Cna 2018 - Final - July 2018

Comprehensive Community
Needs Assessment 2018

Community Services Block Grant
Community Needs Assessment 2018
This report has been prepared by:
Minerva Hernandez, LMSW, NCRT
Family Assistance Division | Department of Human Services
&
Lily Casura, MSW candidate
University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)
Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 2

Dedication
Dedicated to the residents of San Antonio,
in all their rich variety, history, opportunities and barriers

Table of Contents
Dedication .............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Table of Figures (Illustrations) ............................................................................................................................... 9
Disclaimer............................................................................................................................................................. 14
A Note on This Material ....................................................................................................................................... 15
Bios:...................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Executive Summary.............................................................................................................................................. 20
SECTION I – CONTEXT .............................................................................................................................................. 24
I. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................................. 25
The origins of Community Action Partnerships and the Community Needs Assessment ................................... 25
Results-Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA)............................................................................... 29
Providing direct services versus bundling services and strengthening partnerships .......................................... 32
Definitions and Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................. 37
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 40
II. UNDERSTANDING POVERTY ............................................................................................................................. 42
Strengths and assets of the community .............................................................................................................. 45
Trends and Outlook ............................................................................................................................................. 50
Strengths, Assets and Challenges ........................................................................................................................ 55
Poverty and demography ......................................................................................................................................... 61
Comparative poverty levels: San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas and the U.S. .................................................... 62
Income and demography ..................................................................................................................................... 64
Wealth and asset accumulation different by race and ethnicity ......................................................................... 70
Compound poverty .............................................................................................................................................. 73
Poverty by household type .................................................................................................................................. 78
Poverty and gender.............................................................................................................................................. 80
Children in poverty............................................................................................................................................... 83
Seniors in poverty ................................................................................................................................................ 87
Poverty and disability........................................................................................................................................... 89
Veterans and poverty........................................................................................................................................... 90
Demographic trends ............................................................................................................................................ 91

Poverty and educational attainment ................................................................................................................... 95

Material hardship for families can extend far past income poverty ................................................................... 99
Distress indices................................................................................................................................................... 103
Distressed Communities Index ...................................................................................................................... 103
The Hardship Index ........................................................................................................................................ 106
Social Vulnerability Index ............................................................................................................................... 110
Public health assessments ................................................................................................................................. 113
III. ANCILLARY ISSUES: ..................................................................................................................................... 117
IV. MAPPING POVERTY IN SAN ANTONIO ....................................................................................................... 125
SECTION II – RESULTS ............................................................................................................................................. 147
V. RESULTS.......................................................................................................................................................... 148
Brief history of the Community Needs Assessment survey and survey methodology ...................................... 148
Recent history: The 2015 survey:................................................................................................................... 148
The 2018 Community Needs Assessment surveys: ....................................................................................... 150
Survey results ..................................................................................................................................................... 153
VI. INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY SURVEYS ....................................................................................................... 153
Brief demographic summary of respondents .................................................................................................... 154
Responses to questions about current barriers and obstacles in individuals’ and families’ lives. ................ 161
Q: In general, as you look at your or your family’s life, how many obstacles, if any, do you feel like stand in
your way of accomplishing your goals or achieving greater satisfaction? .................................................... 162
Q: If one main obstacle, what is that obstacle? ............................................................................................. 163
Q: What are some of the biggest obstacles you and your family are facing, if any?..................................... 163
Q: What assistance would you or your family benefit from receiving? ........................................................ 166
Q: If such assistance were provided, how would it be -- or how would it be able to -- help you or your
family? (Please describe.) .............................................................................................................................. 167
Q: Is there anything else you would like to know? If so, please add it here. If not, leave blank................... 168
How survey respondents ranked their top needs, plus breakdown by senior and non-senior status .......... 171
VIIII. TOP 31 NEEDS RANKED IN ORDER OF POPULARITY .................................................................................. 177
Weatherization .............................................................................................................................................. 180
Crime Awareness and/or Crime Reduction ................................................................................................... 182
Health Insurance and/or Affordable Medical Care ........................................................................................ 184
Employment Opportunities ........................................................................................................................... 186

Public Parks and Facilities .............................................................................................................................. 188

Affordable Housing ........................................................................................................................................ 190
Counseling Services........................................................................................................................................ 192
Neighborhood Cleanup Projects .................................................................................................................... 194
Help with Utility Bills ...................................................................................................................................... 196
Nutrition Education and/or Healthy Eating Education Workshops ............................................................... 198
Financial Education, Budgeting Classes and/or Credit Counseling ................................................................ 200
Programs and Activities for Youth (12-18)..................................................................................................... 202
Prescription Assistance .................................................................................................................................. 204
Help Finding a Job .......................................................................................................................................... 206
Classes on Healthy Relationships, Resolving Conflict, etc. ............................................................................ 208
Programs and Activities for Seniors ............................................................................................................... 210
Assistance to Attend Trade or Technical School ............................................................................................ 212
Help with Job Skills, Job Training and/or Job Search ..................................................................................... 214
Help Finding Resources in the Community (Navigation) ............................................................................... 216
Help Paying Rent ............................................................................................................................................ 218
Computer Skills Training ................................................................................................................................ 220
Need for Legal Services .................................................................................................................................. 222
Assistance with Goals and Self-Sufficiency .................................................................................................... 224
Food ............................................................................................................................................................... 226
Transportation ............................................................................................................................................... 228
Adult Education or Night School .................................................................................................................... 230
Finding Child Care .......................................................................................................................................... 232
Parenting Classes ........................................................................................................................................... 234
Help with Applying for SSDI, WIC, TANF, etc. ................................................................................................ 236
English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes................................................................................................... 238
GED Classes .................................................................................................................................................... 240
VIII. WEATHERIZATION AS THE TOP NEED FOR 2018 RESPONDENTS ........................................................... 241
X. PARTNER SURVEYS ..................................................................................................................................... 258
Who took the survey...................................................................................................................................... 259
Responses to questions about needs and unmet needs about clients served .............................................. 267

Q1. Of the following list of help with basic needs, which are requested by the clients you serve? (Choose all
that apply) ...................................................................................................................................................... 267
Q2. Of the following list of resources, which are requested by the clients you serve? (Choose all that apply)
....................................................................................................................................................................... 269
Q3. Of the following list of support services, which are requested by the clients you serve? (Choose all that
apply) ............................................................................................................................................................. 270
Q13. Of the following list of socio-emotional health and well-being services or needs, which are requested
by the clients you serve? (Choose all that apply) .......................................................................................... 271
Q4. Of the following list of adult education and employment services or needs, which are requested by the
clients you serve? (Choose all that apply) ..................................................................................................... 272
Q5. Of the following list of child development services, which are requested by the clients you serve?
(Choose all that apply) ................................................................................................................................... 273
Q6. Of the following list of services for people with disabilities, which are requested by the clients you
serve? (Choose all that apply) ........................................................................................................................ 274
Q7. Of the following list of family health information or services, which are requested by the clients you
serve? (Choose all that apply) ........................................................................................................................ 275
Q8. Of the following list of services for justice-involved individuals and families, which are requested by the
clients you serve? (Choose all that apply) ..................................................................................................... 276
Q9. Of the following list of parenting topics, which are requested by the clients you serve? ...................... 277
Q10. Of the following list of services for pregnant women, which are requested by the clients you serve?
(Choose all that apply) ................................................................................................................................... 278
Q11. Of the following list of services and resources needed for seniors, which are requested by the clients
you serve? (Choose all that apply) ................................................................................................................. 279
Q12. Of the following list of services and resources needed for single parents, including but not limited
exclusively to single mothers, which are requested by the clients you serve? (Choose all that apply) ........ 280
Open-ended responses to the partner survey ............................................................................................... 281
Q14. Are there any other services or resources you receive requests for? Please specify which ones and
how frequently they are requested, if possible (e.g., weekly, daily, once in a while). (Leave blank if this
doesn’t apply.) ............................................................................................................................................... 281
Q15. What services or resources in your agency usually have the longest waiting list? (Skip if not
applicable.) ..................................................................................................................................................... 285
Q16. What additional services or resources do you wish your organization provided — or wish were
available locally? ............................................................................................................................................ 287
Q17. Do you have other agencies or organizations you **regularly** partner with? If so, how many? (Feel
free to skip if not applicable.) [Text Area] ..................................................................................................... 291

Q18. Do you have other agencies or nonprofits you **occasionally** partner with? If so, how many?
(Please free to skip if not applicable.) [Text Area] ......................................................................................... 294
XI. CASE STUDIES, KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS, FOCUS GROUPS AND PUBLIC FORUMS .................................. 297
Case studies ....................................................................................................................................................... 298
XII. THEMES THAT EMERGE.............................................................................................................................. 304
Self-sufficiency emerged as the unifying theme ................................................................................................ 304
XIII. THE ROAD AHEAD / RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................ 307
Program recommendations for the future include: .......................................................................................... 307
Process recommendations for the future include: ............................................................................................ 315
XIV. Key Informant Interviews....................................................................................................................... 316
ENDNOTES.............................................................................................................................................................. 320

Table of Figures (Illustrations)
Figure 1 Survey results suggest groupings of needs into 6 main domains .............................................................. 22
Figure 2 President Lyndon B. Johnson doing community engagement for the War on Poverty ............................ 25
Figure 3 Why Community Needs Assessments matter............................................................................................ 27
Figure 4 A comprehensive understanding of poverty in a community creates better mitigation strategies ......... 29
Figure 5 The Results-Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) Cycle .................................................... 31
Figure 6 1873 Map of San Antonio .......................................................................................................................... 40
Figure 7 San Antonio demographics from Census Reporter.................................................................................... 42
Figure 8 Bexar County demographics from Census Reporter.................................................................................. 43
Figure 9 Texas demographics from Census Reporter .............................................................................................. 44
Figure 10 United States demographics from Census Reporter ............................................................................... 45
Figure 11 Bexar County Projections 2018 - 2023 ..................................................................................................... 51
Figure 12 Bexar County Projections for 2018-2023 Annual Growth Rates.............................................................. 51
Figure 13 Distribution of poverty by state in the U.S., according to the Census Bureau ........................................ 61
Figure 14 Federal poverty guidelines for 2018 ........................................................................................................ 64
Figure 15 2018 Income limits for CSBG.................................................................................................................... 64
Figure 16 Poverty over time since the War on Poverty ........................................................................................... 65
Figure 17 Population below poverty in San Antonio and Bexar County. U.S. Census Bureau American Community
Survey 2016 One Year Estimates. ............................................................................................................................ 66
Figure 18 Median household income over time by race and ethnicity ................................................................... 67
Figure 19 U.S. poverty rates by race and ethnicity .................................................................................................. 68
Figure 20 Child poverty over time by race and ethnicity ......................................................................................... 69
Figure 21 Net wealth by race and ethnicity, current U.S. Census Bureau figures. Left hand column includes equity
in house; right hand column excludes equity in house. .......................................................................................... 70
Figure 22 Net wealth differs by race and ethnicity.................................................................................................. 71
Figure 23 People of color experience greater disadvantage re: compound poverty .............................................. 72
Figure 24 Compound poverty by race and ethnicity ............................................................................................... 74
Figure 25 Poverty by gender over time ................................................................................................................... 75
Figure 26 Poverty by geographical region over time ............................................................................................... 76
Figure 27 Poverty by urban versus rural over time ................................................................................................. 77
Figure 28 Many families in Texas are among the working poor .............................................................................. 78
Figure 29 Poverty by household type ...................................................................................................................... 79
Figure 30 Poverty by race and ethnicity – and female gender ................................................................................ 80
Figure 31 Poverty by family type in Bexar County ................................................................................................... 81
Figure 32 Child poverty by state in the U.S.............................................................................................................. 83
Figure 33 Child poverty by race and ethnicity in Bexar County ............................................................................... 84
Figure 34 Child poverty rates in Bexar County by race and ethnicity ...................................................................... 85
Figure 35 Immigrant children experience high rates of poverty ............................................................................. 86
Figure 36 Poverty rates by gender and age group ................................................................................................... 87
Figure 37 Poverty rates for seniors .......................................................................................................................... 88

Figure 38 Poverty rates with disability..................................................................................................................... 89

Figure 39 Population trends in Bexar County. Source: TXDot ................................................................................. 91
Figure 40 Population pyramid for non-Hispanic whites .......................................................................................... 92
Figure 41 Population pyramid for Hispanics ............................................................................................................ 93
Figure 42 Population pyramid for Bexar County, all races and ethnicities .............................................................. 94
Figure 43 Poverty rates by level of educational attainment.................................................................................... 95
Figure 44 Poverty rates by educational attainment and household type ............................................................... 96
Figure 45 Educational attainment in San Antonio versus U.S. average, plus earnings at levels of educational
attainment ............................................................................................................................................................... 97
Figure 46 Baseline prevalence of income poverty, material hardship, adult health problems and any
disadvantage ............................................................................................................................................................ 99
Figure 47 Change in disadvantage status over the study term for families .......................................................... 102
Figure 48 Distressed Communities Index map of the U.S...................................................................................... 103
Figure 49 Distressed Communities Index map of Texas, showing Bexar County .................................................. 104
Figure 50 Distressed Communities Index map of San Antonio.............................................................................. 105
Figure 51 Four high-distress ZIP Codes in San Antonio ......................................................................................... 106
Figure 52 The Hardship Index map of San Antonio and Bexar County .................................................................. 107
Figure 53 Hardship Index map of San Antonio and Bexar County with the location of the top 10, highest-hardship
ZIP Codes dropped out for illustrative purposes ................................................................................................... 109
Figure 54 The Centers for Disease Control's "Social Vulnerability Index" criteria................................................. 110
Figure 55 What the CDC found about San Antonio and Bexar County .................................................................. 111
Figure 56 How the CDC ranked San Antonio/Bexar County's social vulnerabilities .............................................. 112
Figure 57 Public health uses social determinants of health as a lens.................................................................... 113
Figure 58 How the World Health Organization looks at Social Determinants of Health ....................................... 114
Figure 59 A selection of public health concerns about Bexar County from CountyHealthRankings.org .............. 115
Figure 60 How the Bexar County Health Collaborative sees root causes in Bexar County ................................... 116
Figure 61 Literacy continues to be an ongoing need in Texas ............................................................................... 120
Figure 62 San Antonio ranks fifth in the nation, according to current EvictionLab.org data ................................ 121
Figure 63 Comparing current eviction rates for San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas and the U.S., using
EvictionLab.org data .............................................................................................................................................. 122
Figure 64 San Antonio eviction rate by rent burden -- EvictionLab.org data ........................................................ 122
Figure 65 Key drivers of income volatility, based on a report from the Assets Funders Network ........................ 124
Figure 66 Percent of population below poverty level by ZIP Code ........................................................................ 126
Figure 67 Percent children below poverty level by ZIP Code ................................................................................ 127
Figure 68 Percent seniors below poverty level by ZIP Code .................................................................................. 128
Figure 69 Percent single mothers with dependent children below poverty level................................................. 129
Figure 70 Percent single fathers with dependent children below poverty level ................................................... 130
Figure 71 Percent grandparents living with grandchildren (includes but is not limited to those also raising
grandchildren. Additionally, no reference is being made to poverty level in this map.) ...................................... 131
Figure 72 Distribution of median household income ............................................................................................ 133
Figure 73 Distribution of per capita income .......................................................................................................... 134
Figure 74 Distribution of median home value ....................................................................................................... 135

