HomeMy WebLinkAbout1992 Human Needs AssessmentI1 1,
. 111 city Or
..........::...
...::.........
::...::::.................. ..::
::::::.:.:::::.....::........ ......
...................................................
IoL4:9,
SAn Luis OBISPO
HUMAN NEEDS
ASSESSMENT
C O N T E N T S
Section Page
I. Introduction....................................................................................... 1
U. Methodology..................................................................................... 1
III. Summary of Findings........................................................................ 2
IV. The Questions, The Specific Answers, and Who Gave Them ............ 4
A. Community Workshop Survey ...................................................... 4
B. Household Survey Summary ......................................................... 6
C. Key Informant Summary .............................................................14
D. Service Provider Survey Summary ...............................................16
VI. Appendices......................................................................................24
Appendix
A:
Summary of Workshop................................................24
Appendix
B:
Household Survey and Summary of Responses ............28
Appendix
C:
Summary of Key Informant Roundtable Discussions .....35
Appendix
D:
Data Tables on Social Service Providers .......................37
Appendix
E:
Assessment Participants................................................46
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
I. Introduction
The city prepared its first Human Needs Assessment in 1978. The voluminous
document has never been updated. Although the first document contained a
lot of good information, it was difficult for city staff and commissioners to use in plan-
ning and decision making.
The Human Relations Commission undertook this 1992 Human Needs Assessment
to help the city identify the human services needs of the community today, and to see
how well those needs are being met. The commission also wanted to find out which
of the community's human -social service needs are not currently being met. And final-
ly, the commission wanted to know what barriers people see between themselves and
the services they need.
This 1992 Human Needs Assessment is intended to help the city in future decision
making on a variety of fronts, from grant disbursement to city planning issues. The
commission also hopes that anyone living in the City of San Luis Obispo who is inter-
ested in human service issues will be able to pick up a copy of this report, read it,
and come away with some useful information.
II. Methodology
To prepare this report, the commission worked through 1991 with the aid of a
consulting firm, Crawford, Multari & Starr. This report is the result of that year-
long process. It included public workshops, a telephone survey of nearly 300 randomly -
selected city residents, a survey of social service providers, two roundtable discussions
with people active in San Luis Obispo community issues, and follow-up interviews
with those people. Those people are called "Key Informants" in this report.
In addition, the commission also received the help of a Technical Advisory Body
(TAB), and a Citizens Advisory Body (CAB). The TAB was made up of people who
provide social services for city and county residents. The CAB was made up of
leaders in the fields of business, education and the media. Both were instrumental in
preparing the questions that needed to be asked of the community, and getting the
community involved in the survey.
Data collected for the Human Needs Assessment is available on
computer diskette through the Human Relations Commission at City Hall,
990 Palm Street, (805)-781-7151.
1
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
III. Summary of Findings: The Answers
The good news is that most San Luis Obispo residents say this is a good place
to live. Most were satisfied with their community and the services it provides.
Even when answering questions about problems in the community, city residents sur-
veyed by phone were most likely to respond that the city's problems were moderate,
and few.
The bad news is those most satisfied with the community were also those with the
most money. Those at the low end of the economic spectrum were most likely to be
having a variety of problems, and to see the city - and themselves - as having major so-
cial service needs. The social service providers and Key Informants who help social ser-
vice users generally noted the same problem issues as their clients.
However, all people surveyed generally agreed when it came to ranking the most
pressing human problems in the city - the problems which are affecting everyone, top
and bottom of the economic spectrum alike.
The surveys, discussion groups, and interviews pointed to the following areas as
those seen by the community as most pressing for San Luis Obispo:
1. Not Enough Affordable Housing
2. Homelessness
3. Unemployment
4. Lack of Affordable Medical and Mental Health Care
5. Drug and Alcohol Abuse problems
6. Lack of Affordable, Quality Child Care
7. Teen Pregnancy
(Problems are ranked with the worst at the top.)
It is important to note that though the community and key informants differed
slightly as to what the cause of the pressing problems were, both groups identified es-
sentially the same problems.
Key Informants and providers were more likely to feel that a lack of mental health
and drug and alcohol treatment programs were the most pressing human service issues
facing the city. The issue of "homelessness" ranked by other citizens as the number
two human service problem in San Luis Obispo, key informants said, was really an
issue of "mental health."
2
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
Much of the homeless population in the city, Key Informants felt, were people in
need of in-patient psychiatric or substance abuse treatment. But there are simply not
enough institutional beds to hospitalize people who can't pay for psychiatric and drug
addiction treatment, they said. What mental health institutions we do have can take
only the most urgent cases, Key Informants said.
On top of that, there are not enough drug and alcohol detoxification programs to
help low-income people with substance abuse problems. And there are not enough
counseling and psychiatric services available to help low-income and uninsured people
with their emotional and mental health difficulties, Key Informants said.
In contrast, city residents of all income levels, as well as social service users, felt
that lack of affordable housing, homelessness, and unemployment were the biggest
human problems facing the city. Employed citizens of all economic levels want more
affordable housing. Social Service users wanted an affordable apartment or house,
babysitters for their children, and jobs.
It is important to stress that low-income city residents facing unemployment or un-
deremployment have very few housing choices in the city. Paying for the housing
they do find can leave them with precious few dollars to spend on other scarce city
resources like health care, counseling and child care - other areas where human ser-
vices are lacking in this city, according to those surveyed.
And it is also important to note that when pressed, several Key Informants and so-
cial service providers said housing was a primary need of their clients, "co -equal" with
mental health needs. "You can't think about yourself' or counseling for your
problems, said one Key Informant and mental health provider, "until you get a roof
over your head and food for your family."
The Human Needs Assessment did find some good news for those city residents
needing social service help. The survey of local social service providers shows that
there is at least one agency aiming to help people in all seven human service problem
areas residents listed.
However, the commission discovered that certain groups of city residents, most
notably low-income households, face barriers in getting to those social service agencies.
Low-income households surveyed often did not know there was an agency provid-
ing the service they needed, or lacked the most information about the agency. The
people who need human services also often thought it would cost them too much to
seek help from social service agencies, or doubted that the agencies would provide
them with quality service, the commission found.
The commission also found that the most commonly provided services in the City
were in the areas of information, education and financial assistance.
3
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
IV. The Questions, The Specific Answers, and Who Gave Them.
Four different sources were surveyed to come up with the answers to the
commissions' questions on human service needs. The sources differed slightly
in ranking the most pressing problems of the community - but all four groups came up
with the same list of top problems.
The following are the specific answers from the four different source groups.
Readers will find some eye-opening response rates, as well as confirmation of the
several top problems people feel face city residents.
A. THE WORKSHOP GROUP.
The city held a community workshop on May 1, 1991 to ask people the following
questions:
■ What human or social needs do you feel are being adequately met
in San Luis Obispo?
■ What human or social needs do you feel are not being adequately met
in San Luis Obispo?
■ Why do you think these needs are not adequately being met?
Workshop participants were briefed on the purpose of the Human Needs Assess-
ment and then split into discussion groups. A facilitator asked the groups the above
listed questions, steered discussions, and noted group responses.
Following are the answers given by the public workshop participants (it's interesting
to note that some needs were listed by the participants as both being met and not
being met). The numbers in parenthesis represent the number of participants giving
that answer. A complete summary of responses appears in Appendix A.
