designed to identify current human services issues and needs within our community. The study determined, by survey and sampling, the degree of importance of a variety of needs as they pertain to different demographic categories. The Board of Directors of the United Way of Cumberland County, through its recent strategic planning process, directed as a part of its strategic plan, that a needs assessment should be completed in 2009 as a means of helping United Way staff and volunteers to understand and better address community issues. The last needs assessment conducted by this United Way was in 2004. The needs assessment will be used as a tool to assist United Way volunteers to make appropriate funding decisions. The needs assessment will also help United Way volunteers fulfill its mission: To Measurably Improve the Quality of Peoples Lives in Cumberland County. The Speak Out! Cumberland County: UWCC s Community Needs Assessment 2009 survey instrument was originally adopted with modifications from the United Way of America s COMPASS II instrument. In 2007, United Way of America released a Public Opinion Poll Survey instrument for conducting community needs assessments. Both instruments have been thoroughly field tested for validity and reliability. The 2009 Survey Development Committee reviewed, amended and adopted a survey instrument by combining essential elements of the Speak Out! Cumberland County 2003 and the 2007 Opinion Poll survey instruments. The committee administered the hybrid instrument to a test group of residents and solicited feedback from the participants to make final edits. Speak Out! Cumberland County 2009 has four components: Key Informants, Household Surveys, Community Focus Groups and United Way of Cumberland County s Donors. Key Informants are community leaders who work with numerous human service agencies that provide a variety of services. Thus they are uniquely qualified to assess the health and human service needs within Cumberland County. Six hundred (600) Key Informants in Cumberland County were identified and mailed key informant surveys. One hundred fifty-nine (159) Key Informants completed and returned their surveys for a response rate of 27%. The key informant survey asked questions in the following areas: Community Strengths, Challenges, and Issues. Household surveys were mailed to 6,000 randomly selected Cumberland County households to assess community strengths and human services needs. The county was divided into 16 geographic areas, based upon zip codes, so that responses could be compared among diverse regions (stratified random sampling). The fraction of the 6,000 surveys mailed to each zip code matched the proportion of Cumberland County s residential dwellings in each region. In an effort to increase the response rate, a comprehensive marketing plan was launched to publicize the mailing of household surveys and encourage residents to complete and return their surveys. This plan included paid newspaper and radio ads, several news articles, cable TV announcements and visits to several community meetings. In addition, a drawing was announced to provide a small financial incentive and motivate prompt returns, while preserving the anonymity of individual survey responses. Ultimately, 526 surveys were returned a response rate of 8.8%. Most zip codes were proportionately represented. This sample size resulted in a 4% margin of error for the analysis presented in the next section. Household surveys were also randomly mailed to 1,000 United Way of Cumberland County Donors, using the same stratified random sampling as our community household surveys. Community Focus Groups were held at all of the City of Fayetteville Parks and Recreation Neighborhood Centers. Two meetings were held at the Fort Bragg Nijmegen Neighborhood Center. The household surveys asked questions in the following areas: Education- Strengthening Children, Youth, Families and Neighborhoods; Income-Supporting Basic Needs, Financial Stability, and Independence in Older Adults/Persons with Disabilities; and Health- Advocating Health and Healing. 10

DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTISTICS OF HOUSEHOLD RESPONDENTS The following charts will describe the 526 respondents to the household survey. The Community Assessment examined their age, gender, race, income levels, and residential zip code areas. CHART ONE: Age Group CHART TWO: Gender CHART THREE: Race/Ethnicity 11

CHART FOUR: Income Range Chart Five: Zip Codes The following zip codes appear throughout the report: 28301 (Murchison Road, FSU, EE Smith High School District & Downtown Area) 28312 (Cedar Creek Road and South View High School District) 28303 (Vanstory Hills, FTCC, Terry Sanford High School District, Bonnie Doone, Westover High School District) 28304 (CFVHS, Owen Drive, Douglas Byrd High School District) 28305 (Hay Mount, Savoy Heights, Terry Sanford High School District) 28306 (Massey Hill, Cumberland Road, Gates Four, Southview High School District) 28307 (Fort Bragg & Pope Air Force Base) 28311 (Methodist College, Pine Forest High School District) 28312 (Vander, Cape Fear High School District) 28314 (Lake Rim, 71 st High School District) 28348 (Hope Mills, Grays Creek High School District) 28390 (Spring Lake, Pine Forest High School District) 28391 (Eastover, Stedman) 12