Figure 75 Educational attainment: Percent of those with a high school diploma or a GED.................................. 136
Figure 76 Comparison between third grade reading mastery and educational attainment. Third grade map from
educational collaborative, P16Plus of Bexar County. ............................................................................................ 137
Figure 77 Comparison between educational attainment and percent of households eligible for SNAP .............. 138
Figure 78 Percent of those with less than a ninth grade education ...................................................................... 139
Figure 79 Percent of those with between a 9th and 12th grade education but no diploma or GED .................... 140
Figure 80 Distribution of bachelor's degrees ......................................................................................................... 141
Figure 81 Distribution of graduate degrees ........................................................................................................... 142
Figure 82 Distribution of percent involved in the labor force ............................................................................... 143
Figure 83 Distribution of percent unemployed ..................................................................................................... 144
Figure 84 Travel time in minutes ........................................................................................................................... 145
Figure 85 Percent using public transportation ...................................................................................................... 146
Figure 86 Distribution of respondents by ZIP Code to 2018 CNA survey of individuals and families ................... 152
Figure 87 Racial composition of survey respondents, compared to current U.S. Census Bureau data (2017) for
San Antonio ............................................................................................................................................................ 156
Figure 88 Hispanic ethnicity of survey respondents, compared to U.S. Census Bureau data (2016) for San Antonio
............................................................................................................................................................................... 157
Figure 89 What brought survey respondents to San Antonio ............................................................................... 158
Figure 90 Household status per survey results ...................................................................................................... 159
Figure 91 Home Ownership per Survey Results .................................................................................................... 159
Figure 92 Educational Attainment per Survey Results .......................................................................................... 160
Figure 93 How many obstacles or barriers did survey respondents feel they currently had ................................ 162
Figure 94 What several obstacles (if any) stand in your way? Survey results ....................................................... 164
Figure 95 Overall ranking of all 31 possible service needs, per survey results...................................................... 171
Figure 96 31 Service needs were ranked differently by 2018 and 2015 survey respondents ............................... 173
Figure 97 Service needs ranked overall and by percent of seniors and non-seniors ............................................ 174
Figure 98 How non-senior adults ranked needs 1-31 ............................................................................................ 175
Figure 99 How seniors only ranked needs 1-31 ..................................................................................................... 176
Figure 100 Need #1 – Weatherization ................................................................................................................... 179
Figure 101 Need #2 - Crime Awareness or Crime Reduction................................................................................. 181
Figure 102 Need #3 - Health Insurance or Affordable Health Care ....................................................................... 183
Figure 103 Need #4 - Employment Opportunities ................................................................................................. 185
Figure 104 Need #5 - Public Parks and Facilities .................................................................................................... 187
Figure 105 Need #6 - Affordable Housing .............................................................................................................. 189
Figure 106 Need #7 - Counseling Services ............................................................................................................. 191
Figure 107 Need #8 - Neighborhood Cleanup Projects ......................................................................................... 193
Figure 108 Need #9 - Help with Utility Bills ........................................................................................................... 195
Figure 109 Need #10 - Nutrition Education or Healthy Eating Education Workshops .......................................... 197
Figure 110 Need #11 - Financial Education, Budgeting Classes, and/or Credit Counseling .................................. 199
Figure 111 Need #12 - Programs and Activities for Youth (12-18) ........................................................................ 201
Figure 112 Need #13 - Prescription Assistance...................................................................................................... 203
Figure 113 Need #16 - Help Finding a Job.............................................................................................................. 205

Figure 114 Need #15 - Classes on Healthy Relationships, Resolving Conflicts, etc. .............................................. 207
Figure 115 Need #16 - Programs and Activities for Seniors .................................................................................. 209
Figure 116 Need #17 - Assistance to Attend Trade or Technical School ............................................................... 211
Figure 117 Need #19 - Help with Job Skills, Job Training and/or Job Search......................................................... 213
Figure 118 Need #18 - Help Finding Resources in the Community ....................................................................... 215
Figure 119 Need #20 - Help Paying Rent ............................................................................................................... 217
Figure 120 Need #21 - Computer Skills Training .................................................................................................... 219
Figure 121 Need #22 - Legal Services .................................................................................................................... 221
Figure 122 Need #23 - Assistance with Goals and Self-Sufficiency ....................................................................... 223
Figure 123 Need #24 – Food .................................................................................................................................. 225
Figure 124 Need #25 – Transportation .................................................................................................................. 227
Figure 125 Need #26 - Adult Education or Night School ....................................................................................... 229
Figure 126 Need #27 - Child Care .......................................................................................................................... 231
Figure 127 Need #28 - Parenting Classes ............................................................................................................... 233
Figure 128 Need #29 - Help with Applying for SSDI, WIC, TANF, etc. .................................................................... 235
Figure 129 Need #30 - English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes ...................................................................... 237
Figure 130 Need #31 - GED Classes ....................................................................................................................... 239
Figure 131 Weatherization was the top choice in services needed in 2018 Community Needs Assessment....... 241
Figure 132 Weatherization emerged as “top need overall” in 2018 survey results .............................................. 242
Figure 133 Distribution of aging housing stock in San Antonio per U.S. Census Bureau data, and top 10 ZIP Codes
needing weatherization ......................................................................................................................................... 243
Figure 134 Where respondents said weatherization is needed most ................................................................... 249
Figure 135 Overlap between Weatherization and Needing Help with Utility Bills................................................ 250
Figure 136 Overlap between Affordable Housing and Needing Help Paying Rent................................................ 251
Figure 137 Overlap between Affordable Housing and Needing Help with Utility Bills ......................................... 252
Figure 138 Overlap between Health Insurance/Affordable Medical Care and Prescription Assistance ............... 253
Figure 139 Financial Education, Budgeting and/or Credit Counseling and Need for Legal Services ..................... 254
Figure 140 Overlap between Crime Awareness and Crime Reduction, Public Parks and Facilities, and
Neighborhood Cleanup .......................................................................................................................................... 255
Figure 141 Programs and Activities for Youth (12-18) and Parenting Classes....................................................... 256
Figure 142 - Four job-related needs, combined .................................................................................................... 257
Figure 143 Partner Surveys Returned .................................................................................................................... 258
Figure 144 Nonprofit needs ranked by count per Partner Survey results ............................................................. 262
Figure 145 Nonprofit clients served annually per Partner Survey results ............................................................. 263
Figure 146 Nonprofit types per Partner Survey results ......................................................................................... 263
Figure 147 Nonprofit or agency service focus areas per results of Partner Survey .............................................. 264
Figure 148 Interest in connecting further per results of Partner Survey............................................................... 265
Figure 149 Ranked order of basic needs per Partner Survey responses ............................................................... 267
Figure 150 Ranked order of resources needed per Partner Survey responses ..................................................... 269
Figure 151 Ranked order of support services needed per Partner Survey responses .......................................... 270
Figure 152 Ranked order of socio-emotional health services needed per Partner Survey ..................................... 271
Figure 153 Ranked order of adult education and employment services needed per Partner Survey .................. 272

Figure 154 Ranked order of child development services needed per Partner Survey .......................................... 273
Figure 155 Ranked order of services needed for People with Disabilities per Partner Survey responses ............ 274
Figure 156 Ranked order of Family Health information or services needed per Partner Survey responses ........ 275
Figure 157 Ranked order of services needed for Justice-Involved Individuals and Families per Partner Survey
responses ............................................................................................................................................................... 276
Figure 158 Ranked order of Parenting topics per Partner Survey responses ........................................................ 277
Figure 159 Ranked order of services for Pregnant Women per Partner Survey responses .................................. 278
Figure 160 Ranked order of Senior topics per Partner Survey responses ............................................................. 279
Figure 161 Ranked order of Single Parenting topics per Partner Survey responses ............................................. 280
Figure 162 A selection of key informants .............................................................................................................. 296
Figure 163 A sign, designed by a former patient, greets visitors and staff alike at the San Antonio State Hospital,
which provides treatment to individuals suffering from mental illness ................................................................ 303
Figure 164 Self-sufficiency emerges as a dominant unifying theme ..................................................................... 304
Figure 165 One of Washington state's two mobile service trucks to deliver social and human services ............. 309

Disclaimer
The information presented in this Community Needs Assessment was acquired and analyzed
according to the most recent and relevant data available. Interpretations, estimates and analysis are those
of the authors and may not reflect the views of the City of San Antonio, the national Community Action
Partnership, the National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP), the Texas
Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), or the Community Services Block Grant
(CGSB) program. The content has been approved by our tripartite Community Action Advisory Board
(CAAB).

A Note on This Material
This Community Needs Assessment is, on publication, a public document, and part of the
institutional knowledge of how causes and conditions of poverty were addressed with federal funding
received under the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG). It is the specific mandate of the local
anti-poverty agency responsible for this Community Needs Assessment to be the “experts” on poverty in
the community, and to investigate its unique-to-San Antonio causes and conditions in order to propose
ways to most effectively improve these conditions. Various forms of data gathering, from U.S. Census
Bureau and American Community Survey data, to surveys of individuals, families and nonprofits at the
local level, and interviews with key informants, have gone into this report.
While some of the material contained in this report is here to satisfy the approximately 50
“organizational standards” associated with fulfilling the requirements of the CSBG, some of the material
is also included to educate the general reader – who may not have had the time or opportunity to learn
more about this – about causes and conditions of poverty, on a national, state and local level.
This report is broken up into several sections, one or more of which may be of particular interest
to various readers. Please refer to the Table of Contents at the beginning of this report to orient more
particularly, but in general the structure is two main parts, with various related subparts.
Section I of the report covers context, including:
• Background on where the Community Needs Assessment process comes from, including
the War on Poverty, Community Action Partnerships and Results-Oriented Management
and Accountability (ROMA) models.
• An overview of poverty nationally, regionally and locally.

• A look at some ancillary issues that also affect San Antonio.
• A selection of maps displaying various distributions of population characteristics in San
Antonio with an association (positive or negative) with poverty.
Section II of the report covers the findings, including:
• Results of the survey (paper and online, English and Spanish) of low- and moderate-
income residents, both individuals and families.
• Results of the survey (online-only, English-only) of partners, agencies and 501(c)3
nonprofits that provide services to low-income clients.
• Insights gleaned from approximately three dozen “key informant” interviews and small
focus groups.
• The key theme that emerged.
• Recommendations for the road ahead.
If your interest is primarily in the survey results (individual/family and also
partner/agency/nonprofit surveys), please be aware that through this report information on certain topics
(especially “needs”) may be available in several places, so be sure to check each one. Those locations in
this report include where:
• Respondents are asked about what they see as obstacles and barriers currently in their
lives in one section of the individual/family survey.
• Respondents are also asked about what assistance they or their families might benefit
from receiving. Their textual answers were then collated and added to this report.

• They’re additionally asked to rank a slate of 31 needs according to level of need for them
and their families and/or their neighborhoods. Those are then ranked into a list by
popularity, and split out again by what the ranking is for seniors and separately for non-
seniors. (This section of the survey was asked in 2015 as well, so a comparison is
possible — and there is a chart for that.) Then each ranked item is further developed with
a map, a bar chart of the ZIP Codes where respondents especially asked for services to
address this need, and other elements, such as other needs which might naturally be
bundled with this service.
• Then partner/agency/nonprofit providers in the community are asked about what they see
the predominant needs as being, including popularity of services they offer, what has a
waiting list, what they wish they could offer but can’t, how many other agencies they
partner with, etc.
Although these results are all written up in this report, they are also available on the Web as data
visualizations, which allow you to examine them in a more dynamic manner as well.
Please note that pseudonyms are used throughout, particularly in the case studies, to be able to
tell the story of ordinary residents who may not welcome greater publicity about their barriers and
challenges
Questions, comments or concerns? We have set up an email address to respond as time permits.1
1
CNA2018Report AT gmail DOT com

Bios:
Minerva Hernandez, LMSW, NCRT
Minerva Hernandez is the Family Support Coordinator for the City of San Antonio’s Department of
Human Services and the City’s only ROMA-certified trainer. She manages the Training for Job Success
(TFJS) program funded through the federal Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), with the goal of
reducing poverty in the Bexar County area. She serves as liaison to the City of San Antonio’s
Community Action Advisory Board (CAAB). Ms. Hernandez is a San Antonio native, who grew up in
78207. Today, she is a licensed master social worker (LMSW) with over 25 years of social services
experience — in the areas of mental health, family support services, child protective services, employee
assistance programs, program evaluation, and the implementation of social services programs. She
serves as a social work field instructor to undergraduate and graduate social work interns from area
universities. Ms. Hernandez started her career with the Texas Department of Health and Human Services
(TDHHS) and the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. She has extensive social work
experience and knowledge of both human services and community resource navigation. In 2016, she
became a nationally certified Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) trainer
(NCRT) in her work with the federal Community Services Block Grant. She received her bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in social work from Texas State University in San Marcos.
Lily Casura, MSW candidate
Lily Casura is a Master of Social Work candidate at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). In
2017, she was chosen as the “Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year” from the College of Public
Policy at UTSA. The previous year, she was honored to be selected as the “Student of the Year” from
the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Texas. She is the principal investigator on a large,
Institutional Review Board-approved research study into female veteran homelessness, and has
presented her work at the American Public Health Association national conference and various other
academic and advocacy conferences. She has also won an award from Tableau Public for her data
visualization project mapping population characteristics for San Antonio, a 2K+ hour pro bono projecti.
A longtime journalist, she has published hundreds of articles and edited a national bestseller. She is an
honors graduate of Harvard University, with a background in survey work both at Harvard and at UTSA.
She is a member of the American Public Health Association and the Alamo Regional Data Alliance.

With special thanks to
• Richard J. Harris, Ph.D., at UTSA
Dr. Richard J. Harris is a Professor of Sociology in the Department of Social Work and
Adjunct Professor in the Department of Demography at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
He received a B.A., with honors, from Macalester College in May 1971, a M.A. in
Sociology/Demography from Cornell University September 1974, and a Ph.D. in
Sociology/Demography from Cornell University in September 1976.In 2002 he was a Visiting
Professor at the University of Klagenfurt in Austria. He taught a “distance learning” course on
Advanced Research Methods for students at UTSA while living in Austria. During 2009 - 2010
he served as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the U. S. Air Force Academy. Dr. Harris
specializes in social demography, demographic techniques, quantitative analysis and computer
applications. His research focuses on important current issues including sexual harassment and
sexual assault in the U.S. military, Hispanic issues, including work on testing, income and
poverty, labor force participation and changes in family structure.
• Also, every member of the tripartite Community Action Advisory Board, who represent various
segments of strengthening low-income individuals and families and our community: residents,
agency and nonprofit representatives, and elected officials.
• Thanks also to Training for Job Success staff — excellent case managers all, and the
administrative staff.
• Additionally, much appreciation to Stephen Kuhns, MA, NCRT at TDHCA in Austin and
Courtney Kohler, MPA, NCRT, CCAP and Natalie Kramer, MSW, NCRT at the Community
Action Partnership in Washington, DC.
• Thanks as well to Candace Christensen, Ph.D., at UTSA’s graduate program of social work for
the invitation to come speak to her “Communities” class about this material, as well as Texas
A&M - San Antonio for a similar invitation in one of their sociology classes.
• And to Rev. Peter Bauer, LCSW, and the students of UTSA’s SWK-5473: Advanced Policy and
Advocacy, for making this ZIP Code equity topic a class focus for Fall Semester, 2017, and
hosting a well-attended public discussion on the same.

