Last edited 12:53 p.m., Sept. 27, 2013Nonprofit, business and government groups this week released the 2013 Community Focus report card, highlighting red-flag issues such as poverty and insufficient funding.
Red-flag themes, marking concerns in the community, also include concerns for children and youth and a lack of investment in prevention efforts, according to the report.
Strengths, or blue-ribbon themes, highlight:
- collaboration, including cooperation and partnerships to improve the common good;
- community engagement, such as efforts to diversify community opinions and willingness to increase public funding to address issues; and
- innovation and leadership, including higher education resources committed to improving public issues, new programs and resources for leadership development.
Among concerns, the report card notes all community residents are affected by poverty, as there is a growing concern for poverty levels and its impact on children, less resident participation as poverty increases and a negative effect on economic development.
Insufficient funding was found where needs remained high while funding did not rebound accordingly; resources to face substance abuse were highly competitive; and collaboration efforts were affected by federal, state and local budget reductions.
Child abuse and neglect continues to increase in the area, and the report noted childhood obesity continues to be a concern, as well as youth poverty and homelessness.
Changes from the 2011 Community Focus report include:
- audience development improvements in the arts, fostered by new artists, organizations and initiatives;
- a positive housing movement, resulting in the 2013 report listing housing issues as a blue ribbon rather than a red;
- wastewater sewage funding to address a concern in the 2011 report; and
- improved community and individual disaster preparedness.
In the Greene County area, where the population of 280,626 is 91.8 percent white, the median household income is $41,622, according to the report card. Mercy and CoxHealth are the top employers in the Springfield metropolitan statistical area, with 8,797 and 8,070 employees, respectively. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. also employs 3,336 in the metro area, followed by Springfield Public Schools, at 3,137 jobs, and Missouri State University, rounding out the top five with 2,689 employees, according to the report card.
Designed to assess and bring attention to issues in the city and county, the
report is a partnership between Junior League of Springfield, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Springfield Greene-County Library District and United Way of the Ozarks.[[In-content Ad]]