Needs Being Met:
❑V Recreation (6)
❑✓ Programs for children & teens (5)
Z✓ Education (5)
✓❑ Information & referral
(for social services) (4)
❑✓ Senior Programs (3)
Needs Not Being Met:
❑ Health Care (8)
❑ Public transportation (8)
❑ Education (6)
❑ Housing - affordable for renting & buying (6)
❑ Programs for children and teens (5)
❑ Gang prevention and intervention (4)
❑ Homelessness (4)
❑ Mental Health - affordable services (4)
❑ Multi-lingual services for ethnic groups (4)
❑ Substance abuse treatment - affordable (3)
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
The participants came up with the following reasons why these needs are not being met:
❑ APATHY on the part of the community at large - both lack of interest and
lack of awareness of problems (7)
❑ LACK OF MONEY (3)
❑ BUREAUCRACY - government red tape getting in the way of help (2)
❑ UNSTABLE EMPLOYMENT BASE (2)
❑ LANGUAGE BARRIERS (2)
The participants made the following recommendations to better meet the needs noted:
Possible Solutions:
❑ Develop a comprehensive, coordinated human services delivery system. The
system should include a "one-stop" location or delivery point for all human
services available. The location or delivery point should be accessible to the
entire region.
❑ Provide comprehensive hotline services.
❑ Make the community at large aware that some problems do exist in San Luis
Obispo. The participants felt that the community as a whole was "in denial'
about the existence of real problems here, preferring to concentrate on the many
assets and attributes of the city as a good place to live.
After the May workshop, participants were mailed a summary of workshop respon-
ses, containing the above list of needs being met, needs not being met, and possible
solutions. They were asked to rank the top 10 areas they felt most critically in need of
improvement.
This written "mini survey" showed that after some time and reflection, 10 of the
participants ranked Affordable Housing as the most critical need facing the city. The
remaining half of the participants split their responses almost evenly among the remain-
ing nine problem areas.
V1
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
B. THE RESIDENTS - HOUSEHOLD SURVEY GROUP.
The consulting firm performed a survey of 268 city households between May 16 and
June 7, 1991. The households were selected from a list of randomly generated phone
numbers provided by the city. The survey consisted of four sections, and was
designed to be completed in 10 to 15 minutes. (A copy of the survey is provided in
Appendix B.)
The survey was designed to seek answers to the same four basic questions asked at
the workshop. In the first survey section, respondents were presented with a list of 24
problems or issues. They were asked to rate each issue as either 1) Not a problem
facing the community as a whole; 2) A minor problem; 3) A moderate problem; or 4) A
major problem.
In the second section, respondents were presented with a list of 24 problems or is-
sues, and asked if those problems were affecting their household, specifically. Again,
they were asked to rank the issue as being not a problem, a minor problem, a
moderate problem, or a major problem for the household.
In the third section, respondents were presented with a list of 17 barriers or difficul-
ties and asked if they, or someone in their household, had encountered those barriers
when seeking help for a problem.
The last section asked respondents to describe their income and other demographic
characteristics of their households.
SURVEY RESULTS:
The responses suggest that residents generally think few social problems exist in
San Luis Obispo. In tabulating the survey results, each of the 24 problems was as-
signed a numerical score - a response of "major problem" translated to a 4. A response
of "not a problem" translated to a 1.
According to the phone survey, the residents saw most issues as minor problems,
or not a problem at all. All but seven of the 24 problem areas scored below 2 in resi-
dent responses. The seven issues residents did see as problems elicited scores be-
tween a 2.12 and a 3.5 - a ranking which means people saw them as slightly more
serious than a minor problem, ranging on up to almost a major problem.
The exceptions to the "not a problem -minor problem" trend were the issues of a
lack of affordable housing and homelessness. The average citizens reached by the
telephone survey ranked the lack of affordable housing at a 3.5 - the closest thing to a
Major Problem in San Luis Obispo.
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
100 percent of people living alone - single people listing their household size as one
person said lack of affordable housing was a moderate to major problem. 91 percent
of residents between the age of 35 and 54 said lack of affordable housing was a
moderate or major problem. And 89 percent of households with children said it was a
major or moderate problem, as did 89 percent of respondents under 35 years old.
Some 89 percent of men surveyed said it was a moderate or major problem, and 88 per-
cent of women gave the same answers.
The survey statistics show that this single issue - AFFORDABLE HOUSING - is
worrying no less than 85 percent of the representative community in every age and
income bracket surveyed.
The only other issue which came close to lack of affordable housing as a worry
spot for average city residents was a closely -related one: Homelessness.
An average of 70 percent of respondents in all income and family size categories
ranked homelessness as a moderate to major problem in San Luis Obispo.
Eighty-six percent of people between the ages of 55 and 64, 78 percent of women
polled, 74 percent of households with children polled, 79 percent of families receiving
aid, and 75 percent of households making less than $10,000 a year considered homeless-
ness a problem. Seventy-four percent of respondents with children also ranked home-
lessness as a problem.
While low-income families and households receiving aid may be concerned about
homelessness because they fear housing costs may force them to join the ranks of the
homeless, the survey shows other city residents at higher income levels are concerned
about the problem as well.
Families with children, who are more apt to use city parks which are daytime
homes for the homeless were concerned about the issue, according to the survey.
Older residents, who may eye the homeless on the streets with some fear - or who
may have the time to be actively volunteering to help the homeless and see their
problems firsthand, are also concerned about the problem, according to the survey.
Affluent citizens are concerned as well about the homeless issue. Some 71 percent
of families making more than $50,000 a year ranked it as a moderate to major city prob-
lem; 70 percent of families making $30,000 to $40,000 a year ranked it as a moderate to
major problem.
Lack of affordable housing and homelessness were far and above the most pressing
concerns of residents, according to the questionnaire. No other issues came close to
matching the concern residents of all income and age levels felt about those two issues.
7
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
However, in one subgroup, Childcare scored higher than Homelessness as a press-
ing concern. Eighty percent of respondent households receiving government income
aid ranked a lack of quality child care as a moderate or major problem in the city.
Only affordable housing was a bigger issue to this group of city residents. The resi-
dents receiving aid ranked a lack of childcare ahead of homelessness as a major prob-
lem facing the city.
Interestingly, the working poor, the middle income groups, and the affluent have
similar concern levels when it comes to quality childcare. 61 percent of respondents
making more than $50,000 a year said quality childcare was a moderate to major prob-
lem in the city, as did 60 percent of families making between $20,000 and $30,000 a
year, and 67 percent of families making between $10,000 and $20,000 a year.
Four other areas also caused more than 50 percent of respondents to label them
moderate or major problems for the community. All seven areas are ranked, along
with their average numerical survey score, below.
Again, a score of 4 would represent a major problem, a score of 1 would represent
a "not a problem" answer..
Most Pressing Problem Areas, Phone Survey:
1.
Not Enough Affordable Housing
3.50
2.
Homelessness, Lack of Housing
2.98
3.
Unemployment
2.80
4.
Lack of Affordable Health Care
2.76
5.
Drug and Alcohol Abuse Problems
2.71
6.
Lack of Quality Child Care
2.63
7.
Teen Pregnancy
2.59
Additional notes about the top 7 scoring problem areas:
1. Eighty-nine percent of all respondents felt that the lack of affordable housing
was a "moderate" or "major" problem for the city. Low-income households and single
adults were largely those who felt this was a major problem.
2. Seventy percent of all respondents felt that homelessness or lack of housing was
a "moderate" or "major" problem. Older people (89 percent) and women (78 percent)
were most concerned about this problem.
3. Sixty-six percent of all respondents said unemployment was a "moderate" or
"major" problem. Though it ranked as the third biggest problem in the city, and
though almost all of the problems on the list involve people not having enough money
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
for the things they want and need, unemployment was most keenly felt as a major
problem by three groups. They were those with children, those making between
$10,000 and $20,000 a year, and single adults. Roughly three-quarters of the respon-
dents in those groups felt it unemployment was a major or moderate problem.
4. Sixty -Four percent of all respondents felt that the lack of affordable health care
was a "moderate" to "major" problem facing the community. This was seen as a
greater problem by respondents between the ages of 35 and 64 years of age (71 per-
cent) than for persons over 65 years old.
5. Sixty-two percent of respondents felt drug and alcohol abuse were "moderate" or
"major" problems in the city. More single people (74 percent), women (69 percent)
and households making less than $30,000 a year (72 percent) felt drug and alcohol
abuse were "moderate" or "major" problems.