Executive Summary
Paper and online surveys were conducted with low- and moderate-income residents, available in
English and in Spanish. Online-only, English-only surveys were conducted with delegate agencies,
501(c)3 nonprofits, and service providers with low-income clients, both individuals and families.
Responses represented a very good cross-section of low- and moderate-income individuals and families
and their service providers, and compares favorably against a profile of who lives below and just above
the poverty level in San Antonio.
In addition to comparably very favorably against San Antonio demographics for race and
ethnicity, survey respondents also demonstrated a long connection to and affiliation with their ZIP Code
and with San Antonio overall. Almost half the respondents reported being born here. Respondents had
lived in their ZIP Codes, on average, for more than 16 years, and in San Antonio for more than 33 years.
Among seniors, respondents had lived in their ZIP Codes for almost 25 years, on average, and in San
Antonio for almost half a century (46 years). For non-seniors, the average length of time in their ZIP
Codes was 13 years, and in San Antonio for almost three decades (28 years). (The average age of
respondents was 52 years old.) In addition, unlike in the Community Needs Assessment from 2015,
where seniors were oversampled and made up more than 60 percent of the survey, in 2018 senior
represented fewer than three in 10 respondents (29.86 percent) and non-seniors seven in 10 (70.14
percent). Seniors were surveyed at all the comprehensive Senior Centers in San Antonio, with an
additional group of respondents taking the survey online, in both English and Spanish.
The partner | agency | nonprofit survey received responses from individuals at more than 140 of
San Antonio’s approximately 170 public agencies and nonprofits. Taken together, the agencies and
nonprofits that responded represent over 4,750 years of service to low-income San Antonio and Bexar

County residents, at-risk individuals and families — for an average of 41 years of service to the
community, and an estimated total 263,680 to 645,800 clients served a year, or an average of between
2,293 and 6,798 clients per agency served per year. They also serve a combined 37,000 to 273,000
clients a year, according to their accounts.
In addition, three dozen key informant interviews were conducted across the city. Drawing on
the combination of these sources along with an extensive review of U.S. Census Bureau data further
describing our population, themes emerged of interest and concern to individuals, families and
providers, the greatest of which appeared to be “self-sufficiency,” and the different ways this appears for
different populations, from seniors to students and especially vulnerable populations like those with
mental health issues. In this report, we are able to share what those concerns and gaps in services are,
and because of an extensive and we hope innovative reliance on mapping, even where in the City those
needs are highest. The report is broken down into several sections with a searchable Table of Contents,
complete with hyperlinks to individual sections, so that readers can concentrate on the parts that interest
or matter to them most.

Figure 1 Survey results suggest groupings of needs into 6 main domains
As we take a look at all the input provided by these survey responses — content which is
discussed in much greater detail in the next section — we see that it falls into a half-dozen domains:
individuals and families; neighborhoods, public safety and the built environment; affordable housing;
education, job and career; mental, behavioral and physical health; and income and asset-building

activities. Using the ROMA matrix to determine whether individuals and families are, in ascending
order, “in crisis,” “vulnerable,” “stable,” “safe,” or “thriving” (measured by various benchmarks), the
types of needs expressed (e.g., for clothing, help with utility bills, home repair, affordable housing,
crime, employment, mental health and counseling services, caring for aging family members, etc.) seem
to group at the vulnerable level, situated between “in crisis” and “stable.”
This finding also corresponds, in a general way, with what the Urban Institute found when it looked at
the economic health of U.S. cities.ii San Antonio was grouped in the “economically strong cities with
threats to financial stability” peer group, about which they said:
Of the 60 cities in this tool, these (particular) cities are doing relatively well economically with
below average unemployment rates (with the exception of Las Vegas), but have only moderate
financial security with median credit scores that are below prime (i.e., near prime). Credit scores
that are below prime can limit access to loans and credit cards, making it difficult to weather
financial emergencies or invest in the future. High shares of residents in many of the cities do not
have health insurance. Five of the eight cities in this (specific) peer group are in Florida,
Oklahoma, and Texas, which did not expand Medicaid. Lack of health insurance leaves residents
exposed to medical bills, which are a primary source of delinquent debt and may contribute to
bankruptcy.

SECTION I – CONTEXT

I. BACKGROUND
The origins of Community Action Partnerships and the Community Needs Assessment
Figure 2 President Lyndon B. Johnson doing community engagement for the War on Poverty
The origins of the comprehensive “Community Needs Assessment” go back to President Lyndon
B. Johnson and the “War on Poverty.” Every three years, following their own schedules, more than
1,000 Community Action Agencies (CAA) both public and private, tasked by the federal government to
be the anti-poverty agency in their local area, conduct comprehensive Community Needs Assessments
(CNA) to investigate the causes and concerns of poverty in their communities. No two Community
Needs Assessments are alike because no two communities are identical — and the five top needs the
assessments identify reflect what rises to the top locally, whether concern over employment, the

devastation of the opioid crisis, or access to health care for the area’s low- and moderate-income
residents.
When President Johnson introduced his ideas about fighting poverty, first in 1964’s State of the
Union address, he declared that “our aim (should not be) only to relieve the symptoms of poverty, but to
cure it and, above all, to prevent it.”iii “Poverty,” he understood, “is a national problem, requiring
improved national organization and support. But this attack, to be effective, must also be organized at
the state and local level, and must be supported and directed by state and local efforts. For the War on
Poverty will not be won here in Washington. It must be won in the fields, in every private home, in
every public office, from the courthouse to the White House.”iv
One of the important mechanisms of this ongoing war on poverty is Community Action
Agencies, which are “uniquely tasked by both their history and federal law to conduct community
assessments that identify and prioritize the local conditions and determinants of poverty. These
assessments, the cornerstone of Community Action planning efforts, increase understanding of the
complex root causes of poverty and identify services and strategies that will create positive impact for
families, individuals and communities,”v according to an explainer provided by the nation’s Community
Action Partnership.
To connect the dots unto the present day, here is what the literature says about the role of more
than 1,000 Community Action Agencies across the country:
“The Community Action Agency’s assessment is unique within its community and state. It offers
a focus on local conditions, analyzing the economic opportunities and barriers for all residents
who are at risk of remaining or becoming economically insecure. It identifies existing and
potential resources to expand opportunities. It prepares the CAA leadership to plan a multi-year
strategy.
For most CAAs, the comprehensive assessment . . .will mean a change. It will require thinking
about needs and resources in a more comprehensive framework. It will mean connecting the

closely-related causes of poverty by collecting more data. It cannot be achieved by a survey of

CAA customers’ satisfaction with the services they now receive, or by asking customers what
services they need. It cannot be achieved by only updating economic and social data that are part
of the CAA statistical profile. These approaches only assess a narrow “market,” not a whole
“community.” As a result, they fail to identify all available assets and resources. A
comprehensive assessment requires analyzing and synthesizing many kinds of information.
Fortunately, this significant investment of time and effort is required only every few years.”vi
As the local Community Action Agency, we are empowered and expected to be the experts on
poverty in our local community. As will become clear from the material that follows, a best practice is
using data at every stage of the process. That is why we have included so much original material in this
report, to satisfy the reader who may be interested in knowing more about poverty contextually, both
nationally and locally.
Figure 3 Why Community Needs Assessments matter

“Community Action Agencies are viewed as a trusted local source for solving challenges faced
by the communities they serve. CAAs are required to maintain a tripartite board structure, with
mandatory representation from the low-income community, local elected officials, and public and
private sector stakeholders. This composition brings differing perspectives and skill sets to the
governance of a CAA and increases accountability to the community. The voice and engagement of
individuals with low incomes is essential to the oversight of local programs,”vii again according to the
explainer from the national Community Action Partnership.
Community Action Agencies utilize funding provided by Community Services Block Grants
(CSBGs) provided and administered by the federal government to act on the causes and conditions of
poverty in their localities.
“Each CAA’s planning efforts establish the individual agency’s direction and the results
it chooses to pursue. A unique understanding of the individual community’s needs paired with a
combination of partnerships, volunteers, grant funding, and private funds allow CAAs to
coordinate an array of services and strategies. Sophisticated management and accountability
practices are utilized to align resources for maximum impact, delivering significantly more value
to the public than if the resources were used independently. In 2015, for every $1 of CSBG
funding, CAAs leveraged $7.70 from state, local and private sources, including the value of
volunteer hours.”2 viii
In order to accomplish these goals, the federal government utilizes Results-Oriented
Management and Accountability (ROMA) training and implementation to systematize the evaluation
and reporting process. It also uses state agencies to act as the conduit for receiving that information, so
in Texas our state agency is Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), which is
responsible for working with approximately 40 local Community Action Agencies.
2
“For each $1 of 2015 CSBG funding, CAAs leveraged $2.61 in state resources, $2.28 in local resources, $2.34 in private
resources, and $0.47 in value of volunteer hours calculated at the federal minimum wage (except in states with a higher
minimum wage.”

Results-Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA)
Figure 4 A comprehensive understanding of poverty in a community creates better mitigation strategies
In 1994, the federal government introduced its own management and accountability practice,
known as Results-Oriented Management and Accountability, or ROMA. The 1994 Amendment to the
CSBG Act “specifically mentioned a requirement for CSBG-eligible entities to provide outcome
measures to monitor success in three areas, promoting”ix:
• Self-sufficiency
• Family stability and
• Community revitalization
As background, ROMA started with these six original goals:
1. Low-income people become more self-sufficient (family-level need)
2. The conditions in which low-income people live are improved (community-level need)

3. Low-income people have a stake in their community (community-level need)
4. Partnerships among supporters and providers or services to low-income people are achieved
(agency-level need)
5. Agencies increase their capacity to achieve results (agency-level need)
6. Low-income people, especially vulnerable populations, achieve their potential by strengthening
family and other supportive systems (family-level need).
And subsequently consolidated the six to three:
1. Individuals and families with low incomes are stable and achieve economic security;
2. Communities where people with low incomes live are healthy and offer economic
opportunity;
3. People with low incomes are engaged and active in building opportunities in communities.
As part of the ROMA process, all needs are identified by the level at which they belong: Is a need a:
• Family (individuals and families) level need?
• Community-level need? Or
• Agency-level need?

Figure 5 The Results-Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) Cycle
As the graphic indicates, the ROMA cycle involves very specific core activities for eligible
entities:x
• Assessment: Community needs and resources, agency data
• Planning: Use agency mission statement and assessment data to identify results and strategies
• Implementation: Services and strategies produce results
• Achievement of results: Observe and report progress
• Evaluation: Analyze data, compare with benchmarks.

Providing direct services versus bundling services and strengthening partnerships
In addition to clarifying the expected cycle and component stages, ROMA has also provided
guidance on something crucial to the design and implementation of the delivery of human services to
individuals and families within a community who are in need. Quoting directly from the ROMA
manualxi:
Community Action Agencies are more than “service providers”
As the agency considers its actions with its available resources targeted to achieving the identified
outcomes for its families, communities or the agency, will it (choose to) be a “service provider,” a “self-
sufficiency/anti-poverty agent,” or both?
The provision of services model: The strategic thinking model:
Agencies that are organized to meet specific The development of comprehensive strategies
short-term services (such as emergency services, must include an understanding of the power of
transportation, and weatherization) sometimes “bundling services” rather than providing
serve many customers. The challenge is being services that meet an isolated need.
able to identify long-term change in the
customers’ lives. Agencies must find ways to identify the
combination of services that are most effective
Providing services because funding is available for helping to change lives and support
can distract you from a more effective selection (individuals and families) moving out of
of services and strategies. poverty.
Failure to link activities together to form a In addition to providing direct services,

comprehensive set of services and advocacy agencies must explore the impact of creating
strategies may reduce your effectiveness in community engagement strategies, advocacy
assisting customers to move out of poverty. and policy change strategies, and other
activities that are focused on the reduction of
Sometimes there are unintended consequences poverty.
for doing the same services you have always
done – (especially,) enabling the continuation Agencies must strengthen partnerships to
of poverty. meet the needs that the agency cannot
address alone.

Part of the rationale for bundled services is directly related to what happens in the Community
Needs Assessment process, and the breadth and quality of the information it returns to the agency:
“Through regularly Community Needs Assessments, Community Action Agencies keep a

close eye on the conditions in their communities. They see the changes in populations, in needs,
and in resources. A Community Needs Assessment helps agency leadership understand the scope
of both emerging and ongoing needs for families with low incomes. The Assessment identifies
economic resources, social resources and partnership opportunities within the community for
shared service delivery. With this deep understanding of community needs and community
resources and assets, the agency can determine the role it will play in helping (individuals and)
families reach self-sufficiency.”xii
Additionally, the bundled services model reflects the multipart, complex nature of many
problems associated with low-income:
“Families with low income striving toward self-sufficiency often face many obstacles.
Each family has unique assets on which to build and a unique set of challenges that must be
addressed. It can be daunting for families who need services from different agencies to go from
one place to another to find assistance and services for specific problem elements. The family
may recognize that the problems they face are intertwined and must be addressed together — or
they may not see the connections among the element. For instance, lack of reliable child care or
working transportation can make it impossible to keep a job. There may not be openings that
match skills and companies may hesitate to hire someone without experience. Past health
problems may have left the family with debt and facing foreclosure.”xiii
Advantages to bundled services as a model, according to recipients, include:
• Families needing to “tell their story” only one time, which limits time and emotional expenditure
from having to repeat the challenges they’re facing when talking with multiple service providers
in succession.
• Limits travel costs and challenges
• A universal application that gathers all the relevant information can also be shared among service
providers, instead of gathering that information at every agency for a shared problem and shared
client base.

• Families have a greater stake in their own success if they choose their own goals and the bundle
of services they need.
• Case management, often over the course of several years, helps individuals and families stay on
track and accomplish their goal of transitioning out of poverty.
By utilizing “bundled service delivery,” agencies are able to offer low-income individuals and
families one-stop access to a variety of important services, lessening the burdens of time, transportation
and child care, and greatly improving the efficiency of service delivery (with the potential for lowering
costs). The model includes letting the service recipients choose the services they need, further
empowering the clients as well as keeping the model responsive to changing needs of the clients they
serve. According to the same report quoted above, the mix of services that are part of bundled services
“changes over time and varies from family to family. This reflects changing needs in the family, changes
in the community, changes in agency capacity, and changes in available funds.”xiv
“Programs related to employment, housing and education are always part of the mix,” the
report asserts, but “housing, food, child care, transportation, money management, health and
mental health, and substance abuse are also frequently included. Some include foreclosure
prevention counseling, tuition aid, legal aid, and crisis intervention. Another observation is that
providing a wide range of services is seen as important to meet the many obstacles to self-
sufficiency, with the understanding that not all clients need all the services.”
As you read through this report, or use the hyperlinked Table of Contents (and Table of
Illustrations) to find just the parts that interest you most, you will often see needs identified by survey
respondents — whether individuals and families, or the partners/agencies/nonprofits we surveyed
separately — that “seem” to go together. The number one identified need in the 2018 Community Needs
Assessment, that of weatherization, turns out to be an example of just this principle. “Helping make my
home energy-efficient (weatherization)” turns out, on closer inspection, to be tied to “help with utility

bills” and also “need for legal services.” Like most of the needs we identified from the survey responses,
this need is tied to others, but in this case, we turned it into an example so we could describe it at greater
length. Readers should recognize it’s only a sample of the potential overlap in both problems and ways
to coordinate services that meet the identified needs.