HOUSEHOLD SURVEY RESULTS The following charts and data outline the most significant results of the Community Needs Assessment according to household respondents. In some cases there is comparative data to illustrate the issue while the charts speak for themselves in other issue areas. It should be noted, however, that not all percentages add up to one hundred percent in each chart, as not all questions were answered by all of the respondents. I.A. EDUCATION: Strengthening Children & Youth United Way of Cumberland County invests the majority of its resources on children and youth services. Household respondents indicated literacy (reading below grade level and end of grade testing), overcrowded classrooms and unsafe schools, lack of affordable after-school and summer programs, as well as, teen pregnancy prevention and intervention programs as major issues in Cumberland County. Chart six details the percentage of household responses to each indicated major issue. Table one below details United Way s 2008/2009 allocations to these programs and services. Community Impact Partner Agencies must provide budget data for programs funded by United Way of Cumberland County. Chart seven details the amount of 2008/2009 funds each partner agency receives through private/philanthropic contributions, local government, state government and federal government to support programs that strengthen children and youth. 13

Table One: 2008/2009 UWCC Allocated Resources for EDUCATION: Children & Youth Programs UWCC PARTNER AGENCY PROGRAM 2008/2009 UWCC ALLOCATION 2008/2009 NUMBER SERVED At-Risk Youth Prevention & Intervention Programs $40,000 523 Boy Scouting Program $60,000 2,754 Childcare Program $12,000 342 Community Center After-School and Summer Youth Program $39,000 215 Dolly Parton Imagination Library $30,000 1,485 Find A Friend Mentoring Program $20,000 173 Girl Scouting Outreach Program $35,000 3,377 In School Scouting Program for Disabled Youth $17,500 766 Youth Development Core Programs $87,000 396 Youth Swim Lessons & Sports $10,000 2,040 TOTAL UNITED WAY ALLOCATED RESOURCES $350,500 12,071 Cumberland County Children & Youth (Education) Trends and Current Conditions Social and demographic data cited in the 2005-2007 American Community Survey: School Enrollment & Educational Attainment 3-Year Estimates provide additional data about education trends and conditions in Cumberland County. 1. In 2005-2007, the total population in Cumberland County 3 years and older enrolled in school was 90,973. Of that number, 4,951 were enrolled in nursery school or preschool; 5,425 in kindergarten; 19,692 enrolled in elementary school grades 1-4; 17,554 enrolled in middle school grades 5-8; 19,694 enrolled in high school grades 9-12; 20,106 enrolled in college or undergraduate school; and 3,551 enrolled in graduate or professional school. 2. Cumberland County has a population of 35,576 residents age 18 to 24. Of that number 14.2% have less than a high school diploma; 46.0% are high school graduates (includes equivalency); 35.5% have some college or associate s degree; and 4.3% have attained a bachelor s degree or higher. 3. From 2005-2007, 87% of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 21% had a bachelor s degree or higher. 13% were dropouts; they were not enrolled in school and had not graduated from high school. 14