6. Fifty-seven percent of all respondents said that a lack of quality child care was a
"moderate" problem. As expected, households with children (68 percent) and
households in the 35-54 age group (65) percent were most likely to label this a prob-
lem. And 80 percent of families receiving government aid labeled this area a
"moderate" or "major" problem.
7. Fifty-seven percent of all respondents felt teen pregnancy was a "moderate" to
"major" problem. Many more women (70 percent) than men (42 percent) labeled teen
pregnancy as a "moderate" or "major" problem. Some 27 percent of households receiv-
ing government aid said it was a moderate or major problem.
The findings of the 1992 survey are compared below with the top seven issues iden-
tified in the 1978 Human Needs Assessment.
1992 Survey:_
1. Not Enough Affordable Housing
2. Homelessness, Lack of Housing
3. Unemployment
4. Lack of Affordable Health Care
5. Drug/Alcohol Abuse
6. Lack of Quality Affordable Child Care
7. Teen Pregnancy
1978 Assessment:
1. Housing
2. Education
3. Crisis Intervention, Support Services
4. Legal Aid Services
5. Equal Opportunity (discrimination)
6. Child Care
7. Employment
Detailed tables regarding the percentages of people who ranked the top seven
problem issues as "moderate or "major" for the city appear on the following two pages
(Tables 1 and 2). The entire telephone survey, with all 24 issues which respondents
were asked about, plus the answers they gave, appears in Appendix B.
z
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
m
3
s
c
r
4xq
3
x S 0
7
CL
o
S
i
� m
Q
a
m"
a
a�
N
o
ill
Z >.
`sN4
r
mra
Z
o
c
3
ae
ae
aP
a
ae
a°
�
o
to
m o;
saaR-
20
a�c
m
n a ro
IT
N
OI
of
fCTj
aC
a°
N
aC
Ol
e
? C
6
n
m
u
az
x
c
x
�
r
0
m0
m oma
0 3m9
S C
p
°
-i=
C
o
o
sr
°
zC
3
a ammo
$
m
o =Z
v
e
D<aO
Caow
M
IR
aE
ae
O
OZ
N � �
T
ee
e`e
aP
aE
aP
aE
aE
a
m
o i
V
01
V
W
e
A
10
Cf
V
N
-4
W
V
IIA
ae
ale
ae
1-4
e
e
ae
g
O01
N
t7�
V
N
m
N
r
A
41
N
m
3
e
aP
a°
ae
a�
a
aE
o
O
O
N
0I71
D
T
r
m
M
o
a4
ae
e
e
a°•.
e
r
10
s,
m
C
m
►+
�
�
�
City / San Luis Obispo -Human Needs Asss£sm +
11
Z2
10
§
ccI
cc
[
a .
�
cc
.
||K
/
°
£
at
■■§
g
in
w
0
cr
0§
2
U§
I
a
Bo
u§
■
§ /.
j
°
;
8
S
LU
§ Co i
_M
00-_
7
b
2
2
[
g
§
Mw
U. £
40
§ E
kc
£
$
@
§
Q&
¢
LU
z
|
.
�
|
$${
7
E
§§
■
a
a
Imo)
2e
2
f�
I��
2
f
6
-CL
11
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
HOUSEHOLD ISSUES
The next section of the survey asked residents about the same 24 issues and
whether they were affecting them personally. The scores to the answers residents gave
indicate most people felt they had only minor problems on a personal level. Only
three out of 10 respondents considered any of the 24 issues to be a "moderate" or
"major" problem at home.
However, the survey did show the highest "personal problem" response scores
among lower income households and households consisting of younger persons (age 35
or younger). People in the lower income groups were more likely to identify issues
relating to affordability and standards of living as "moderate" or "major" problems.
Some 50 percent of households with incomes under $10,000 said that not having
enough money to pay for medical care was a "moderate" or "major" problem. Lower
income households also had significantly more problems finding work (49 percent),
more frequently experienced stress and depression (50 percent) and had a higher in-
cidence of physical conflict in the home (16 percent among low income groups, as op-
posed to 4 percent for the average of all respondents).
The top seven issues people listed as being problems in their own houses were:
Problem Area
Score
1.
Anxiety, stress or depression
1.91
2.
Not Able to Find Work
1.79
3.
Can't Qualify for, Or Afford Medical Insurance
1.72
4.
Not Enough Money for Doctor or Prescriptions
1.66
5.
Can't Afford Recreational Activities
1.66
6.
Not Enough Money for Housing
1.66
7.
Not Able to Afford Legal Help
1.61
Most of the problems respondents said they were having at home revolve around
money. People are worried about getting or keeping a job, getting medical insurance,
not having enough money for housing or doctors or anything fun to do. Of the top
seven household concerns, six involve a lack of money and lack of ability to afford
both essentials and recreation.
BARRIERS TO SERVICE
The next section of the survey asked people about their experiences in getting help
for their problems. On the whole, respondents said they hadn't faced many barriers
12
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
when they were trying to get what they needed - though they were worried they
couldn't pay for it. Only 20 percent of the respondents thought that there were "mod-
erate" or "major" barriers to getting help. But 28 percent of the respondents thought
that the help they needed or were. seeking would cost too much for them to afford.
However, the survey showed definite barriers for city residents at the lower end of
the economic ladder. The survey turned up the following portrait of concerns for low-
income residents:
Almost half of the respondents who made less than $10,000 a year said they felt
they could not afford the service or help they needed for the problems they faced.
Younger households also noted the greatest problems with ability to pay for services.
Almost a third of younger city residents (29 percent of respondents under the age.
of 35) didn't know where to turn for help, even though it is available in the com-
munity. That 29 percent cited lack of information about the available social services
here as a "moderate" or "major" problem.
Men were less likely to know about what help was available than women. Some
24 percent of men labeled lack of information a "moderate" or "major" problem, com-
pared with 16 percent of women.
People who need social services the most were least likely to know what kind of
help is available. Some 64 percent of respondents who receive government aid said
the lack of information on available services was a "moderate" or "major" problem for
them. Fifty-seven percent of those receiving aid felt the cost of human services was a
"major" or "moderate" problem for them.
People of color were more likely to think that the quality of social services offered
was a problem than white people.
DEMOGRAPHICS
The 268 households surveyed closely match the overall population of the city in eth-
nic makeup, age, and income levels, according to 1990 census data.
That is, the overwhelming majority were white, between the ages of 20 - 34, living
in households comprised of just two adults with no children, and making between
$30,000 to more than $50,000 a year. However, a significant portion (roughly a little
more than a third) had annual incomes of less than $10,000 and up to $20,000 a year.
The middle income levels were least represented. Families making between $30,000
and $50,000 a year made up the smallest percentage of respondents.
13
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
A summary of more specific respondent data:
❑ Almost all households (225) were white, followed by Asian households (17),
Hispanic households (15), black households (4), American Indian households (3),
and households of other ethnic makeups (3).
More detailed graphs on demographic data about the people who answered the
telephone survey appear in Appendix D (see Tables 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19).
C. KEY INFORMANTS - THEIR ASSESSMENTS
The fourth group surveyed about the city's human service needs were the Key In-
formants - people active in community affairs, some of them also providers of human
services. The commission held two "roundtable" discussions with a total of 13 Key In-
formants in October, 1991.
The Key Informants were asked:
What social or human needs are being met in San Luis Obispo?
What needs are not being met?
What barriers do you think are keeping those needs from being met?
The Key Informants participating in the roundtable discussions were:
Brenda Dreschler, Rape Crisis Center; David Garth, SLO Chamber of Commerce; Dan Her-
ron, SLO Area Coordinating Council; Betty Nielsen, People's Kitchen; Cindi Griffith, Family
Services Center; Rick Cohen, HOTLINE; Jim Gardiner, SLO Police; Betty Van Gorden,
American Red Cross; Dave Supleifer, Friendship School; Shirley McIntyre Bird, HOTLINE;
Biz Steinberg, Economic Opportunity Commission; Harry Manhoff, Ministerial Association;
George Rowland, County Health Department.
WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY:
While the Key Informants differed slightly when listing the needs which are being
met, they were very much in agreement on the majority of needs they feel are not
being met. The Key Informants responses closely mirror - and help confirm - the find-
ings of the citizens surveyed by phone.
Most of the Key Informants, however, felt that Mental Health was a human service
most acutely needed in San Luis Obispo -- coequal to affordable housing. Key Inform-
ants felt the "homelessness" issue ranked second by city residents was really a "mental
health" issue in disguise. "People aren't going to say, 'I'm tired of seeing those bums
14
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
on the streets and the winos talking to themselves and asking me for money. I wish
they'd get them out of here or get them help,' " said one Key Informant. 'They're
going to say, 'I'm concerned about homelessness.'"
Key Informants pointed to the lack of in-patient capacity at county Mental Health
hospitals as the reason for an overflow of mentally troubled homeless people. The
problem has been worsening over the past five years, Informants felt. Key Informants
not in the business of providing mental health services also recognized the link be-
tween homelessness and psychiatric and drug and alcohol treatment availability. Those
Key Informants outside the mental health field also felt the problem had been worsen-
ing noticeably, generally during the past three to four years.
Key Informants in the mental health field often cited the lack of federal funding as
a major problem underlying the lack of mental health services. "These people were
deinstitutionalized and sent to the community, and the money to treat them was sup-
posed to trickle down to the community. It never did," said one Key Informant.
The federal funding shortage means county Mental Health hospitals can take only
the worst cases - others are sent away and referred to agencies such as the Family Ser-
vices Center. Low-income families who can't afford the $60 to $100 an hour fees
charged by private therapists must compete with those abandoned by federal funding
for scarce non-profit counseling services, Key Informants said.
At the same time, Informants noted that affordable housing was a key issue for
people also in need of counseling. Low-income city residents in need of counseling or
mental health treatment have a "co -equal" need for housing they can pay for, Key In-
formants felt. "You can't concentrate on yourself (or your problems) until you have a
roof over your head and food," said one.
Below is a listing of the Key Informant's most pressing issues in the city (the issues
are listed alphabetically as the Key Informants did not formally prioritize issues):
❑ Affordable Child Care
❑ Affordable Health Care
❑ Affordable Housing
❑ Emergency Shelter
❑ In-patient care for substance abuse
In-patient mental health services
Homelessness
(seen as interrelated problems)
❑ Lack of bilingual services
❑ Lack of well -paying jobs
❑ Mediation services
❑ Transportation for disabled/elderly
15
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
The two groups of Key Informants also largely agreed when talking about what bar-
riers are keeping people from having these pressing needs met. Both groups high-
lighted the following reasons on their lists of barriers:
❑ Lack of Community Awareness
❑ Apathy and denial of the existence of community problems
❑ The political process - a lack of political will to address the problems
❑ Land use issues - barriers to locating centers to help with these problems
These responses also mirror the responses of the participants in the community
workshop. Another barrier cited less frequently by Key Informants was a lack of fund-
ing to treat pressing problems and a "divergence of City -County government priorities."
Key Informants did, however, feel some human service needs were being adequate-
ly met in the community. Both roundtable groups felt that public safety (police and
fire services) were being provided well in San Luis Obispo, and that the city was doing
a good job of providing recreation programs for children and teens. The two groups
had different opinions about what other services were well provided in the city, but
both groups listed a number of other areas.
An outline of all responses given by Key Informants at the two workshops is con-
tained in Appendix C.
D. THE SERVICE PROVIDERS - WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY
There are 220 organizations providing some form of social services to city residents.
The commission consultants mailed a survey to all of them, asking for a description of
the services they provide, their funding, staffing, and who their clients are - relating to
the City of San Luis Obispo only.
Of the 220, 83 responded - 34 percent. A chart on the following page (Table 3)
lists those 83. Judging from the respondents, the "typical' social service provider in
the city is a non-profit organization that has been serving San Luis Obispo for more
than 20 years and whose primary source of funding is the federal and state govern-
ments.
The. completeness of the responses, however, was mixed. Several questions were
answered only by part of the providers, either because they did not keep records on
the information requested, or declined to reveal the information, or because the ques-
tions were not applicable to their agency.
16
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
Table 3
RESPONDENTS TO SERVICE PROVIDER SURVEY
Womens, Infants, Children Special Support
Food Program
SLO Drug Program
Women's Shelter
Special Olympics
Family Services Center
San Luis Literacy Council
SLO Library
Cal Poly Off -Campus Housing
Cuesta College Disabled Students
SLO County AIDS Support Network
SLO Commission for Education on
Alcoholism
SLO Rapid Transit Authority
Overeaters Anonymous
Senior Nutritional Program of SLO County
EOC Family Planning
Camp Fire Council of the Central Coast
Public Guardian
SLO Breastfeedery Resources
American Red Cross
SLO Transitions, Inc.
Family Court Services
Tri -Counties Regional Center
County of SLO Health/AIDS Program
Hotline of SLO County
Caring Callers
Rape Crisis Center
Hospice of SLO County
California Children's Services
Probation Department of SLO County
Grandmother's House Children's Center
Cal Poly Children Center
American Heart Association
Coast Caregiver Resource Center
Friends Outside
SLO County Public Health
Mental Health Association
Alcoholics Anonymous
AARP, Senior Employment Program
Foothill Preschool
March of Dimes
City of SLO Housing Authority
Disabled Student Services, Cal Poly
Boy Scouts of America, Santa Lucia Council
Maguire and Ashbaugh
SLO Lions Club
Friendship School
Private Industry Council
EOC Child Care Resource Connection
State Department of Parks and Recreation
Alanon Family Groups
SAVE
SLO County Medical Society
EOC Homeless Shelter
Planned Parenthood
People's Kitchen
SLO City Department of Parks & Recreation
Cooperative Education
Disabled American Veterans
California Rural Legal Assistance
SLO County Department of Public Health
Children's Home Society
Economic Crime Unit, District Attorney
SLO County Department of Social Services
United Methodist Church
San Luis Foursquare Church
First Church of Christ, Scientist
Agape Christian Fellowship
The Congregational Church
Zion Lutheran Church
Church of Religious Science
Greek Orthodox Church
Vineyard Christian Fellowship
Nativity of Our Lady Church
Calvary Baptist Church
Unity Christ Church
Meadow Park Church of Christ
San Luis Obispo County Alliance for the
Mentally III
County Veterans Service Office
17
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
THE ANSWERS FROM THE PROVIDERS: THE NUMBERS & THE MONEY:
The survey showed that most of the responding non-profit agencies serving the city
are small; most are staffed by less than six part-time employees. Almost all rely exten-
sively on volunteers to directly provide social services.
The majority provide social services to residents all over the county - not just the
city. The service providers with the most money are part of local government. Of the
12 social service providers with budgets of more than $950,000, eight were city or coun-
ty government agencies. The budgets for other non-profit agencies went as low as $70
annually; the average amount of money all providers - government and non-profit -
had each year to provide service and run their organization was $806,640.
The biggest provider of social service funding in the city is the federal and state
government. Appendix D provides tables on sources of funding among responding
providers, number of service providers by areas served, and number of years providers
have served San Luis Obispo (See Tables 9, 10, 11, and 12).