Definitions and Abbreviations
These are some of the definitions or abbreviations and acronyms used in this report, in alphabetical
order:
• CAA — Community Action Agency. A definition follows:

o “Community Action Agencies are private or public nonprofit organizations that were
created by the federal government in 1964 to combat poverty in geographically
designated areas. Status as a Community Action Agency is the result of an explicit
designation by local or state government. A Community Action Agency has a tripartite
board structure that is designated to promote the participation of the entire community in
the reduction or elimination of poverty. Community Action Agencies seek to involve the
community, including elected public officials, private sector representatives, and
especially low-income residents, in assessing local needs and attacking the causes and
conditions of poverty.”xv
• CAAB – Community Action Advisory Board, a tripartite governing board which oversees the
Community Action Agency, and includes representatives from government, nonprofit agencies
and elected representatives from the community, all of whom represent low-income residents.
• CNA — Community Needs Assessment. A Community Needs Assessment is a
“comprehensive community assessment that contains all the information that a Community
Action Agency will need to prepare a new, multi-year strategic plan,” according to the National
Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP).xvi Typically a comprehensive
Community Needs Assessment is done every three (3) years, and its results, including
identifying the top five (5) needs in the community, then feed into the next phase, that of the
Strategic Plan.
• CSBG — Community Services Block Grant. The Community Services Block Grant (CSB) is a
federal anti-poverty grant currently authorized under the 1998 CSBG Act. The grant is
administered by the states to provide “core funding to local agencies to reduce poverty, revitalize
low-income communities and to empower low-income families to become self-sufficient.”
Furthermore:
o “The CSBG funds the operation of a state-administered network of more than 1,000 local
anti-poverty agencies across the country that “create, coordinate and deliver programs

and services to low-income Americans in 99 percent of the nation's counties. Most

agencies in the CSBG network are Community Action Agencies (CAAs), created through
the Economic Opportunity Act, a predecessor of the CSBG. Community representation
and accountability are hallmarks of the CSBG network, where agencies are governed by a
tri-partite board. This board structure consists of elected public officials, representatives
of the low-income community, and appointed leaders from the private sector. Because the
CSBG funds the central management and core activities of these agencies, the CSBG
network is able to mobilize additional resources to combat the central causes of
poverty.”xvii
• NASCSP — National Association for State Community Services Programs. Their tagline is,
“Building Capacity in States to Respond to Poverty Issues.” http://www.nascsp.org/
• ROMA — Results-Oriented Management and Accountability. Results-Oriented Management
and Accountability is a “performance-based initiative designed to preserve the anti-poverty focus
of community action and to promote greater effectiveness among state and local agencies
receiving Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funds.
ROMA was created in 1994 by an ongoing task force of Federal, state, and local community
action officials – the Monitoring and Assessment Task Force (MATF). Based upon principles
contained in the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, ROMA provides a
framework for continuous growth and improvement among more than 1000 local community
action agencies and a basis for state leadership and assistance toward those ends.”xviii
• Self-sufficiency. Although self-sufficiency is often seen exclusively in an economic context —

can an individual provide for his or her basic needs, without relying on others — there is a much
broader social meaning, and we are aware that self-sufficiency looks different to every
population, given its unique characteristics, strengths and barriers. The “Self-Sufficiency Matrix”
in the Appendix is a great example of the process implied, from being “in crisis,” through stages
of being “vulnerable,” becoming “stable,” being “safe,” and finally “thriving.”

• TDHCA — Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. This Texas state agency
which was founded in 1991 is responsible for the following, according to their website:
o “The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs is the state agency
responsible for affordable housing, community and energy assistance programs, colonia
activities, and regulation of the state's manufactured housing industry. The Department
currently administers $2 billion through for-profit, nonprofit, and local government
partnerships to deliver local housing and community-based opportunities and assistance
to Texans in need. The overwhelming majority of the Department's resources are derived
from mortgage revenue bond financing and refinancing, federal grants, and federal tax
credits.
All TDHCA divisions regularly interact with other state and federal agencies, the state
legislature, housing and community development organizations, community assistance
agencies, lending institutions, real estate interests, the media, and other public sources.”xix

Figure 6 1873 Map of San Antonio
Introduction
San Antonio is located in Bexar County, Texas, and for U.S. Census Bureau (“Census”) purpose
is considered to be part of the overall San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Metro Area, Texas, United
States. The population of the overall San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area is 1,439,358, making it the
seventh largest city in the nation, according to current U.S. Census figures.xx The metro area covers a
third of the county’s geographical area, at 461 square miles, resulting in a population density of 3,122.3
people per square mile.

Bexar County, one of Texas’ largest counties by population and where San Antonio is located,
has a population of 1,928,680 residents and occupies 1,239.9 square miles, with a population density of
1,555.5 per square mile.xxi
San Antonio’s population represents three-quarters (74.9 percent) of Bexar County’s population,
and is generally speaking predominantly urban and suburban, whereas the county surrounding San
Antonio is more suburban and rural. San Antonio is more than twice as densely populated as the county.
San Antonio is officially celebrating its tercentennial — also known as a tricentennial, or 300th
birthday — this year (2018), although its Spanish heritage goes back quite a bit longer.xxii Its importance
as a city is such that in 1773 San Antonio was the provincial capital of Spanish Texas, according to the
Texas State Historical Association.xxiii San Antonio is the second largest city in Texas, after Houston,
and Bexar County is the fourth largest county in Texas, after Harris, Dallas and Tarrant. xxivxxv San
Antonio has long been the northernmost gateway city for Mexican nationals heading north, according to
a recent article in Forbes magazine, quoting Rogelio Saenz, Ph.D., the dean of the College of Public
Policy at the University of Texas at San Antonio, one of the city’s half-dozen or so institutions of higher
learning.xxvi

II. UNDERSTANDING POVERTY
“Poverty is a vicious cycle,” write the authors of the Hill Country Community Action’s
Community Needs Assessment: “Once a person falls into poverty, a chain of events starts to occur that
perpetuates the situation: lower levels of education and job training leads to fewer occupational
opportunities, which leads to low/no income, which leads to criminal activity for survival (theft and
selling drugs), which can lead to imprisonment, shattered health or even death, which leads to broken
families, eventually leading to an even bleaker future for the next generation.”xxvii
In order to better understand how poverty affects any community and its residents, especially its
low-income residents, it’s important to know something about the history of the community and also
about poverty more generally.
Figure 7 San Antonio demographics from Census Reporter
Whether at a national, regional or local level, poverty both exists and persists. A certain
percentage of people live below the poverty level, and various groups (individuals, families and

communities) also experience more persistent poverty over time. Learning more about the cause and
conditions of poverty is important before taking a look at current conditions in a community, because it
can inform analysis and decision-making, and even serve to predict who is likely to be at highest risk
(and need for services).
San Antonio is also, importantly, predominantly white and Hispanic – approximately two-thirds
of the population report Hispanic as their ethnicity. San Antonio is also non-Hispanic white (25 percent),
with a small percentage of blacks (7 percent), few Asians of all nationalities (3 percent), and only one
percent of the population who are biracial or multiracial.xxviii
Figure 8 Bexar County demographics from Census Reporter
• Compared to Bexar County, San Antonio is less white, more black, slightly less Native
American, slightly more Asian, less biracial or multiracial, and more Hispanic.xxix

Figure 9 Texas demographics from Census Reporter
• Compared to Texas overall, San Antonio is less non-Hispanic white, less black, less
Native American, less Asian, less biracial or multiracial, and significantly more Hispanic
(150 percent).xxx

Figure 10 United States demographics from Census Reporter
• Compared to the United States, San Antonio is less white, less black, less Native
American, less Asian, less biracial or multiracial and significantly less Hispanic.
• The average San Antonio resident is also younger (33.1 years old) than the average
resident of Bexar County (33.5), Texas (34.5), or the United States (37.9).xxxi
It’s important to understand these comparisons up front because San Antonio’s unique
demographic characteristics cause it to be more like or less other cities in the country, or even Bexar
County. It is one of the nation’s “majority minority” cities, soon to become a trend across the United
States.xxxii
NOTE: The focus of this Community Needs Assessment report will predominantly be San
Antonio, where three-quarters of the population lives, with references to Bexar County as needed.
Strengths and assets of the community

San Antonio, now the seventh largest city in the U.S. by population, is unique for multiple
reasons including its bicultural nature, and a majority Hispanic population which is predominantly
Mexican in origin. In May, 2018 the U.S. Census Bureau announced that San Antonio was the major
city with the largest population gain as well — an average of 66 people per day between 2016 and 2017,
or 24,200 people, a growth rate of 1.6 percent.xxxiii
The city is a council-manager led form of government, one of the most popular forms of
municipal government.xxxiv Bexar County is led by a county judge with a four-person elected
commissioners’ court.xxxv There are multiple state representatives whose territory covers San Antonio
and who have field offices herexxxvi; additionally there are multiple federal government agencies with
offices in San Antonio and Bexar County.xxxvii Most of Bexar County’s 19 independent school
districtsxxxviii are also located in San Antonio, where three-quarters of the county’s residents live.
In late June, 2018, San Antonio was named one of 10 “All-America Cities” by the National Civil
League, repeating its 2012 win.xxxix The award cited the city’s forward thinking in having a “visioning
plan, SA2020” where progress toward seven important goals is updated and shared with the public
regularly. “The city is making progress on school graduation rates, per capita income, health care access
and teen birth rates,” they noted.
Economically, the city “maintains a strong financial position” with a triple-A bond rating from
all three major rating agencies, according to the city’s website — for the ninth consecutive year.
Additionally, it is the only city of more than a million residents to capture such a rating. And the Milken
Institute has ranked San Antonio number one on its best-performing cities list. “San Antonio continues
to be the best financially managed big city in America,” all according to the city website.xl

The city passed Dallas in the early 2000s to become the second-largest city in Texas, after
Houston. Both the city and Bexar County experience strong growth rates, with “an additional 1.1 million
people and over half a million jobs and households” forecast for the year by 2040, most of which is
predicted to be located within San Antonio city limits.xli In 2017, San Antonio was chosen by the
Brookings Institution as one of eight cities in their Global Cities Initiative, focused on developing and
enhancing trade internationallyxlii.
Economically, the four major drivers traditionally are 1) tourism/hospitality; 2) healthcare; 3)
education and 4) military. The city is a major tourism destination and hosts more than 34 million visitors
a year, most of whom come to enjoy its leisure offerings. The tourism industry generates $13.6 billion
and employs one in every eight residents. Additionally, sales tax dollars generated by tourism offset
property taxes, for an estimated $1,200 per person a year.xliii
Known as “Military City, USA” San Antonio is home to several important military commands
for the Air Force and the Army, one of the country’s largest joint bases, several prominent military
hospitals which see patients from all over the world, and home to the Air Force’s basic training through
which almost 40,000 recruitsxliv pass a year. Many veterans who have experienced San Antonio earlier in
their careers also choose to retire here, often citing the reasonably low cost of living and 300 days of
sunshine a yearxlv as some of the key draws.
San Antonio’s historically low cost of living, although on the rise recently, is still a full 14
percent lower than the national average, according to PayScale, an employment-related website.xlvi
Housing, groceries, utilities, transportation and health care all cost at least 10 percent less than the
national average, PayScale reports. San Antonio’s utilities (CPS Energy and San Antonio Water System)
are both municipally owned, adding to their affordability and ability to innovate.xlvii San Antonio is also

at or near transportation hubs for industry, including seaports (Houston and Corpus Christi), roadways
and rail.
The city is also home to a number of colleges and universities, a blend of private and public,
including the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), University of Texas Health Science Center at
San Antonio, Trinity University, Our Lady of the Lake University, St. Mary's University, the University
of the Incarnate Word, Northwest Vista College, San Antonio College, St. Philip’s College and
Northeast Lakeview College. UTSA’s cybersecurity program is ranked first in the nation,xlviii and
cybersecurity as a whole is a growth industry in San Antonio, with an Air Force presence at the Port of
San Antonioxlix in addition to cyber- and cloud-related businesses also located here.
Workforce development is represented ably by Alamo Academies, Project Quest, Workforce
Solutions Alamo, and the city’s own Training for Job Success program, with several achieving national
renown for their models and impact.
The City is also ranked #30 among big cities for level of volunteerism, and more than one in four
San Antonians donate their time, money or services to local nonprofits, amounting to more than 60
million service hours a year.l Approximately 170 nonprofits are current members of the local Nonprofit
Councilli — most of whom responded to our Partner | Agency | Nonprofit survey conducted as part of the
comprehensive Community Needs Assessment for 2018 — and its annual “Big Give” day of giving
reaped more than $5 million in 2018.lii Additionally, in 2016 the City of San Antonio created an office of
Faith-Based Initiative(s), whose focus is to “facilitate relational collaboration, active partnerships and
networked services between the San Antonio faith community, government agencies, non-profit
organizations and community groups towards improving the lives of families and communities in
need.”liii (There are more than 500 churches and other places of worship serving San Antonio

residents.liv) A social media hashtag, #CompassionateSA, consistently highlights good-news stories of
residents helping others and other encouraging, uplifting fare.
Even in areas of known concern, such as economic equity, affordable housing and public
transportation, San Antonio has made noticeable efforts to be transparent, focusing on achieving equity
in its last two budgets, and creating a task forces to address housinglv and a nonprofit, ConnectSA,lvi to
address transportation, among other issues.