4. According to the North Carolina SAT Report-2004-2006: in 2004, 53.3% of county students took the SAT with an average score of 962. In 2005, 57.4% of county students took the SAT with an average score of 956 in 2006. 54.0% of county students took the SAT with an average score of 959. 5. According to the North Carolina Education Report compiled by 2008 North Carolina Network of Grant Makers, to ensure that all of North Carolina s young people will graduate from high school prepared for further education, productive careers, and constructive participation in their communities and in our democracy, North Carolina must take action in the following five priority areas: i) Priority 1: Develop High-Quality Leadership for North Carolina s Schools and Classrooms. NC has a principal turnover rate of 12% and we do not provide enough high-quality training and development for our principals or our superintendents. In addition, North Carolina faces a shortage of top-quality teachers, who are essential to increasing student achievement and are critical to overall instructional leadership and school culture. ii) Priority 2: Strengthen Standards and Accountability for School Performance. We must evolve our accountability system so that it raises expectations for all students and helps them acquire the skills they need to thrive and to become constructive members of their communities. We need to build public support for and understanding of a rigorous accountability system, and we must end the persistence of low-performing schools, which shortchange too many students and communities. iii) Priority 3: Increase Support for Children and Families Within and Outside of the Schools. Early experiences provide the foundation for learning, but some families need help gaining the skills necessary to help their children succeed. Improvements in student performance are much more likely if North Carolina engages parents and families, provides high-quality early education for all students, and develops a comprehensive system for offering after-school and summer programming. iv) Priority 4: Align Governance and Funding for 21 st Century Results. North Carolina s state and local systems of school governance lack alignment of authority and responsibility, which makes it difficult to hold anyone accountable. In addition, because funding is limited, we must work to ensure that the allocation of public dollars is organized in a way that maximizes school results. v) Priority 5: Engage Communities in Supporting Education. Public schools can improve in a sustainable way when a broad-based coalition of community members pays close attention, provides support, and holds the school system accountable for results. North Carolina schools and district leaders, along with business and community leaders, should work together to build partnerships that support the schools. 15

Teen Pregnancy (Ages 15-19) 2007 Trends 1 : The County s total teen pregnancy rate of 72.7% was significantly higher than the State s rate of 63.0%. Minority teen pregnancy rates were higher than white teen pregnancy rates for both the County and the State. The County s total fertility rate of 53.2% was slightly higher than the State s total fertility rate of 48.4%. The County s minority fertility rate of 55.3% was slightly lower than the State s minority fertility rate of 50.8% Teen Pregnancy Ages 15-19, 2007 Per 1,000 Population Number of Pregnancies Rates Indicator Cumberland County NC Cumberland County NC White 352 11,070 63.4 52.3 Minority 496 8,206 77.5 82.5 TOTAL 869 19,615 72.7 63.0 Teen Fertility Rates Ages 15-19, 2007 Per 1,000 Population Births Fertility Rates Indicator Cumberland County NC Cumberland County NC White 282 8,946 50.8 42.3 Minority 354 6,115 55.3 61.5 TOTAL 636 15,061 53.2 48.4 1 Source: 2007 Teen Pregnancies-NC DHHS Division of Public Health, State Center for Health. www.schs.state.nc.us/sch/data/databook 16

I.B. EDUCATION: Strengthening Families Major issues cited by respondents affecting families were: job training opportunities, homeownership, and mortgage and rental assistance, abused, neglected & assault on children, family and domestic violence, sexual assault; and abuse, neglect and assault on older adults. United Way of Cumberland County s 2008/2009 funding allocated to programs and services impacting these critical issues are detailed in the Table two below. Chart eight details percentage of household responses. Chart nine details the amount of 2008/2009 funds each partner agency receives through private/philanthropic contributions, local government, state government and federal government to support programs that strengthen families. Table Two: 2008/2009 UWCC Allocated Resources for EDUCATION: Strengthening Families Services UWCC PARTNER AGENCY PROGRAM 2008/2009 UWCC ALLOCATION 2008/2009 NUMBER SERVED Cumberland County Family Outreach Program $35,000 1,031 CARE Center Transitional Housing for Domestic Abuse $10,000 90 Emergency Financial Assistance Program $35,000 12,310 Faith Based Family Counseling Program $25,000 1,532 Affordable Home Ownership Program $20,000 16 Victim Services $22,500 260 TOTAL UNITED WAY ALLOCATED RESOURCES $147,500 15,239 17