Table 4
SUMMARY OF SERVICES PROVIDED (Responses By Service Category)
Service Category Providers
Service Category
Providers
Information and referral
33
Group meals of home -delivered
10
Education
32
Legal services
10
Financial assistance
21
Literacy
8
Support group services
20
Family planning
8
Transportation/Ridesharing
20
Respite care
7
Basic needs: food
19
Domestic violence services
7
Recreation
19
Delinquency prevention
6
Child care
17
Landlord/tenant services
5
Basic needs: clothing
15
Mediation
5
Housing
13
Emergency/Disaster services
5
Planning and coordinating services
13
Homemaker or chore service
4
Basic needs: temporary shelter
12
Adult day care for
Financial counseling
12
mentally impaired
4
Nutrition counseling
12
Veterans' services
4
Counseling
12
Home health care
3
Substance abuse services
11
Adoption services
2
Employment
10
Adult day care for
Physical health services
10
physically disabled
2
Crime prevention
1
Migrant worker services
1
rU
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
WHAT THEY DO:
The agencies were given a list of 40 service categories and asked which they
provided. Many responding agencies provided several services to clients. Many could
not pull out data on the number of clients served in each specific category, or give
specifics on San Luis Obispo residents served.
Table 4 (on the preceeding page) summarizes the social services provided for city
residents.
WHO THE HELP GOES TO:
The providers were asked how many San Luis Obispo city residents they had
helped in the past 12 months, and how many they had on waiting lists. Many had
trouble splitting out city residents from residents of other areas; many because of the
way they kept records. For example, several counted the number of times a service
was provided, rather than the number of people service was provided to.
A table on the following page (Table 5) lists the groups of people served, and the
average and median numbers of people served in those groups. Because of the trouble
providers had in giving the number of San Luis Obispo city residents served, the con-
sultants felt the median number (the number in the exact middle of the high and low
recorded) is a better number to look at. Both median and average numbers are
provided in the table.
The responses from providers showed that the average social service user in this
city is a white adult between the age of 19 and 55 who makes less than $20,000 a
year. About equal numbers of women and men use help from social service agencies.
WHO'S WAITING FOR HELP
Providers were also asked how many persons were on a waiting list for their ser-
vices. Only 16 agencies said they had at least one service with a waiting list.
However, those few services with a waiting list show a large number of people
needing help and waiting a long time to get it. The waiting lists are a strong indicator
of just what kind of social service help city residents need, and mirror the perceptions
people have about what the city's problems are.
A table following shows a summary of waiting lists, number of people on the list,
and average time spent waiting. Basically, what the answers show is that if you find
that it is a financial hardship to pay for your apartment or quality child care for your
children while you go to work, you'll have to wait at least two years for the economic
help that local agencies offer.
19
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
20
Table 5
CLIENT DATA FROM SERVICE PROVIDER SURVEY
RESPONDENTS
Sub -Group
Median Number of
Average Number of
People Served In
People Served In
Each Sub -Group
Each Sub -Group
Age (57 responses)
Pre -School ( years)
60
407
Children (6-12 years)
60
205
Youth (13-18 years)
60
683
Adults (19-55 years)
240
899
Seniors ( 55 years)
52
425
Gender (57 responses)
Male
100
764
Female
110
1126
Race (48 responses)
White
175
1139
Black
15
171
Hispanic
34
338
American Indian
10
40
Asian/Pacific Islander
9
36
Annual Income (40 responses)
<$10,000
200
808
$10,000 - $20,000
80
770
$20,000 - $30,000
50
1173
$30,000 - $40,000
40
53
$40,000 - $50,000
20
36
>$50,000
16
563
20
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
The biggest line social service users face is at the City of San Luis Obispo Housing
Authority. People stay on that list an average of 990 days - two and a half to three
years - to get into a subsidized apartment unit.
The only comparable wait was for a child care subsidy. The EOC Child Care
Resource Connection reported 1100 people on its waiting list - with an average list 900
people long. Families needing financial assistance for child care face an average wait of
700 days - almost two years.
People waiting to get into a major subsidized day care center - The Cal Poly
Children's Center - faced a similar wait. The center has a waiting list of 200 people -
and they face an average 700 day wait.
21
Table 6
SUMMARY OF WAITING LISTS
FROM SERVICE PROVIDER SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Service Provider
Waiting List
# of People
# of People
Average
on Waiting
Typically
Time On
List
on List
List (Days)
Family Services Center
Mental health Counseling 12
12
17
Head Start
Pre-school
18
20
90
EOC Family Planning
Female Sterilization
20
20
180
American Red Cross
Education
25
30
60
Caring Callers
In home visiting
7
-
-
Rape Crisis Center
Counseling
35
35
45
Hospice of SLO County
In-home care
4
2
2
Grandmother's House
Children's Center
Education
35
45
10
Cal Poly Children Center
Childcare
200
200
700
Coast Caregiver
Resource Center
Respite
31
-
700
Housing Authority,
City of SLO
Public Housing
360*
-
990
Private Industry Council,
SLO County
Employment
67
39
40
EOC Child Care
Resource Connection
Financial Assistance
1100
900
700
SLO Co. Medical Society
Peer review
7
7
90
Children's Home Society
of California
Home studies
10
10
-
*wait list closed
21
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
Twelve other providers with waiting lists reported less than a three month gap be-
tween the time someone comes in for help, and the time they can get it.
One other agency with a critical waiting list, however, was the EOC Family Plan-
ning Center. It reported a six-month wait for female patients who were seeking
sterilization. The average number of women on the waiting list was 20, and their
average wait was 180 days.
Providers were also asked to estimate how many people they turned away over the
past 12 months. Only 26 of the 83 responding agencies answered this question. Two
providers said they turned away less than five people in the past year. Six answered
that 6 to 50 people were turned away. And six agencies answered that they turned
away between 51 and 500 people. Eight said no one was turned away.
The following service providers reported the highest number of persons turned away:
San Luis Obispo City Housing Authority 5,000 people
SLORTA (the Runabout bus) 3,100 people
California Rural Legal Assistance 2,300 people
Friends Outside 1,500 people
The Housing Authority stated that they have no way to determine how many of
the 5,000 people on its waiting list live in the City of San Luis Obispo.
Most agencies said they simply didn't have the room, the money, or the overall
capacity in their program to handle everyone who requested help. This was the case
for SLORTA, the Senior Nutrition Program, the American Red Cross, Friends Outside,
EOC Child Care, and the EOC Homeless Shelter.
Some agencies also said they had to turn away people because they were ineligible
for services - most often at the SLO Committee for Education on Alcoholism ("Mid-
dlehouse") and the Private Industry Council. Planned Parenthood indicated that 200
people were turned away because they were unable to afford clinic fees. The group
was the only provider to note this reason for having to turn away clients.
WHAT THE CLIENTS SAY
The city also asked social service providers to give one their clients a copy of the
telephone survey, and ask them to fill it out. A total of 50 responses were received.
The results showed that social service users had the same concerns as the average
city residents contacted by the phone survey. The social service users listed the same
top five problems the phone survey citizens did - though the social service users were
more likely to list them as major problems facing the city.
22
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
A lack of affordable housing topped the social service users' problem list. Users
then ranked lack of affordable health care, homelessness, lack of affordable child care,
and unemployment as the top problems facing the city - and them.
This is how social service users ranked the problems facing the city, compared with
how phone survey residents ranked them.
Top Problems, Ranked by Social Service Users:
1. Not Enough Affordable Housing
2. Lack of Affordable Health Care
3. Homelessness
4. Lack of Quality Child Care
5. Unemployment
6. Lack of Affordable Legal Services
7. Mental Illness or Emotional Problems
Top Problems, Ranked by Residents in Phone Survey:
1. Lack of Affordable Housing
2. Homelessness
3. Unemployment
4. Lack of Affordable Health Care
5. Drug and Alcohol Abuse Problems
6. Lack of Quality Child Care
7. Teenage Pregnancy
The biggest difference between the citizens contacted in the phone survey and so-
cial service users was the perception of a lack of affordable legal services as a problem.
Social service users gave this issue a 3.13 rating - a moderate to major problem.
Phone survey residents gave this issue an average score of 2.1 - a minor problem.