Trends and Outlook
Regarding forecasts in general, nothing particularly dramatic seemed likely in any of the key
sectors — more so business as usual. Economically, the local economy is anticipated to continue
growing at a steady rate, with unemployment lower than the state and the nation as a whole.
The city wisely sees its fiscal health as “directly linked to the success of the local, national, and
global economies,” as it stated in the City of San Antonio’s Five-Year Financial Forecast (FY 2018-
2022) document, before providing some specific projections. They anticipate seeing the Consumer Price
Index rise slightly in FY 2019, then start to decrease through 2022. At the same time, employment will
be stronger than the nation but beginning to taper and dip in 2021 before starting to increase again.
Similarly, the unemployment rate should continue to be lower than the nation’s but creep up steadily
while staying below the U.S. rate. Furthermore, “the number of homes put on the San Antonio market
may be leveling out, but those homes spend less time in inventory and are steadily increasing in price.”lvii
Of particular concern, given the city’s tight housing market and areas of generational povertylviii is this
jump in home prices. According to the same report, the median price for home sales has increased for
each of the past four years, with a 15.7 percent increase from 2013 to 2016. lix
The City also noted its concern that it was writing its forecast in a “time of uncertainty for the
City as both federal and state potential legislation could place a tremendous amount of pressure on the
General Fund.” The report noted that the President’s Proposed Budget Blueprint for FY 2018 included
reducing federal support to the City and community organizations, including eliminating (among other
grants) the federal Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), the inspiration for this Community Needs
Assessment, and multiple anti-poverty programs. (The City receives a total of $18 million from the
federal grants in question.)lx

Figure 11 Bexar County Projections 2018 - 2023
Bexar County has done its own series of demographics and report samples, and — like the City
— has made them available online.lxi The reports cover multiple topics of interest. Projecting from 2018
into 2023, the set of reports anticipates that county population will grow by 1.63 percent (less than the
state but more than the nation), households will increase by 1.62 percent, families by 1.57 percent,
owner-occupied households by 2.11 percent. Median household income will increase by an average of
1.89 percent a year, less than projections for the state (2.23 percent) or the nation (2.50 percent).
Figure 12 Bexar County Projections for 2018-2023 Annual Growth Rates

According to the Bexar County reports, population, number of households, number of families,
and number of owner-occupied households will all rise higher than the nation and on a par with the
state, but median household income will lag behind the state and the nation. According to their
projections, current median household income is projected to be $60,495 in Bexar County in five years,
compared to $65,727 for all U.S. households.lxii They also predict that median home value will increase
between 2018 and 2018 by 14.65 percent, from $161,576 to $185,242.lxiii
Population trends
Regarding population trends, current Census data indicates that more people move in to San
Antonio and Bexar County than move out in a year. As mentioned before, San Antonio currently leads
the nation in population gain for a major city, adding about 66 new residents a day for a growth rate of
1.6 percent.lxiv When people move into the area, they’re typically coming from elsewhere in Texas — or
other regions of the world. Seven of the top 10 origins are within Texas, and the other three are Asia,
Central America and Europe. And when people move out of the city or the county, they’re typically
moving elsewhere in Texas — often not far away. Using recent Census Bureau data which accounts for
county-to-county migration, it’s even possible to break down where people are moving into Bexar
County from by generationlxv:
For Millennials moving into Bexar County, they’re typically moving in from, in order: Harris
County (Houston); Asia; Travis County (Austin) and Central America. When millennials move out, it’s
to Travis County (Austin); Harris County (Houston); Brazos County (College Station) and Hays County
(near Austin).
For GenX-ers moving in, they’re typically coming from, in order: Harris County (Houston);
Central America; Asia; and Europe. When they move out, it’s likely to be to Guadalupe County (New

Braunfels/Seguin); Harris County (Houston); Travis County (Austin); and Comal County (New
Braunfels/Canyon Lake).
For Baby Boomers moving in, the four most popular places they’re coming from are: Harris
County (Houston); Hidalgo County (Edinburg and McAllen); Asia; and Central America. When Baby
Boomers move out, it’s often to Guadalupe County (New Braunfels/Seguin); Comal County (New
Braunfels/Canyon Lake); Denton County (near Dallas and Fort Worth); or Travis County (Austin).
For Silent Generation and the Greatest Generation, the four places they’re most likely to
move in from are: Central America; Comal County (New Braunfels/Canyon Lake); Hidalgo County
(Edinburg and McAllen); and Anne Arundel County, Maryland (where Annapolis is located). When
residents from these same older generations move out of Bexar County, it’s most frequently to: Comal
County (New Braunfels/Canyon Lake); Dallas County (Dallas); Kendall County (Boerne) and Travis
County (Austin).
For those from any generation moving out of Bexar County — and to other states, rather than
within Texas which was the primary choice for relocation — their destination states in order of
popularity were California, Florida, New York, Illinois, Louisiana, Ohio, Georgia, Oklahoma,
Tennessee and Idaho.
The vexing local problem of relatively low educational attainment shows little signs of changing
in the near future. The San Antonio Area Foundation, in its report on “The Impact of Dropping Out on
the Individual, the Nation and the State” described how almost one in three students in Bexar County
leave school before earning a high school diploma, with children and teens of color more than twice as
likely as white students to drop out. The Foundation detailed the “grim future” they could expect,
compounded by the issues of a changing workforce which will place more of a premium on higher-

skilled workers. “In the coming decade,” they wrote, “almost two-thirds of job openings will require at
least some post-secondary education,” leaving 100 million low-skilled job candidates to compete for a
mere 61 million openings. They added that for every dollar a college graduate earns in Texas, a dropout
earns 36 cents. Additionally, “high school dropouts are less likely to vote, volunteer and do charitable
work” — so even civic engagement suffers.lxvi
P16Plus Council of Bexar County, a collective impact organization focused on education locally,
also produced its own “Education Progress Report” in March, 2018. They noted that “today in Bexar
County, high school graduation rates are at an all-time high,” however “post-secondary enrollment and
readiness are declining, suggesting there is more to do to ensure students graduating from high school
are ready for future educational success.”lxvii They also reported that Bexar County high school graduates
are enrolling in Texas colleges and universities at a lower rate than the state (45% vs. 49%), and this rate
has decreased over time. Achievement gaps continue to exist among blacks (41%), Hispanics (43%) and
whites (51%) in college enrollment as well, according to the same report.lxviii
The Intercultural Development Research Association (“IDRA”), in its recent Texas Public
School Attrition Study, 2016-17, pointed out that progress has been extremely slow — “it has taken
three decades to improve (attrition rates) by nine percentage points” —and reiterated that “schools are
about twice as likely to lose Hispanic and Black students (as whites) before they graduate.”lxix

Strengths, Assets and Challenges
The City of San Antonio’s Department of Human Services’ (DHS) mission statement
emphasizes promoting lifelong success by providing essential services and connecting residents to
community resources. The Family Assistance Division within DHS supports that mission by providing
needed services to low- to moderate-income residents of San Antonio and Bexar County. Family
Assistance programs include: Financial Empowerment (financial literacy and debt reduction), Volunteer
Income Tax Assistance (VITA) (IRS-trained volunteers who help residents with their tax returns for
free); Emergency Services (utility assistance, both water and electricity, and rental assistance); Fair
Housing (help with foreclosures and evictions); and Training for Job Success (TFJS) (supports students
training in high-demand occupational career fields with tuition and fees, and wraparound case
management to help them achieve their goals).
Some of the successes of these programs include:
• VITA San Antonio served 32,045 taxpayers, an increase of 1,009 over last year, returning more
than $47 million in total refunds and approximately $21 million in tax credits to the community,
saving taxpayers an estimated $11 million in tax preparation fees. The VITA program also
assisted 573 taxpayers to complete their own tax returns, increasing their financial literacy as
well as their capacity to prepare their own returns in the future, without assistance, through the
IRS’ “My Free Taxes” tool. San Antonio was recognized by the IRS as the highest producer of
My Free Taxes-assisted returns in Texas this year.
• TFJS successfully transitioned 92 residents out of poverty through tuition assistance for job
retraining at Alamo Colleges with intensive case management support. TFJS includes
experienced case workers with many years of service to clients, and an array of strengths and
skillsets to help clients successfully transition out of poverty. The average salary of 2017

graduates who exited the program was approximately $53,000, compared to an average income
of $15,000 at time of intake — for a process that takes, on average, 18 months for students to
accomplish. The program’s return on investment for these 2017 graduates was $7.09, comparing
pre- and post-program earnings, and deducting program costs.
• Financial Empowerment provided an average of three one-on-one financial counseling sessions
to almost 4,000 (3,900) San Antonio residents through the Learn at San Antonio Public Library
(SAPL) and other Financial Empowerment Centers, reducing San Antonio residents’ debt by a
total of $2.9 million and increasing savings by a total of $310,000. Additionally, San Antonio
was recognized by the Cities for Financial Empowerment organization as a financial
empowerment “Expert City,” and is currently providing technical assistance to two other U.S.
cities who are working to establish financial empowerment centers modeled after San Antonio.
• Fair Housing assisted in the relocation of residents at five mobile home parts, providing support
for 23 residents to relocate to safe and secure housing in FY 2018. DHS also assisted 1,448
resident households to improve their housing stability through housing counseling and related
supportive services. They also provided 41 educational trainings on how to avoid housing
discrimination to 3,000 residents and 100 apartment managers and landlords.
Since 1979, the Department of Human Services has operated as the designated Community
Action Agency (CAA) for Bexar County. The Community Action Advisory Board (CAAB) serves in an
advisory capacity to assist the City Council in its role as the governing body for the CAA, and as
described previously is a tripartite board made up of community members, elected representatives, and
private organizations, all of whom represent the needs of low-income residents. Through regular board
meetings, CAAB members discuss and vote on issues and initiatives that relate to low-income residents

and concern the causes and conditions of poverty in the community. The board’s focus ensures that the
issues of low-income residents are effectively heard and addressed to inspire greater self-sufficiency in
residents, and to recognize individuals’ and families’ desire to make positive changes that can help them
rise out of poverty. The immediate as well as the long-term goal of the CAA is to reduce poverty in the
community. The CAAB advises the Department of Human Services and San Antonio City Council on
needs, concerns and goals of low-income persons; recommends policies; and advises on the allocation of
federal Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funds. The board is active and involved, with board
members rarely missing meetings and often going above and beyond — and the leadership provided by
TFJS is energetic and enthusiastic about its mission, sharing data and lessons learned, and increasing the
number and quality of public/private partnerships in the community.
Challenges fall into two main, related areas. One is that no one program can reach every resident
in need. As we found in our survey results, residents want more help navigating resources in the
community. Partly the challenge is to make residents aware of what services are offered that they are
qualified for; another is that using guidelines like 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Level can frustrate
those individuals and families right above that level who perceive that their needs are unmet, and that
very few if any resources are available to them because they don’t qualify. A bigger issue is, how much
of a brand or a profile does the Community Action Agency have in the community. Programs like
Training for Job Success, which has been very successful helping residents transition out of poverty is
virtually unknown, despite having been in existence for decades. No mechanism seems to exist for
easily publicizing the work of the Community Action Advisory Board, including the results of the
comprehensive Community Needs Assessment. This low awareness and penetration into the community
may in part be responsible for the constrained budget of the Agency, which relies almost exclusively on
CSBG funds versus having that budget met and supplemented by other funds. From a review of the

literature, as well as an increasing awareness of how other communities across the country function,
apparently the gold standard is the ratio of more than 7:1, where for every $1 of CSBG investment on
the federal level, $7 are contributed by other funders, including government agencies and philanthropic
foundations. (The figure also considers the worth of volunteer time.) In San Antonio, because of the low
awareness of what the Community Action Agency does, funding has been limited mainly to the federal
infusion, and the awareness and funding may go hand in hand. Certainly with greater awareness in the
community, more opportunities for funding might develop, which would result in greater impact.

Causes and conditions of poverty in San Antonio
San Antonio is characterized by very high income inequality and residential segregation, some of
the worst in the nation, with very little social mobility from a lower economic level to a higher one, and
concentrations of poverty, low educational attainment, and various social determinants of poor outcomes
centered around the downtown area, particularly to the immediate east and west sides, and to the south.
The north parts of the city enjoy comparative prosperity and better outcomes across multiple important
measures. Unlike other major American cities which have experienced waves of immigration over the
years from various countries, San Antonio’s has been relatively continuous and from primarily one part
of the world. This has resulted in conditions where multiple generations of poor, often but not
exclusively Hispanic families live in the same parts of the city over time, where impoverished conditions
persist over time, despite absorbing more people. Even as migration patterns change, and fewer
immigrants from Mexico move to the area, conditions have not improved substantially for San
Antonio’s least well-off residents of any race or ethnicity.
Additionally, overlapping poverty or “concentrated disadvantage” in the highest-hardship areas,
to the east, west and south of downtown create an environment filled with barriers to economic success,
educational achievement, and ability to experience prosperity on multiple levels. The city also relies on
a primarily service economy versus manufacturing, and its poorest residents often work several low-
wage jobs to attempt to make ends meet. Compared to other large American cities, San Antonio both
shares some 21st century challenges and has its own unique challenges which keep approximately one in

five of its residents in poverty, far more within certain subgroups such as single mothers raising
dependent children, children of color and the elderly.3
3
If you’re interested, you can read more about these topics in a series of articles about
“unpacking poverty” published by one of this report’s authors and curated at
https://unpackingpoverty.wordpress.com/.

Poverty and demography
Figure 13 Distribution of poverty by state in the U.S., according to the Census Bureau
As we can see from the above chart from the Center for Research on Poverty at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison, Texas is among the states with the highest percentage of residents living in
poverty in the nation, although there are a handful who experience higher rates.lxx

Comparative poverty levels: San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas and the U.S.
Locally, in Bexar County and in San Antonio, poverty is also higher – higher than in the nation
as a whole. Although we will look at these elements in greater depth, a summary would be to say that,
compared to their counterparts elsewhere:
• San Antonio individuals of all ages were more likely to be living below the poverty level (19.5
percent) than Bexar County (17.2 percent), Texas (16.7 percent) and the United States (15.1
percent).
• San Antonio families were more likely to be living below the poverty level (15.7 percent), as
compared to Bexar County (13.6 percent), Texas (13 percent), and the United States (11
percent).lxxi
• San Antonio married couples were more likely to be living in poverty (8.4 percent), as
compared to Bexar County (7.3 percent), Texas (7.3 percent) and the United States (5.5 percent).
Notice how much lower these rates are, as a whole, than other categories, too.
• San Antonio families led by a single mother with dependent children are more likely to be
living in poverty (42.3 percent), as compared to Bexar County (40.1 percent). When compared to
Texas (43.7 percent) and also the United States (45 percent), the percentage is slightly lower; but
across the board more than four in 10 single mothers with dependent children live below the
poverty line, irrespective of where they are located in this grouping.

As we can see from the above charts, there are more poor whites in San Antonio (207,969) than
Hispanics (201,572), blacks (25,481), or Native Americans (5,032). These figures and the following are
from U.S. Census Bureau / American Community Survey 2016 1-year estimate for income in the last 12
months below poverty by race and ethnicity.lxxii Looked at a different way, being “below poverty” as a
percentage of a racial or ethnic group, the percentage of Native Americans/Alaskan Indians who are
poor (45.3 percent) is higher than blacks (23.6 percent), Hispanics (21.4 percent) or whites (17.8
percent) in San Antonio. In other words:
• Although there are very few Native Americans (5,032) in San Antonio, a greater percentage of
them (45.3 percent) live below the poverty line.
• While there are more than 200,000 whites or Hispanics who live below the poverty line, more
than one in five Hispanics (21.4 percent) live in poverty, versus fewer than one in six (17.8
percent) whites.

• Blacks make up a small percentage of San Antonio’s residents, but almost one in four (23.6
percent) live in poverty.
Income and demography
Figure 14 Federal poverty guidelines for 2018
Figure 15 2018 Income limits for CSBG

The federal poverty level is set by the federal government, and adjusted every year. In 2018,
when this report was written, the federal poverty level was set to $12,140 for an individual and $25,100
for a family of four, according to guidelines provided by The U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS).lxxiii
Figure 16 Poverty over time since the War on Poverty
Over time, as we can see from the above graph provided by the University of California at
Davis’ Center for Poverty Research, the poverty level has changed over time as well as the percentage
of people who live below it.lxxiv Eligibility for various federal programs — including the City of San
Antonio’s Training for Job Success (TFJS) program as part of its Department of Human Services’

Family Assistance Division — is set at a figure relative to the federal poverty guideline. In 2018, San
Antonio residents were eligible for entry into the TFJS program, for example, if they and their family
live at 125 percent of the federal poverty level, a common benchmark.
Speaking generally, while those at or about 100 percent of the federal poverty level are
designated as “poor,” those at up to 200 percent are considered “low- income,” and those at 50 percent
of the poverty level — in other words with half as many resources as those officially considered “poor”
— are considered to be living in “deep poverty.” These designations become important to remember
because nonprofits often use one, two or all three designations – poor, low income and deep poverty –
when describing the populations they serve. A frequent program cut-off is 125 percent of poverty.
Figure 17 Population below poverty in San Antonio and Bexar County. U.S. Census Bureau American
Community Survey 2016 One Year Estimates.

Figure 18 Median household income over time by race and ethnicity
On a national level (United States) and over time, as we can see from the above chart, different
racial and ethnic groups experience different levels of income compared to one another – but
importantly these differences persist over time. Whites and Asians consistently out-earn blacks and
Hispanics, in good times (prosperity) and bad (recessions).