Cumberland County Strengthening Families Trends and Current Conditions Household respondents indicated abuse, neglect and assault on children; family and domestic violence; and sexual assault as major issues in Cumberland County. The following social and demographic data indicates trends and conditions in Cumberland County. Child Abuse, Neglect and Assault. Social and demographic data cited in the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services Division of Social Services Children Subject of A Protective Services Assessment, provides additional data about child abuse, neglect and assault trends and conditions in Cumberland County. TABLE ONE: PRIMARY SOURCE OF REPORTS NUMBER OF REPORTS 2006-2007 NUMBER OF REPORTS 2007-2008 Anonymous 383 386 Child Care Provider 36 22 Educational Personnel 729 704 Law Enforcement/Courts 570 1,005 Medical Personnel 299 281 Relative 338 268 Non Relative 322 282 Human Service Organization 961 1,023 Victim 9 8 Parent 138 139 TOTAL 3,785 4,118 18

TABLE TWO: TYPE REPORTED NUMBER OF REPORTS 2006-2007 NUMBER OF REPORTS 2007-2008 Abuse & Neglect 38 38 Abuse 11 6 Neglect 346 156 Dependency 6 6 Services Needed 156 249 Services Provided, No Longer Needed 235 438 Services Recommended 722 1,349 Unsubstantiated 1,116 349 Services Not Recommended 951 1,389 TOTAL 3,581 3,980 TABLE THREE: AGE OF CHILDREN NUMBER OF REPORTS 2006-2007 NUMBER OF REPORTS 2007-2008 0-5 1,848 2,110 6-12 1,188 1,220 13-17 524 629 TOTAL 3,560 3,959 TABLE FOUR: GENDER NUMBER OF REPORTS 2006-2007 NUMBER OF REPORTS 2007-2008 Male 1,827 2,021 Female 1,743 1,956 TOTAL 3,570 3,977 Family and Domestic Violence. Social and demographic data cited in the North Carolina Council for Women/Domestic Violence Commission 2007-2008 Domestic Violence Statistics Report, the Abuser Treatment Statistics of April 2006-March 2007 Report and the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence 2006 Domestic Violence Homicide Report, Domestic Violence Homicides in North Carolina, each provide additional data about domestic violence trends and conditions in Cumberland County. Number of Victim Gender Reports 460 Male - 230 Female-230 AGE UNDER 25 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ UNKNOWN TOTAL 0 1 177 208 64 7 3 460 SERVICES PROVIDED INFORMATION ADVOCACY REFERRAL TRANSPORTATION COUNSELING HOSPITAL COURT TOTAL 619 783 230 668 833 2 426 3,561 19

Criminal Court April 2006-March 2007 Abuser Treatment Statistics Referrals Civil Court DSS Mental Substance Self Health Abuse Referral Other 85 0 11 0 0 6 5 107 Criminal Court April 2006-March 2007 Abuser Treatment Statistics Accepted Referrals Civil Court DSS Mental Substance Self Health Abuse Referral Other 105 0 8 0 0 5 1 119 April 2006-March 2007 Abuser Treatment Statistics Total # Who Completed Program Total # Terminated From Program 32 81 Domestic Violence Homicides in North Carolina Listed by Top Ten Counties and by Rank 2004-2006 County 2004 2005 2006 Totals Alamance 4 4 3 11 Brunswick 1 2 3 6 Cumberland 1 2 5 8 Forsyth 4 0 3 7 Guilford 3 4 7 14 Johnston 2 4 5 11 Mecklenburg 8 9 6 23 New Hanover 5 1 1 7 Wake 7 5 2 14 Wilson 4 2 0 6 Ranking County Total Domestic Murders Mecklenburg 23 Wake 14 Guilford 14 Alamance 11 Johnston 11 Cumberland 8 Forsyth 7 New Hanover 7 Wilson 6 Brunswick 6 Sexual Assault. Social and demographic data cited in the Crime in North Carolina 2007 Annual Summary Report of Uniform Crime Reporting Data prepared by the North Carolina Department of Justice State Bureau of Investigation provides additional data about sexual assault trends and conditions in Cumberland County/Fayetteville area. # REPORTS YEAR City of Fayetteville Police Department 2006 53 2007 56 Cumberland County Sheriff s Office 2006 20 2007 24 Total Total 20