23
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
A P P E N D I C E S
APPENDIX A
Summary of Workshop Responses
PARTICIPANTS
Rick Cohen
Marion Wolff
Catherine Owens
Joan Lawrence
Susie Steiner
Rabbi Harry Manhoff
Allan and Evelyn Johnson
Karl Bareither
Vicki Hofaling
Ann Travers
Cindi Griffith
Fred Garcia
George Brudney
George Moylan
Pete Jenny
Roy McMaster
Sandy Simon
Claire Maxworthy
Dorothy Yelita
I. What human and social services needs are well met in the City of San Luis Obispo?
A. Recreation (6)
Youth and adult recreation (1)
Kids (elementary age) (1)
Ballfields and sports programs (1)
At schools (1)
Community pools (1)
YMCA (1)
B. Children/Youth (5)
School age childcare (1)
Pre-school childcare (1)
Head Start (1)
Shelter programs for children (1)
Residential runaway program (1)
C. Education (5)
K -College system (1)
Public elementary (1)
Magnet schools (i.e., Teach School) (1)
General programs for students with no special problems (1)
Education for the handicapped (1)
D. Information and Referral (4)
Hotline (3)
Suicide prevention (1)
24
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
E. Seniors (3)
General senior services (2)
Senior programs for the financially capable (1)
F. Family Planning (2)
Planned Parenthood (1)
EOC's Family Planning (1)
G. Hospice (2)
H. Mental Health (2)
Group homes for the mentally ill (1)
Family Counseling (1)
I. Community Events (1)
(Parades, Farmer's Market, etc.)
J. Community Facilities (1)
(Libraries, etc.)
K. Friendship School (1)
L. Homeless Shelter (1)
M. Legal Referral (1)
N. Libraries/Information (1)
O. Medical Service Information (1)
P. Ombudsman (1)
II. What human and social services needs are not well met in the City of San Luis
Obispo?
A. Medical/Health Care (8)
Health programs/medical care for low income groups (2)
Don't allow doctors to refuse Medicare/Medical patients (1)
Need for proactive AIDS campaign/increased awareness of AIDS (2)
More AIDS medical counseling/support groups (1)
Lack of affordable health insurance (1)
Independent living arrangements for the disabled (1)
B. Transportation (8)
Public/alternative transportation (5)
Transit for seniors (3)
C. Education (6)
Special programs for the mentally ill (1)
Programs for those who need counseling (1)
Programs for bright kids (1)
Literacy (1)
Multi -bilingual services (1)
Dyslexic students (1)
25
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
D. Housing (6)
Affordable housing for the workforce population (5)
Target population housing (ie, mentally ill, transitional housing) (1)
E. Seniors (6)
Access to services (1)
Increased awareness/outreach (1)
Daycare for the elderly (1)
Respite care for the elderly and handicapped (1)
In-home housekeeping care (1)
Affordable legal services (1)
F. ChildrenNouth (5)
Lack of coordinated children's and adult services (1)
Child protective services (1)
Licensed child care for infant and toddlers (1)
Child care for all (1)
Teen programs (1)
G. Gangs (4)
Gang intervention (1)
Not enough public information on gangs (1)
Connection with drug problems (1)
"Denial" that they exist locally (1)
H. Homeless (4)
Homeless in general (1)
Permanent location for people's kitchen (1)
Food for homeless (1)
Access to food giveaway programs (1)
I. Mental Health (4)
General mental health services (2)
Adult education for the mentally ill (1)
In-patient, long-term mental illness facility (1)
J. Multi-lingual/Multi-ethnic services (4)
Literature, information,flyers on social services (2)
Interpreters/speakers (especially Spanish-speaking) (1)
Services/access for minorities (address cultural, attitudinal, language barriers) (1)
K. Substance Abuse (3)
Adult and adolescent (1)
Residential treatment (1)
Denial that there is a drug problem locally (1)
L. Employment (2)
Job training (1)
Underemploymentlunemployment (1)
M. Community Awareness of Needs (1)
26
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
N. Coordination of Public Services (1)
O. Environmental services (1)
P. Family Planning Services (1)
Q. Landlord/tenant mediation (1)
R. Mediation in General (1)
S. Too Much Bureaucracy (1)
III. Why are the needs not being met?
Apathy/lack of interest/lack of awareness (7)
Lack of money (3)
Bureaucracy (2)
Unstable employment base (2)
Language barriers (2)
State regulation (1)
Lack of knowledge about the availability of resources (1)
Lack of emphasis (1)
Other priorities (1)
Small population (1)
Lack of volunteers (1)
Press (print media) (1)
Reactive rather than proactive attitude (1)
Politics (1)
Need for better communication among public agencies/governments (1)
Lack of access due to transportation (1)
Lack of access due to financial capabilities (1)
Lack of access due to location of services (ie, downtown vs. neighborhoods) (1)
IV. What suggestions for change do you have in order to better meet these needs?
Comprehensive, coordinated human services delivery system (by service); "one-stop"
shopping for services that is regional and accessible (1)
Mega -Hotline (a comprehensive hotline -type service) (1)
Half of all housing would be low-income absorbed throughout the community (1)
Change in attitudes (1)
Provide more outreach and intervention (prevention services) (1)
Make people pay per person for item or service (1)
Change "denial" attitudes by increasing awareness (1)
Change "denial' attitudes by increasing involvement of the public and the
individual (1)
Change "denial' attitudes by increasing the involvement of the recipients;
increase their feeling of ownership in the programs (1)
Change program design (1)
27
City of San Luis Obispo -.Human Needs Assessment
APPENDIX B
Household Survey Results - Average Response Scores
I. COMMUNITY ISSUES
A. Thinking about your community, what kind of place is it to live? Would you
describe it as:
Excellent
35.8 %
Good
50.7 %
Fair
11.2 %
Poor
1.0 %
People sometimes run into problems in their community. In the next few minutes
I'm going to list a variety of common problems. For each one, I'd like you to tell me
if you believe it is not a problem, is a minor problem, a moderate problem or a major
problem in San Luis Obispo.
Average Score
1 = Not a Problem
2 = Minor Problem
3 = Moderate Problem
4 = Major Problem
Percent that said
Problem was "Major"
or "Moderate"
2 Shortage of recreational programs or facilities
2.17
39
3 Lack of affordable legal services
2.21
39
4 Inadequate library services
1.60
16
5 Inadequate schools
2.04
34
6 Inadequate public transportation
1.84
24
7 Racial or ethnic problems
1.81
24
8 Lack of bi-lingual services
1.81
23
9 Crime/gang problems
2.04
30
10 Not enough quality child care
2.63
57
11 Lack of affordable health care
2.76
64
12 Mental illness or emotional problems
2.29
44
13 Family members hurting one another physically
or emotionally
2.16
38
14 Lack of women's services,
such as rape counseling
2.11
36
15 Lack of support groups
(for those with AIDS, MS, dyslexia, etc.)
2.12
37
16 Drug abuse problems, including alcoholism
2.71
62
17 Teenage pregnancy
2.59
57
18 Lack of family planning services
2.14
38
19 Shortage of food or clothing
1.99
28
20 Inability to read and/or write
2.16
33
21 Unemployment
2.80
66
cont.
Me
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
22 Homelessness, lack of housing 2.98 70
23 Not enough affordable housing 3.50 89
24 Substandard housing 2.22 39
25 Overcrowded housing 2.41 46
26 How much opportunity do you have to change things you would like changed in
your community?
A lot of opportunity 13.4 %
Some opportunity 42.5 %
Little opportunity 34.3 %
No opportunity 9.3 %
II. HOUSEHOLD ISSUES
In this next part of the survey, I'm going to list a variety of household problems
that people often need help with. For each one, I'd like you tell me whether or not it
has been a problem for you or anyone in your household during the past year. If it
has been a problem, please describe it as being a minor problem, a moderate problem
or a major problem.