Figure 19 U.S. poverty rates by race and ethnicity
As we can see from the above chart, racial and ethnic groups experience different levels of living
below the poverty line, and for the most part these differences also persist over time. Blacks and
Hispanics are more likely to live in poverty than whites and Asians.

Figure 20 Child poverty over time by race and ethnicity
These differences are just as pronounced, and perhaps even more significant, when we look at
percentages of children who live in poverty, by racial and ethnic groups. Notice how the percentages of
children who live in poverty are higher than individuals generally, as shown in the previous chart.

Wealth and asset accumulation different by race and ethnicity
Figure 21 Net wealth by race and ethnicity, current U.S. Census Bureau figures. Left hand column
includes equity in house; right hand column excludes equity in house.
As we can see from the above chart, using current U.S. Census Bureau data,lxxv the picture of
how wealth and assets accumulate differently by race and ethnicity is quite pronounced.

Figure 22 Net wealth differs by race and ethnicity
In addition to income disparities by race and ethnicity, sociologist Thomas Shapiro, Ph.D., at
Brandeis University has also shown that wealth and asset accumulation differs sharply by race and
ethnicity, differences that also persist over time. In January of 2018, Shapiro spoke in San Antonio at a
panel discussion put on by the Asset Funders Network. In his book, “Toxic Inequality,” he describes
about 20 ways in which wealth accumulation or asset disparity is strongly different by race and
ethnicity, primarily affecting people of color (in this case, blacks and Hispanics) negatively. (His book

doesn’t reference Native Americans much, but in San Antonio as in many other places in the U.S.,
although Native Americans are few in number they experience deep levels of poverty also. In San
Antonio, they are the racial or ethnic group with the highest percentage of those living in poverty —
over one in four live below the poverty line.)
That also introduces the idea of “compound poverty,” that various factors can combine so create
larger or more numerous barriers to exiting poverty.lxxvi
Figure 23 People of color experience greater disadvantage re: compound poverty

Compound poverty
An important related concept is compound poverty, something that affects people of color
disproportionately — and San Antonio, after all, is a “majority minority city.” Compound poverty is also
sometimes described as “concentrated disadvantage.” But here’s a fuller description: “It’s also true that
poverty affects people of all races, genders and nationalities,” writes Gillian White in “Poverty,
Compounded” in the Atlantic, but it’s also true that poverty — especially deep, persistent,
intergenerational poverty — plagues some groups more than others. That’s because poverty isn’t just a
matter of making too little money to pay the bills or living in a bad neighborhood — it’s about a series
of circumstances and challenges that build upon each other, making it difficult to create stability and
build wealth.”lxxvii

Figure 24 Compound poverty by race and ethnicity
The most important implications are that even if whites, blacks and Hispanics are “equally poor,” they
still experience poverty differently. According to the same article in the Atlantic,
• Whites (16% of whom live in poverty in San Antonio) are more likely to live in a better
neighborhood, in better housing, and have better access to higher quality education and
healthcare;
• Hispanics (21% of whom live in poverty in San Antonio) are more likely to have lower
educational levels and poor access to health care;
• Blacks (23% of whom live in poverty in San Antonio) are more likely to live in bad
neighborhoods and lack jobs.

As you read this report and its findings, we encourage you to keep this concept of “compound
poverty” in mind as it relates to low-income residents of San Antonio, both individuals and families.
Figure 25 Poverty by gender over time
There are also gender differences: Women experience higher rates of poverty, year after year,
when compared to males.

Figure 26 Poverty by geographical region over time
Nationally, the South – where Texas is located – experiences the highest levels of poverty across
the country, and this distinction has persisted over time.

Figure 27 Poverty by urban versus rural over time
Finally, we can see that over the years since the federal government’s War on Poverty, started
with legislation by then-President Lyndon Baines Johnson, urban areas (e.g., cities) have experienced
the highest levels of poverty, followed by small towns/rural America, with suburban areas experiencing
the least. This is again important when we look at the landscape of San Antonio within Bexar County.

Poverty by household type
Figure 28 Many families in Texas are among the working poor

Although as we can see from the above graphic, many families in Texas are among the “working
poor,” still, some household types are more strongly associated with poverty than others.
Figure 29 Poverty by household type
Other ways that poverty is different by a demographic group is by the composition of
households. Is the household a family household, led by a married couple? Is it a married couple
household, with no children? How about a single person living alone, or a single parent, whether male
(single father) or female (single mother)? All those groups have different levels of living in poverty, and
these have also persisted over time.

Whether on a national, state or local level – county or city – married couples, with or without
children do better vis-à-vis poverty, and single parents, especially single mothers, do the worst.
(Although the above graphic is old, the pattern persists to this day.)
Poverty and gender
Figure 30 Poverty by race and ethnicity – and female gender
These same differences in likelihood of living in poverty are exacerbated by being people of color,
especially black, Hispanic or Native American, in addition to household differences.

Figure 31 Poverty by family type in Bexar County
A recent report, entitled State of Texas 2016: Race and Equity in San Antonio, funded by the
Annie E. Casey Foundation, in collaboration with Methodist Healthcare Ministries, shows the same
distribution.lxxviii Single mothers experience the highest poverty rates within any racial and ethnic group.

Taken as a whole, the greatest percentage of Hispanic single mothers in Bexar County (45 percent) live
in poverty, followed by black single mothers (40 percent), followed by Asian and white.

Children in poverty
Figure 32 Child poverty by state in the U.S.
On a national level, Texas generally has some of the highest child poverty in the nation.

Figure 33 Child poverty by race and ethnicity in Bexar County
Continuing the racial and ethnic disparities experienced in poverty, approximately three in four
children in Bexar County who are living in poverty are black and Hispanic, according to the State of
Texas 2016: Race and Equity in San Antonio report.

Figure 34 Child poverty rates in Bexar County by race and ethnicity

We can also see from the above graph, from the same child advocacy report, that greater
percentages of black and Hispanic children live below poverty in Bexar County – in fact, at similar
rates.lxxix
From the same report in 2016 comes this disturbing summation:
“Notably, almost 130,000 children in Bexar County live in poverty. Of those children,
103,000 are Latino, 11,000 are Black, 13,000 are White and 1,000 are Asian. But the proportion
of children affected by poverty within each group tells a different story. In Bexar County,
poverty rates for Latino (32 percent) and Black children (32 percent) are nearly three times
higher than they are for White or Asian children. Today, nearly one of every three Hispanic and
Black children in Bexar County lives in poverty”. lxxx
In addition to children of color,
another group of children with a high
rate of poverty is immigrant children. As
we can see from the previous graph,
which takes a look at the national
picture, children of immigrants are more
likely to live in poverty – especially
children of parents who are recent
immigrants. In the current political
climate, individuals are less likely to
reveal their immigration status, so
Figure 35 Immigrant children experience high rates of statistics are harder to gather because of
poverty
a climate of widespread fear of authorities generally and the risk of deportation. However, we do know
that historically San Antonio has been a center of immigration, so we want to at least bookmark the
concern, as indicated on a national level, that children of especially recent immigrants are more likely to
be living in poverty.
Seniors in poverty
Figure 36 Poverty rates by gender and age group
Seniors are another area of concern, because both children and seniors are vulnerable age groups.
As we can see from the above graph, on the national level, seniors are at risk for poverty, although a
lower percentage of seniors experiences poverty than children and adolescents do. Also nationally,
seniors who are female are poor at greater rates than males. The same pattern is true locally as well.

Figure 37 Poverty rates for seniors
In Bexar County, seniors are more likely to be living in poverty compared to Texas, and seniors
in both Bexar County and Texas experience higher rates of poverty than the nation as a whole. In San
Antonio, the poverty rate for seniors is 13 percent.lxxxi

Poverty and disability
Figure 38 Poverty rates with disability
Nationally and locally, poverty rates for those with disabilities are much higher than those
without, and disabilities include not only visible ones but also invisible, the whole spectrum of physical,
mental and emotional disabilities – all of which have the potential to affect employability (and ability to
mitigate and offset poverty).
In Bexar County, according to recent Census Bureau/ACS three-year estimates, for the civilian
non-institutionalized population aged 18-64 years old, 91,806 individuals with disabilities are employed
(14.23% of those employed), 61,352 individuals with disabilities are not in the labor force (28.96% of
those not in the labor force), and 6,541 individuals with disabilities are unemployed (or 12.01% of those
unemployed

Forms of disability include:
• Hearing difficulties
• Vision difficulties
• Cognitive difficulties
• Ambulatory difficulties
• Self-care difficulties
• Independent living difficulties
Veterans and poverty
Generally speaking, veteran status can go either way where poverty is concerned. More
disability, sometimes higher unemployment, but in Texas and San Antonio in particular, often higher
employment than the national average — and benefits (including VA healthcare), and the chance to have
a second career after “retiring” from the military, offset/mitigate risks. In San Antonio, having mapped
distribution of veterans, they are not living in places associated with high poverty OR wealth — but are
very well-distributed across the community. There are also a lot of services at the County level (the
Veteran Service Office) that veterans utilize, and there are many nonprofits which offer services to
veterans in “Military City.” In other words, we are an asset-rich environment where veterans are
concerned, on multiple levels. In more rural settings and in other parts of the state or country, veterans
may be experiencing more poverty than they are here.

Demographic trends
Now that we have a clearer picture on who poverty affects nationally and at the county level and
the city – often following the same pattern – we should take a look at the demographic picture of how
the population is growing, declining, or staying the same.
Figure 39 Population trends in Bexar County. Source: TXDot
In Bexar County, the population is increasing steadily, according to figures provided by the state
demographer. So-called “population pyramids” show the projected increases by race and ethnicity.

Figure 40 Population pyramid for non-Hispanic whites
Current age structures population pyramids show a large group of very young Hispanics,
compared to non-Hispanic whites, and a much smaller group of seniors, with more non-Hispanic seniors
than Hispanic seniors.

Figure 41 Population pyramid for Hispanics

Figure 42 Population pyramid for Bexar County, all races and ethnicities
Looking ahead to 2050 projections, we can expect to see age groups increase in population size
in the older years, while still representing the smallest groups of residents compared to other age groups.

Poverty and educational attainment
Figure 43 Poverty rates by level of educational attainment
A consistent theme in poverty research is the link between educational attainment and poverty.
You can see the disparities on a national level, in this graph from the University of Wisconsin-
Madison’s Center on Poverty Research.lxxxii These disparities carry down to the local level as well.
Those with lower levels of educational attainment will earn less and be more likely to experience
poverty – and these differences are exacerbated by race and ethnicity as well.

Figure 44 Poverty rates by educational attainment and household type
The graph above reinforces the disparity in educational levels, and also shows the overlap with
household type. Single mothers leading households with dependent children who are not high school
graduates experience the highest levels of poverty of all. The lowest levels of poverty are experienced
by married couples (with or without children) who have attained bachelor’s degrees or higher.

Figure 45 Educational attainment in San Antonio versus U.S. average, plus earnings at levels of
educational attainment
At the local level, we can see that when we compare levels of educational attainment in San
Antonio to the nation, we fall short in every category. Then we take a look at what the various levels of
education earn, San Antonio versus U.S., we see that we also fall short there. In other words, while we
have more residents with lower levels of education in San Antonio, compared to the national average,
we also under-earn compared to the national average. So a person with less than a high school education
in San Antonio, already at risk for poverty, will also earn less than his or her counterpart on a national
basis.
Educational attainment, usually defined as completing high school and achieving a diploma or a
GED, also varies widely within San Antonio. Like other metrics associated with poverty, there are
strong differences from one geographical area to another. In some ZIP Codes, more than 40 percent of
the residents have not graduated from high school. In these same high-need, high-distress ZIP Codes,

more than 20 percent of the residents may not have graduated from ninth grade, with a similar
proportion having attended some high school but not graduated or achieved a GED.

Material hardship for families can extend far past income poverty
In the research literature on poverty, there is a growing sense that material hardship creates
negative impacts across multiple domains. From an article entitled “Beyond Income Poverty: Measuring
Disadvantage in Terms of Material Hardship,” Neckerman et al. suggest poor individuals and families
both experience more hardship, and experience more persistent hardship than others — and especially
people of color. Their research involves something they call a “longitudinal poverty tracker,” and they
suggest that material poverty can be quantified by taking a look at:
“1) income poverty, using a measure on the basis of the new Supplemental Poverty Measure; 2)
material hardship, including indicators of food insecurity, housing hardship, unmet medical
needs, utility cutoffs, and financial insecurity; and 3) adult health problems, which can drain
family time and resources.” lxxxiii
Figure 46 Baseline prevalence of income poverty, material hardship, adult health problems and any
disadvantage

This research, some of the first of its kind, is important enough to consider in more depth. The
authors start by saying that “Our survey of New Yorkers confirms that we vastly underestimate the
extent of disadvantage among families with children if we only focused on income poverty.”
Adding in five types of hardship to consider, they included the following and defined them:
• Financial hardship — running out of money between paychecks or before the end of the month;
• Bill hardship — having electricity or other utilities cut off for nonpayment of bills;
• Food insecurity — reporting that it was often the case that the family did not have enough food
to eat, the food did not last (the month) or that the respondent worried that the food would run
out (before the end of the month);
• Medical hardship — having to forego medical services because of lack of money for care (and
it seems fair to add in lack of insurance here)
• Housing hardship — having to move in with others or live in a shelter because the family did
not have a place to live.
While San Antonio may not have much in common on the surface with New York City — except for
perhaps both being in nation’s top 10 largest cities — all five of these issues were cited by San
Antonio’s low- and moderate-income residents when they responded to the 2018 Community Need
Assessment survey. In fact, they all make the list of most important needs, as we will see later (and they
each have their own infographics in the section here.)
According to the results of their study, approximately one in four (39 percent) of families with
children experienced at least one type of hardship, with financial hardship (18 percent) and bill hardship
(17 percent) being the most common, followed by medical hardship (14 percent), food insecurity (12

percent) and housing hardship (6 percent). They observed that poor families were more likely to
experience material hardship (55 percent), but even among non-poor families, one third (33 percent) had
experienced material hardship in the previous year. Among non-poor families, material hardship was
most common among those just above poverty level, but even far above that, families were experiencing
hardship.
As we have come to expect from the history of poverty, however, people of color were
disproportionately affected. Rates of disadvantage were lowest for whites and Asians, and highest for
blacks and Hispanics. Approximately two out of three black or Hispanic families had experienced one
type of disadvantage the previous year, with more than half experiencing some form of material
hardship.
Additionally, participants without partners were more likely to face disadvantage. So were those
with lower levels of education (specifically, less than a college degree). Apparently number of children
did not affect disadvantage level.
Almost half the families with children experienced what the study authors called “persistent
disadvantage,” their term for people who reported disadvantage at the beginning of the study term and
also at the end. (The study ran for two years.) One third of the study’s respondents reported facing no
disadvantages at either end of the study.
Once again, people of color (in this case, blacks and Hispanics) reported significantly higher
rates of disadvantage at baseline, and also persistent disadvantage — when compared to white families.
Also at higher risk were unpartnered respondents, older respondents, and again those with less than a
college education.

These findings are important to reflect on, and may serve to expand on the theme of “compound
poverty” as it affects populations of color. Consequently, the study’s authors concluded, “These findings
suggest that in addition to addressing income poverty, policymakers should develop or expand initiatives
that address material hardship and support families who are coping with chronic physical and mental
illness.” “Examples of such initiatives include direct service provision, such as emergency food
assistance, eviction prevention, and respite care for caregivers, as well as case manager or navigator-
type services that connect families with existing resources,” they continue. “The results described herein
make it clear that the need for resources extends far above the poverty line.”
Figure 47 Change in disadvantage status over the study term for families

Distress indices
Distressed Communities Index
Over the last few years, several indices have emerged that are able to measure the relative level
of economic and social distress in San Antonio and Bexar County.
Figure 48 Distressed Communities Index map of the U.S.
The “Distressed Communities Index,” or DCI, developed by the nonpartisan Economic
Innovation Group (EIG), takes a look at a handful of factors and then gives each community an overall
“Distress Score.”lxxxiv As you can see from the map above, San Antonio is high on its list of distressed

“100 largest U.S. cities,” but not at the actual top.
Figure 49 Distressed Communities Index map of Texas, showing Bexar County
Bexar County appears a bit more favorably.

Figure 50 Distressed Communities Index map of San Antonio
But as the EIG drilled down into San Antonio, they saw what other indices have also shown,
which is that certain geographical areas of the city are in particular distress, according to the set of
metrics they use.

Figure 51 Four high-distress ZIP Codes in San Antonio
The Hardship Index
A separate mapping project of population characteristics in San Antonio used something called
“The Hardship Index,” developed by the Brookings Institution in the 1970s as a way to compare and

contrast the health of U.S. cities. (San Antonio was not among the cities included in its list at the time.)
The Hardship Index uses metrics associated with poverty, most of which overlap with the Distressed
Communities Index, but with some important differences. The Hardship Index adds several that show
higher social vulnerability, versus the more economic focus of the DCI.
Figure 52 The Hardship Index map of San Antonio and Bexar County

The Hardship Index was first used in the modern era by urban researchers in Chicago, and then
used in San Antonio.lxxxv As you can see from the above map, the areas of highest “hardship” in the city
are ZIP Codes that form a spatial distribution similar to a slanted “T”, which a broken crosspiece. This
T-shape that starts at the midline of the city and extends towards the near West and near East sides, and
into the South, is a memorable shape that appears on many maps of the city associated with high poverty
and high need. Similarly, the low “hardship” numbers to the North are also consistent across many other
maps of distress in the city.

Figure 53 Hardship Index map of San Antonio and Bexar County with the location of the top 10,
highest-hardship ZIP Codes dropped out for illustrative purposes

Social Vulnerability Index
Figure 54 The Centers for Disease Control's "Social Vulnerability Index" criteria
The national Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provide the third index of interest, which they
call their “Social Vulnerability Index.”lxxxvi While the focus seems to be on helping populations recover
from natural disasters, including increasing climate change, they rank the various elements they consider
to be an issue according to their four main domains of interest:
• Socioeconomic status
• Household composition

• Race/ethnicity/language
• Housing/transportation
Figure 55 What the CDC found about San Antonio and Bexar County
The above graphic shows how the CDC ranks Bexar County overall, according to the four
domains of interest.

Figure 56 How the CDC ranked San Antonio/Bexar County's social vulnerabilities
Breaking apart the individual rankings, though, and reordering them, we can see where the CDC
thinks San Antonio’s greatest social vulnerabilities are, particularly of concern in recovering from
climate emergencies and natural disasters.

Public health assessments
Figure 57 Public health uses social determinants of health as a lens
Public health generally has a powerful lens to turn on the causes and conditions of poverty in a
community, including their historical focus on identifying what they call the “social determinants of
health,” and also how trauma impacts poverty, via the work of the Adverse Childhood Experiences
study (ACEs).

Figure 58 How the World Health Organization looks at Social Determinants of Health
The World Health Organization (WHO) describes social determinants of health in the following
manner:lxxxvii
Determinants of health are lifestyle-based properties affected by broader social,

economic, and political forces that influence quality of personal health. These attributes include
but are not limited to education level, employment, income level and distribution, housing,
childhood development, food security and nutrition, race, gender, and stress. Such factors have
been shown to have marked associations with risks for different illnesses, life expectancy, and
life-time morbidity.
Public health is typically strong on collecting data and understanding how poverty, social
conditions and health — mental, behavioral and physical — intersect. Like Community Action
Agencies, public health departments often conduct their own Community Health Needs Assessments.

Figure 59 A selection of public health concerns about Bexar County from CountyHealthRankings.org
On a national level, a new public health data website, County Health Rankings, Inc., a
production of the University of Wisconsin Population of Health Institute, with support provided by the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has provided an overview of Bexar County health demographics, as
compared to Texas and the nation. (The interactive report is available in English and in Spanish.)
Of the 242 counties in Texas, they ranked Bexar County 115th, according to a slew of indicators
available online.lxxxviii The illustration above shows a few rankings where Bexar County is compared
with Texas, and then with a top national performer. Bexar County is very high on sexually transmitted
diseases, low on social associations (which are positive), high on violent crime, and higher than Texas
generally on particulate matter/air quality.

Figure 60 How the Bexar County Health Collaborative sees root causes in Bexar County
Closest to home, when the Bexar County Health Collaborative analyzed causes and conditions of
poverty in the city and county, they come up with what they consider the four most important factors,
which interact with one another over time. To quote their 2016 report, “Four key root causes interact
with each other in a vicious cycle, within and across generations, and contribute to high-risk
environments, unhealthy behaviors, and injury, illness, and death. The list of all root causes could be
much longer, but these four are core for Bexar County. Low income and poverty, including income
inequality and segregation. Educational attainment, including low literacy and health literacy. Criminal
and juvenile justice, including barriers to employment and exposure to violence. Adverse childhood
experiences (ACE), including direct victimization and exposure..lxxxix

III. ANCILLARY ISSUES:
Several other ancillary issues are in play with poverty in San Antonio as well, which deserve at
least a cursory mention — with the opportunity to learn more about them in other sources and at other
times. Although a full discussion of any one of them is beyond the scope of this Community Needs
Assessment, they all contribute — to some degree — to San Antonio’s unique challenges re: causes and
conditions of poverty in the community.
• It’s known to be one of the most economically and geographically segregated cities in the
nation, and these are conditions that do not appear to improve over time. Various sources clarify
more about what this means, but here’s just one quote. “When it comes to helping poor kids have
the chance to become stable, Salt Lake City is the Spurs and San Antonio is the Nets. . .The
average child born in Salt Lake City is likely to earn 4 percent more than the national average by
the time she is 26 years old. Here in San Antonio, that child will earn 7 percent below the
national average.”xc
• Income mobility in San Antonio is low. Income mobility is defined as the chance for children
born into the poorest families — in the bottom fifth of the income bracket — to advance into the
first. According to experts, a child born in San Antonio has only a 6.4 percent chance of
making that move. Income mobility is known to be tied to segregation and to income
inequality, but affects children with higher socioeconomic status less.xci The New York Times
also did a major piece on “The Best and Worst Places to Grow Up: How Your Area
Compares,”xcii and it states (if you let the article view your location), “Bexar County is very bad
for income mobility for children in poor families. It is better than only about 14 percent of
counties.”

• Generational or intergenerational poverty is an ongoing issue. Again, this is a topic where
multiple sources have covered it substantially. One always-interesting read that focuses heavily
on San Antonio is “Generations of Exclusion,” by sociologists Telles and Ortiz.
• The educational system, represented by more than a dozen separate school districts, is often
seen to be part of the problem, and lawsuitsxciii have been filed and adjudicated several times
over unequal access to education due to reliance on property tax funding. Jonathan Kozol,
winner of the National Book Award, includes a focus on San Antonio (Edgewood) in his book,
“Savage Inequalities” about educational disadvantage.
• Structural and institutional racism have been issues in San Antonio’s past, including
residential segregation because of banks’ practice of “red-lining” areas where different races and
ethnicities were allowed to buy homes, building in segregation that treated whites preferentially
and blacks and Hispanics suffered because of it. As painful as this practice is to learn about, it is
not unique to San Antonio and took place across the entire U.S., eventually being outlawed at the
end of the 20th century. NPR has a site devoted to redlining across the U.S., here.xciv

The “digital divide” that afflicts many American cities and describes who has access to high-
speed Internet/Broadband and who does not is acute in San Antonio. Pew Research has taken the
lead on spelling out the consequences for the digital dividexcv; but San Antonio’s own Jordana
Barton, MPA, at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas | San Antonio has brought this issue to
light; and spearheaded efforts to address the digital divide across the entire country. You can
read more about her work here (journalismxcvi) and in her white paper on the subject, here.xcvii

Figure 61 Literacy continues to be an ongoing need in Texas
• Literacy is low in Texas generally, and in Bexar County and San Antonio as well. It’s hard to
find recent statistics on literacy levels, but a few years ago the Junior League of San Antonio did
an exhaustive white paper — a full “Literacy Needs Assessment” — on what it would take to
change it; and it seems like those findings are still valid. The PDF they produced linked here is
phenomenal.xcviii

Figure 62 San Antonio ranks fifth in the nation, according to current EvictionLab.org data

Figure 63 Comparing current eviction rates for San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas and the U.S., using
EvictionLab.org data
Figure 64 San Antonio eviction rate by rent burden -- EvictionLab.org data

• Evictions are tied to poverty and certainly increase hardship for individuals and families who
experience them. Matthew Desmond, a sociologist who won the Pulitzer prize in 2017 for his
groundbreaking book, “Evicted,” notes that those who go through eviction often go from bad to
worse — in terms of neighborhoods and overall economic hardship and stress. Although eviction
data for San Antonio (like everywhere else in the nation) has been hard to find because it’s a) not
public and b) what can be found is only formal evictions, not the off-the-books type evictions
which form even a bulk of the evictions that take place. However, Desmond and his associates
have put together a national database and made that information public. With the above caveats
about it only being able to show a portion of the evictions that actually take place, it’s sobering
to note that according to Desmond’s group, San Antonio is fifth in the nation in terms of sheer
numbers of evictions that take place — approximately 27 households daily. Bexar County
evicted more than 30 households a day in 2016. You can learn more about it at EvictionLab.org
or create and download a San Antonio- or Bexar County-specific reportxcix.
• There is a reluctance or aversion among some residents, likely related to culture, about using
banks and financial products. Not unrelatedly, San Antonio residents apparently carry the highest
amount of credit card debt in the nation(!)c The Urban Institute published a dashboard for
financial health of various cities (residents), and the one for San Antonio is linked here.
• A similar reluctance or perhaps lack of knowledge about using bona fide legal transfers utilizing
lawyers, not notaries, and the judicial system to convey houses, property and businesses from
one generation to another. In Mexican culture, a notary may perform certain functions that have
legal standing; in America, notaries perform lesser roles and paperwork produced by notaries is
often not valid for the desired transfer. Multiple people during our Key Informant Interviews
related stories that hinged on this aspect.

Figure 65 Key drivers of income volatility, based on a report from the Assets Funders Network
• “Income volatility” due to flexible scheduling (on the part of employers), a development which
affects low-wage and less-skilled workers most of all and is prevalent in the hospitality and
service industries, can cause chaos with a family’s income. Hours and income can change
weekly, resulting in wild fluctuations in income, but financial obligations typically don’t change
except to go up — making it much harder for low-income families and others at risk (e.g., single
mothers) to plan for how to pay their bills. The Asset Funders Network has a brief on what
income volatility is, and how it destabilizes families, hereci.
• Youth at risk. Experts estimate that there are approximately 30,000 to 40,000 young adults in
San Antonio aged 16 to 24 who are not employed and not in school, a disproportionately high
percentage (personal communication, R. Flores, April 5, 2018; personal communication, R.
Lugalia-Hollon, May 18, 2018 ).

IV. MAPPING POVERTY IN SAN ANTONIO
While there are many ways to map population characteristics, including poverty, the following
maps are part of an award-winning, 2,000+ hour pro bono contribution by one of this report’s authors,
and are available on the Web for the public’s use.
They are presented here to be thought-provoking about what each reader can uncover about
poverty in this area, and are presented without the burden of much commentary.
In addition, the benefit of spending some time absorbing the message of these maps is that when
an “average” is presented — such as the “average” percentage of those living below the poverty line, it
can tend to obscure a lot. As you will see from the following maps, even within any particular average
there are areas of great distress. Consequently, looking further at the distress indices about the
population are also important, including using the Brooking Institution’s Hardship Index on San Antonio
ZIP Codes, as the result of the author’s mapping project.

Figure 66 Percent of population below poverty level by ZIP Code

Figure 67 Percent children below poverty level by ZIP Code

Figure 68 Percent seniors below poverty level by ZIP Code

Figure 69 Percent single mothers with dependent children below poverty level

Figure 70 Percent single fathers with dependent children below poverty level

Figure 71 Percent grandparents living with grandchildren (includes but is not limited to those also
raising grandchildren. Additionally, no reference is being made to poverty level in this map.)

In addition, the dynamic nature of Tableau means that you can use sliders to show the overlap
between two or more populations of interest. For example, ZIP Codes where there is a large percentage
of single mothers and also where there is a high percentage of children living in poverty. These six high-
hardship ZIP Codes, for example, have a high percentage of single mothers (labeled) as well as more
than 50 percent of children living below the poverty level.
NOTE: Instructions on how to use this dynamic set of maps in Tableau is provided by the
authors, here: https://satxzips.wordpress.com/instructions/

Figure 72 Distribution of median household income

Figure 73 Distribution of per capita income

Figure 74 Distribution of median home value

Figure 75 Educational attainment: Percent of those with a high school diploma or a GED

Figure 76 Comparison between third grade reading mastery and educational attainment. Third grade
map from educational collaborative, P16Plus of Bexar County.

Figure 77 Comparison between educational attainment and percent of households eligible for SNAP

Figure 78 Percent of those with less than a ninth grade education

Figure 79 Percent of those with between a 9th and 12th grade education but no diploma or GED

Figure 80 Distribution of bachelor's degrees

Figure 81 Distribution of graduate degrees

Figure 82 Distribution of percent involved in the labor force

Figure 83 Distribution of percent unemployed

Figure 84 Travel time in minutes

Figure 85 Percent using public transportation

SECTION II – RESULTS

V. RESULTS
Brief history of the Community Needs Assessment survey and survey methodology
Recent history: The 2015 survey:
In 2015, the City’s Department of Human Services contracted with Lloyd Potter, Ph.D., the
Texas state demographer, to conduct the 2015 Community Needs Assessment. The survey sampled
clients (customers) and stakeholders (often program staff) at 17 and 21 survey sites, respectively.
According to the report, 373 usable responses were received, 330 in English and 43 in Spanish, along
with 73 responses from stakeholders. Significantly, “Most respondents were 70 years old or greater
(32.8%) and 60 to 69 years old (22.1%), indicating that these respondents were generally senior
citizens.”

Their ranked choices from the slate of 31 possible needs are shown in the figure above. Also
from that report:
“Respondents were also asked to complete a Needs Assessment, which assessed 31 types of
service needs that they and their families have (see Figure 7-1). The responses that were
evaluated as Very Much Needed or Needed are reported here as the way to determine the access
to services. The most commonly stated needs were for help with utility bills (55.1%), help
finding a job (54.8%), computer skills training (52.3%), and help finding resources in the
community (47.1%). Additionally, participants indicated that needed services were programs and
activities for seniors (46.1%), prescription assistance (44.6%), employment opportunities
(44.2%), and food (41.2%) were needed services. In reviewing the top eight most commonly
stated needs, several were related to job and job skills. The services that were least likely to be
needed were finding child care, parenting classes, help with applying for public assistance
programs, and English as a Second Language classes. The distribution of unwanted needs
here likely represents the advanced age of the participants. Senior citizens would have
much less need for parenting classes and childcare, than those of younger age groups.”