Average Score
1 = Not a Problem
2 = Minor Problem
3 = Moderate Problem
4 = Major Problem
27 Having enough room in your home
Percent that said
Problem was
"Major" or "Moderate"
for all the people who live there
1.43
12
28
Living in housing that needs major repairs
1.52
14
29
Not having enough money to buy
needed clothing and shoes
1.50
15
30
Not having enough money to pay for
a doctor or buy prescriptions
1.66
21
31
Not having enough money to buy food
1.39
9
32
Not having enough money for housing
1.66
22
33
Not having financial or credit counseling
1.41
11
34
Not being able to afford recreational activities
1.66
20
35
Not being able to find work
1.79
26
36
Not being able to pay the utility bills
1.45
13
37
Not being able to afford legal help
1.61
19
38
Not being able to qualify for or
afford medical insurance
1.72
24
39
Not being able to get adult day care for
someone with a disability or serious illness
1.36
10
40
Not being able to get home health care for
someone with a disability or serious illness
1.36
11
41
Not being able to get special transportation
for a disabled or elderly person
1.34
9
cont.
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
42 Not being able to find or afford child care
1.55
18
43 Not being able to find or afford
1.43
12
afterschool child care
1.48
15
44 Having a lot of anxiety, stress or depression
1.91
30
45 Experiencing an alcohol and/or drug problem
1.34
9
46 Experiencing physical conflict in the home
1.21
4
47 Children or teenagers experiencing behavioral
1.2
45
or emotional problems
1.23
5
48 Difficulty reading
1.41
2
49 Difficulty reading or speaking English
1.41
3
50 Tenant/landlord problems
1.40
12
III. BARRIERS TO SERVICES
We're also interested in learning more about the difficulties people have when
trying to find help for their problems. In this next part of the survey I'm going to list
a variety of barriers or difficulties which you or someone in your household may have
had when seeking help for the problems we just discussed. For each one, please
describe it as being not a problem, a minor problem, a moderate problem or a major
problem in getting help.
Average Score
1 = Not a Problem
2 = Minor Problem
3 = Moderate Problem
4 = Major Problem
Percent that said
Problem was "Major"
or "Moderate"
51 Lacking information on available services
1.69
20
52 Service needed was not available
1.43
12
53 Was not eligible for service
1.52
16
54 Could not afford service
1.60
20
55 Thought service would cost too much
1.81
28
56 Had problems with transportation to service
1.29
6
57 Service lacked handicap access
1.2
45
58 Services were too far away
1.31
8
59 Lacked child care
1.29
9
60 Hours of service were not convenient
1.46
13
61 Had difficulty understanding English
1.09
2
62 Did not like service
1.35
7
63 Worried about the quality of the service
1.58
17
64 Had a prior bad experience
1.43
13
65 Had to wait too long to get help
1.47
12
66 Concerned that the agency would tell others
about the problem
1.26
7
67 Did not want to go outside of family for help
1.21
6
68 Other:
30
City of San Luis Obispo Human Needs Assessment
IV.The following questions will help us be certain that we have included a valid
sampling of people.
69. How many adults 65 years of age or older, including yourself, live in your
household?
70. Which of the following best describes your household?
1. Two or more adults without children
2. Two or more adults with at least one child (age 17 or younger)
3. One adult with at least one child (age 17 or younger)
4. One adult living alone
71. What is your age?
1. 19 or younger
2. 20 - 34
3. 35 - 54
4. 55 - 64
5. 65 - 74
6. 75 or over
72. Are you
1 .Male
2. Female
73. What do you consider to be your primary racial, ethnic or national group?
1. White
2. Black
3. Hispanic
4. American Indian
5. Asian or Pacific Islander
6. Other:
74. Counting income from all sources (including earnings from jobs, unemployment
insurance, pensions, welfare, etc.) and counting income from everyone living in your
home, which of the following ranges did your income fall into last year?
1. less than $10,0005.$40,000 - $50,000
2. $10,000 - $20,0006. $50,000 or above
3. $20,000 - $30,0007. don't know
4. $30,000 - $40,0008. did not answer
75. Does anyone in your household receive welfare such as Aid to Dependent
Children (AFDC or ADC), food stamps, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI)?
1. Yes
2. No
31
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
COMPLETE LIST OF TELEPHONE SURVEY RESULTS IN DESCENDING
ORDER BY AVERAGE RESPONSE SCORES
32
1=Not a Problem
2=Minor Problem
Question
3=Moderate Problem
Number
4=Major Problem
COMMUNITY ISSUES
23
3.50
Not enough affordable housing
22
2.98
Homelessness, lack of housing
21
2.80
Unemployment
11
2.76
Lack of affordable health care
16
2.71
Drug abuse problems, including alcoholism
10
2.63
Not enough quality child care
17
2.59
Teenage pregnancy
25
2.41
Overcrowded housing
12
2.29
Mental illness or emotional problems
24
2.22
Substandard housing
3
2.21
Lack of affordable legal services
2
2.17
Shortage of recreational programs or facilities
13
2.16
Family members hurting one another physically or emotionally
20
2.16
Inability to read and/or write
18
2.14
Lack of family planning services
15
2.12
Lack of support groups (for those with AIDS, MS, dysle)da, etc.)
14
2.11
Lack of women's services, such as rape counseling
5
2.04
Inadequate schools
9
2.04
Crime/gang problems
19
1.99
Shortage of food or clothing
6
1.84
Inadequate public transportation
7
1.81
Racial or ethnic problems
8
1.81
Lack of bi-lingual services
4
1.60
Inadequate library services
32
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
431
1=Not a Problem
2=Minor Problem
Question
3=Moderate Problem
Number
4=Major Problem
HOUSEHOLD ISSUES
44
1.91
Having a lot of anxiety, stress or depression
35
1.79
Not being able to find work
38
1.72
Not being able to qualify for or afford medical insurance
34
1.66
Not being able to afford recreational activities
32
1.66
Not having enough money for housing
30
1.66
Not having enough money to pay for a doctor or buy prescriptions
37
1.61
Not being able to afford legal help
42
1.55
Not being able to find or afford child care
28
1.52
Living in housing that needs major repairs
29
1.50
Not having enough money to buy needed clothing and shoes
43
1.48
Not being able to find or afford after-school child care
36
1.45
Not being able to pay the utility bills
27
1.43
Having enough room in your home for all the people who
live there
49
1.41
Difficulty reading or speaking English
48
1.41
Difficulty reading
33
1.41
Not having financial or credit counseling
50
1.40
Tenant/landlord problems
31
1.39
Not having enough money to buy food
40
1.36
Not being able to get home health care for someone with
a disability or serious illness
39
1.36
Not being able to get adult day care for someone with a
disability or serious illness
45
1.34
Experiencing an alcohol and/or drug problem
41
1.34
Not being able to get special transportation for a
disabled or elderly person
47
1.23
Children or teenagers experiencing behavioral or
emotional problems
46
1.21
Experiencing physical conflict in the home
431
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
57
1=Not a Problem
67
2=Minor Problem
Question
3=Moderate Problem
Number
4=Major Problem
55
1.81
51
1.69
54
1.60
63
1.58
53
1.52
65
1.47
60
1.46
52
1.43
64
1.43
62
1.35
58
1.31
56
1.29
59
1.29
66
1.26
57
1.24
67
1.21
61
1.09
34
BARRIERS TO SERVICES
Thought service would cost too much -
Lacking information on available services
Could not afford service
Worried about the quality of the service
Was not eligible for service
Had to wait too long to get help
Hours of service were not convenient
Service needed was not available.
Had a prior bad experience
Did not like service
Services were too far away
Had problems with transportation to service
Lacked child care
Concerned that the agency would tell others about the
problem
Service lacked handicap access
Did not want to go outside of family for help
Had difficulty understanding English
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
APPENDIX C
Key Informant Discussions
KEY INFORMANT MEETING 10/27/91
PARTICIPANTS
Betty Van Gorden, American Red Cross Biz Steinberg, Economic Opportunity Commission
Dave Supleifer, Friendship School Harry Manhoff, Ministerial Association
Shirley McIntyre Bird, HOTLINE George Rowland, County Health Department
_Needs of the community that are currently being met
Religious needs
Needs of disabled
Needs of top students
Public transportation
Safety (police, fire)
Good natural environment
Medical needs
Quality recreation
Smoke-free restaurants
Needs of the community that are not adequately being met
Affordable housing
Housing for special groups
Loss of section -8 housing due to conversion to market rate units
Overcrowded homeless and women's shelter
Transportation for frail elderly
Jobs/underemployment
Low salaries
Community-based long term health care
Childcare services for infants, toddlers, school-age children
Parks for toddlers
Middle income health care
Mental health (limited inpatient facilities)
High-risk families
Substance abuse
Sexual abuse
Homosexual discrimination
Barriers
Political
Application processes
Community awareness, denial that problems exist
Land use barriers (e.g. suitable locations for childcare facilities)
Divergent city/county prioritiesMultiple surveys, lack of coordination
35
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
KEY INFORMANT MEETING 10/30/91
PARTICIPANTS
Brenda Drechsler, Rape Crisis Center Cindi Griffith, Family Services Center
David Garth, SLO Chamber of Commerce Rick Cohen, HOTLINE
Dan Herron, SLO Area Coordinating Council Jim Gardiner, SLO Police
Betty Nielsen, People's Kitchen
Needs of the community that are currently being met
Public transportation
Youth services and recreation
Information and referral
Public safety and fire services
Supply of volunteer and support groups
Crisis intervention
Family Counseling
Food supplies
Needs of the communitjthat are not adequately being met
Jobs and underemployment
Transportation for frail seniors
Affordable housing
Emergency shelters
Bilingual services
Affordable childcare
Affordable health care especially for working poor
Mental health inpatient and outpatient
Home health care
Legal aid and mediation
Family Counseling
Education of family skills
Substance abuse prevention/education/treatment (de-tox centers)
Alcohol -free recreation for 17-20 year olds
Young teen programs
Services for batter women
Services for sexually abused
Advocacy for seniors
Coordination of human services
Barriers
Increased demand for services
Community apathy, awareness, and denial that problems exist
Limited community support
Limited funding
Land use issues
NIMBY -ism
Lack of political will
36
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
APPENDIX D
Data Tables
37
t
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
PUBLIC WORKSHOP
Listed in descendIng order
based on the rrost
frequent diwunlon group
responses.
1. Transportation
Health care
1 2. Housing
Table 7
COMPARISON OF PERCEIVED
COMMUNITY ISSUES
By Data Source
HOUSEHOLD
SURVEY
Listed in deseeMing order
basad on the average
response scares..
1. Not Enough
Affordable Housing
2. Homelessness,
Lack of Housing
3. Unemployment
Education 4. Lack of Affordable
Health Care
Senior needs S. Drug Abuse
3. Chikfre"outh
programs
4. Gang problems
Mental Health
Homelessness
Multi-6nguaV
multi-ethnic
services
Substance abuse
M
SERVICE PROVIDER
CLIENTS
Listed in deaoending order
based on the average
response swan.
1. Not enough
affordable housing.
2. Lack of affordable
health care.
3. Homelessnessilack
of housing.
4. Not enough quality
child care.
5. Unemployment
Problems, Including
Alconol
6. Not Enough Quality
6. Ladd of affordable
Child Care
legal services.
7. Teenage Pregnancy
7. Mental illness or
emotional problems.
KEY INFORMANTS
Responws are not
ranked.
Affordable housing
Affordable health care
Homelessness
Affordable child care
Leek of well -paying
jobs'
Transportation for
impaired/elderly
In-patient mental
health services
Lack of bi-lingual
services
Lack of emergency
shelter
In -Patient care for
substance abuse
Mediation services
Public transportation
that is convenient
enough for the general
public so that cars are
used less
w
_d
F
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
L 7V
MA
o
0
_°o
jS
CD 0
O
al
O
of
to a
L
V
O
tM Q
.O
0
m a m
C V
C t
U
t>
5p8
>
U
m Z
o cc m
€2
w 2
30
o
x�
W
�
2 t$
pca
E cV
umi l`1
= Q C N
Yi a
6.2
r J
0
y
¢
�
E
m
o
c
m
W
-000
E_
_
o .m
°
m
QO
q 0
cc
O
8
ark
p N C
m
b
O) o
9-20N
m 0
O Q
O
C u
V
O
0
O Z`
2
'OO
0 C
�cis
� xm
E
vi
a c ui °
td,
3
E
E
E
E
0
0
0`0
_o
W
°
;
g
Z
E
0
O r
m:a
7 VU
O
m
V
0
L
m
m r
m's
P@
L�
L
0
U
c
'> p
C O
.0.
O C
C u O
Z
cc
W
L'
m
.E G
r
10 O�
m 0
d •-
m m
D
m 0
D
Qy
N
x
D al
oL
L` d
o m u
D a
'o m
0
o
m
o
L
o a
Oy�
m
z�
zO0
z�
z�
z'_
z_`m
OZOy
p
cc
6Ea
ar
uiE
cd
r.: -a
O oco
E
E
m
Ny IQ
W
'LU 0 0=
C
030
0
a
_
t
co
0
c-
a.n
a
0M
b
0
O
tM 0
C c
co
IM
0U)
S
m
a
m
r.2
t� a
a.?
.0-6
¢
Q
2
2'g
2 0
2 0 a
2 m
6
z
a
N
E
a E
vi E o.46
r -:m
2
O
m
`o
U
�
Y
o
O
a
m
m
3
9
E
0
Q
m
u
m
0
0
O
q
7
O
W
CD g¢
—m IMm
m
ca
cl
E
0
Z 7
b
is
O '�
2
O O
2
C
(p N
Q>
N
.- L
cV t
p7p
f7 L
.—
O U
1M
J
IG m
1�
7
m
a
`o
Y
w
m
2`
U
I
a
¢
o�
m
E
O
o
L
O
m
r
O
t
C
h
E
E
=
0
j
L
7
e
m
a
Q
O
D a
Q ¢
o m
C
¢
c0
wrn
moo,
E
U
a c
wcl
U
c
O H
z a
O 'in
=
c
O
2 "O
0
O
ZL
m
F
2
cV 2
co
Q S
vi 5
co U
t:
L 7V
MA
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
Service Provider Data
M
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
Demographic Data From Household Telephone Survey
42
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
Demographic Data From Household Telephone Survey
43
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
Demographic Data From Household Telephone Survey
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
Demographic Data From Household Telephone Survey
American Indian: 1%(3)
Hispanic: 6% (15)
Black: 1% (4)
Table 19
Race
%(PABPM )
e o a islander
VVI :84%(225)
45
City of San Luis Obispo - Human Needs Assessment
APPENDIX E
Human Needs Assessment Preparation
City Council
Ron Dumn, Mayor
Penny Rappa, Vice Mayor
Bill Roalman
Jerry Reiss
Peg Pinard
Human Relations Commission
Marion Wolff, Chair Don Green*
Fran Fura* Joan Lawrence*
Randy Baudendistel Linda Barra
George Brudney
* Human Needs Assessment Subcommittee
Technical Advisory Body
John Stettler Jim Jacobson
Floyd Cummings George Moylan
Linda Long Pat Gomez
Citizen Advisory Bod
Hazel Scott Maggie Cox
Lee Ferraro Mary McCreedy
Betsey Nash Harry Manhoff
Missy Hobson
Crawford. Multari and Starr
Teresa Mariani - Editor
With grateful acknowledgement of the students from Cal Poly and Cuesta College who
participated in the random household survey.
M