Additionally, when surveying staff (stakeholders) a similar pattern of needs emerged.
From the report:
Block Grant stakeholders were also asked to complete a Needs Assessment, which
assessed 31 types of service needs that they felt enrollees have (see Figure 7-2).
Responses were separated into Very Much Needed and Needed categories to determine
which services were the most desired. The findings indicated that the top needs
stakeholders identified were programs & activities for seniors (74.7%), nutrition
education and health eating education workshops (69.7%), employment opportunities
(65.8%), and computer skills training (64.9%). The next most important needs were help
finding resources in the community (64.9%), weatherization (64%), affordable housing
(62.7%), and crime awareness and/or crime reduction (62.7%). Stakeholders generally
identified health and home-related services, such as nutrition education and affordable
housing assistance. But, senior-related services and employment-related assistance were
also determined to be highly needed. The services were least likely to be needed were
child care, parenting classes, neighborhood clean-up projects, and assistance with goals
and self-sufficiency.
The 2018 Community Needs Assessment surveys:
In 2018, we designed a paper survey, in English and Spanish, with an online version, in both
English and Spanish, to be distributed to not only customers and stakeholders, but also and importantly,
the general public. The survey (see Appendix) asked respondents for demographic identification, to
better identify their needs, asked questions about barriers and obstacles to success they perceived they
were presently experiencing, and then included as a last page, front and back, the survey questions from
2015 for respondents to check a box regarding need level on a Likert scale from “very much needed” to
“needed” to “rarely needed” to “not needed,” followed by “don’t know/not sure.”
The online version was available via SurveyRock, and top-level results — but not analysis,
obviously — were available immediately. The paper copies were primarily distributed but not
exclusively to all 10 comprehensive Senior Centers in the City, and were usually filled out with the
participation of a case manager from the Department of Human Service’s Training for Job Success
program, most of whom were bilingual and many of whom had worked with seniors before. They were

available to answer questions and be on-site for the completion of the surveys, which were then returned
and entered in batches by the survey developer.
As with the 2015 survey, responses to the last section which asked respondents to gauge their
level of need for 31 separate services, those responses coded “very much needed” and “needed” were
grouped together for an indication of need.
In addition, a separate survey (see Appendix) intended for delegate agencies, partners, 501(c)3
nonprofits, and any other service providers in San Antonio and Bexar County who provide services to
low- and moderate-income clients was distributed to 170+ respondents via personalized emails
addressed to the appropriate points of contact at various local agencies. The email was sent from
Minerva Hernandez, LMSW, NCRT and included a brief message explaining the nature and purpose of
the survey, and included an active link.
All three surveys – English and Spanish versions of the one intended for residents, both
individuals and families, and the so-called partner survey – were listed in a flyer prepared by the
Department of Human Services and distributed by DHS on social media, by Ms. Hernandez via email,
and by Ms. Casura via email, social media, and online listservs frequented by service providers and
interested residents.
Consequently, the reach of the 2018 survey, since it included the general public and more
nonprofits in the community, is wider/broader than the 2015 survey, and the demographics are more in
line with City of San Antonio residents in terms of age, prevalence of seniors (lower), race and ethnicity,
etc.. In the 2018 survey, seniors represented less than 30 percent of respondents (29.86 percent). In
contrast to the 2015 survey where almost a third of respondents (32.8 percent) were 70 years old or
older, in the 2018 survey, fewer than one in five (19.23 percent) were 70 years or older. For 2015 and

2018 the percentage of those aged 60 to 69 were fairly equivalent, 22.1 percent and 21.04 percent
respectively. The oldest survey respondent in 2018 was 97 years old, who was born here, has lived in
San Antonio her whole life, and in her ZIP Code (78228) for the past 18 years.
Figure 86 Distribution of respondents by ZIP Code to 2018 CNA survey of individuals and families

Survey results
VI. INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY SURVEYS
(Note: the above graphic does not reflect Spanish-language surveys, which are recorded
separately. Also completion rates for surveys is actually much higher than represented, for technical
reasons regarding the interface with the software and how it defines a completion. More than nine in 10
who started the survey completed it (90.79 percent).)
The surveys for individuals and families, in English and/or in Spanish, were produced in a paper
copy and via a survey link online. These surveys seek to elicit feedback from low- and moderate-income
individuals and families in San Antonio and Bexar County about current barriers or obstacles they are
experiencing, and services they perceive a need for in their and their family’s lives, and in the
neighborhoods (community). The bulk of the surveys are new questions, but the last section in the
survey corresponds to what was asked in 2015, to be able to provide a point of comparison. These
surveys were distributed in paper copies, such as at senior centers, and they were made available online
via survey links. These links were shared via email, on social media, and via a flyer that was distributed.

Brief demographic summary of respondents
Here is a look at who has taken the survey as well as a look at some of the responses to the
questions asked.
The average age of the survey respondent was 52 years old, born in 1965, calculated against
age in 2017 (51.80 years old).
Respondents reported having lived in their ZIP Code an average of 16 years (16.39 years).
• Seniors had lived in their ZIP Code on average 24 years (24.75 years)
• Non-Seniors had lived in their ZIP Code on average 13 years (12.90 years)
Respondents reported having lived in San Antonio an average of 33 years (33.47 years).
• Seniors had lived in San Antonio on average 46 years (46.38 years)
• Non-Seniors had lived in San Antonio on average 28 years (27.94 years)
Four in five survey respondents were female (81 percent), with the other 18 percent being
male, with one percent identifying as other.

The distribution by race and ethnicity was as follows, and compares very favorably with the
racial composition of San Antonio’s residents and especially its low-income residents, both individuals
and families. Of the respondents:
• 328 identified as white;
• 50 as Black or African American;
• 15 as American Indian or Alaska Natives;
• 4 as Chinese;
• 4 as Other Asian (for example, Hmong, Laotian, Thai, Pakistani, Cambodian, etc.);
• 4 as Other Pacific Islander (for example, Fijian, Tongan, etc.);
• 1 as Native Hawaiian; 1 as Asian Indian;
• 0 as Filipino;
• 0 as Guamanian or Chamorro;
• 0 as Samoan.
Respondents were not asked about biracial or multiracial status since that is surprisingly
uncommon in San Antonio, although a few respondents reported it anyway. Respondents were free
to choose as many races and ethnicities as applied.

Figure 87 Racial composition of survey respondents, compared to current U.S. Census Bureau data
(2017) for San Antonio
About two-thirds of the survey respondents were Hispanic (a combined 64.5 percent), and
the largest percentage of this group were of Mexican descent (57 percent of survey total), with an
additional 5.2 percent of undifferentiated other Hispanic, plus two percent Puerto Rican (2.1), and half
of one percent Cuban (0.5). A little over one-third of the respondents (35.5 percent) did not identify as
Hispanic.

Figure 88 Hispanic ethnicity of survey respondents, compared to U.S. Census Bureau data (2016) for
San Antonio
These figures compare very favorably with San Antonio’s Hispanic population overall, as shown
in this table using U.S. Census Bureau/American Community Survey estimates from 2016.
When Hispanic respondents were asked if they primarily identify as Hispanic, about two-thirds
said yes, with an additional one-third saying “no,” or “it depends,” split about equally.

If respondents weren’t originally from San Antonio, what brought them here?
Figure 89 What brought survey respondents to San Antonio
• More than four in 10 (42 percent) were born here.
• One in five (20 percent) came here because they had family members who were already here.
• 15 percent came for a job, which includes the military (e.g., Lackland, Fort Sam Houston).
• Seven percent came for school.
• Six percent came because of a relationship.
• One percent came here for health care.
On average, the respondents’ households had 3 individuals in it (2.67), including children.
(The average for San Antonio is 2.95, according to the American Community Survey 2016 1-Year
Estimate.)cii

The most common household types were, in order:
Figure 90 Household status per survey results
More than one in four households were composed of two adults with children (27 percent),
followed by single people (23 percent), two adults with no children (22 percent), an undefined “other”
(13 percent), tied followed by single parent females (13 percent) and single parent males (two percent).
Figure 91 Home Ownership per Survey Results
In terms of home ownership, six in 10 (60 percent) of respondents said they owned their own
homes, followed by one-third who rent (33 percent), six percent who marked “other,” which seemed to

include staying in a home that someone else owned or rented; and one percent who reported their
housing situation as “homeless.” The undifferentiated “other” category, which we did not have
opportunity to explore at length, seemed to mean, “lives somewhere that someone else owns or rents,”
such as grandparents who live with their children (personal communication, J. Chapa, May 31, 2018).
Additionally, “own” for housing may not mean “own outright,” with a mortgage paid off, it may
be interpreted as still having a mortgage and not owning the home outright. Therefore this figure for
home “ownership” is likely to be artificially high. (Personal communication, I. Fernandez, CAAB Chair
and low-income representative for Area IV, May 24, 2018).
In San Antonio, approximately 54 percent own their own homes, versus 46 percent who rent,
according to American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for 2016, so home ownership among
survey respondents was higher than the norm for San Antonio, and rental was lower.
Regarding educational attainment, percentages were as follows:
Figure 92 Educational Attainment per Survey Results

Results show a fairly highly educated pool of respondents, which compares favorably against
educational attainment in the City.
Regarding veteran status, most respondents were not veterans (90 percent) but one in ten
respondents were veterans (10 percent), which is very representative of the population of “Military City,
USA.” We also had some women veterans responding to the survey, a nice inclusion since about 15
percent of San Antonio’s population is women veterans, one of the highest in the state.
These comparisons, overall, are extremely favorable regarding the City of San Antonio’s
population distribution, and particularly its low- and moderate-income residents. Overall, the survey
respondents were better educated and had higher percentages of home ownership (although for reasons
just discussed that item may have some definitional issues).
In the next section, we will explore respondents’ answers to the survey questions.
Responses to questions about current barriers and obstacles in individuals’ and families’ lives.
In this section of the survey we move from straight demographic questions about age, length of
time in the ZIP Code and in the City, etc., into more meaningful, qualitative questions about experiences
with barriers and obstacles to attainment. These are important questions to ask for several reasons. One
is that the responses are able to provide far more detail about individuals’ and families’ lives and lived
experiences than simply checking off boxes about “need for services” does. Another is that number of
problems has been affirmatively connected to poverty (and ultimately to homelessness) through the
research literature, including the work of the great American sociologist of poverty, Peter Rossi, who
wrote in “Down and Out in America” about the accumulation of troubles among the poor.
The initial question in this section was intended to get people thinking about how many obstacles
they perceived stood in their way currently, and whether there were possibly several (compound

problems) which might ultimately respond to bundled services. We certainly have heard enough stories
anecdotally about these types of problems, so it seemed wise to start asking about that. Impressively,
almost everyone chose to answer this question with a response (95 percent) and almost a third reported
having “no obstacles at this time.”
However, more concerningly, more than a third (35 percent) expressed having “several” to
“many” obstacles in their and their families’ lives currently; and that figure rises to more than half (55
percent) when responses about one main obstacle, several obstacles or many obstacles are summed. This
is concerning because of the previous indication about higher levels of education among respondents
(and its connection to improved income levels) and also home ownership, although possibly
misconstrued, which is also connected typically to greater wealth and therefore more choices. This
question was limited in time to just now, so not asking retrospectively. In other words, more than half
the survey’s respondents perceived they had important obstacles standing in their way right now — or in
the lives of their families. In the open-ended questions, we get them to detail what a few of those are.
Q: In general, as you look at your or your family’s life, how many obstacles, if any, do you feel like
stand in your way of accomplishing your goals or achieving greater satisfaction?
Figure 93 How many obstacles or barriers did survey respondents feel they currently had

Q: If one main obstacle, what is that obstacle?
For those respondents who reported that “one main obstacle” stood in their way as a barrier, the
responses about what that barrier was included, in alphabetical order:
• Aging parents and their needs

• Financial/money/under-earning/unemployment
• Child care, including for children with special needs
• Disability
• Education: Trying to go back to school, and the barriers surrounding that
• Health, health care and health insurance
• Home ownership: Wanting to be able to buy a home
• Property taxes, including steadily increasing property taxes and income that does not keep pace
• Prejudice
• Retirement planning
• Transportation
Q: What are some of the biggest obstacles you and your family are facing, if any?

Figure 94 What several obstacles (if any) stand in your way? Survey results

(The previous chart is available online as an interactive data visualization, here.)
Respondents provided more than 500 responses here, and the responses sorted into the following
main themes, ranked in order of “popularity.” Please note that even though certain items showed up low
here (e.g., weatherization) while they were chosen as the #1 need elsewhere, it may be subject to
interpretation when respondents were asked to name the biggest obstacles they were facing.
• Financial generally, including managing debt and late fees — 60

• Education, usually meaning higher education, wanting to go back to school/complete
education, concerned about cost and not being able to afford it, not wanting to incur
enormous student loan debt, etc. — 55
• Health issues — 40
• Transportation — 38
• Child care, needing affordable and accessible options – 32
• Caring for aging family members – 27
• Employment — 25 (including for the formerly incarcerated)
• Affordable housing – 19
• Crime (12) & Public safety – (6) — 18
• Utility payments — 16
• Home repair — 15
• Disability, including disabled children – 14
• Need to earn a living wage — 12
• Car repairs needed – 11
• Health insurance — 11
• Cost of living – 9
• Income — 9
• Property taxes — 9
• Health care — 7
• Personal & time management, including goal setting — 7
• Other — 7 (very miscellaneous)
• Food and nutrition — 6
• Home buying — 5
• Mobility — 5 (all seniors)
• Neighborhood changes and safety — 4
• Dental care – 4
• Racial and ethnic prejudice — 4

• Recreational opportunities for children (affordable) — 3

• Parenting and single parenting — 3
• Police harassment — 3
• Eviction and foreclosure — 3
• Family dynamics & family support — 3
• Citizenship and immigration issues — 3
• Being ineligible for help or support (over the cutoff for federal assistance, but not able to
make it otherwise) — 3
• Mental health issues and counseling — 3
• Fraud — 2
• Home insurance — 2
• Income disparities — 2
• Legal issues — 1
• Prescription assistance — 1
• Veterans issues — 1
• Weatherization — 1
Q: What assistance would you or your family benefit from receiving?
Respondents provided over 400 responses here, and the responses sorted into several main
categories, in order of “popularity:”
• Medical/health care and health insurance — 67 (breakdown follows)

o Dental care — 25
o Affordable health insurance — 22
o Medical care — 17
o Vision — 3
• Utility assistance — 50
• Educational opportunities and tuition assistance — 29
• Affordable child care — 27
• Employment, including finding a job, part-time jobs, and anything job-related, including job
satisfaction, career changes, etc. — 24
• Transportation (including for seniors) — 22
• Affordable housing — 18
• Support and education on how to help with aging family member(s) — 15
• Home repair / help maintaining an older home (particularly seniors) — 15

• Disability-related — includes children, desire for employment while disabled, mobility and
transportation issues, equipment, etc. — 10
• Property tax relief or reduction — 10
• Case management — 9
• Food — 9
• Community engagement / being more connected to my neighbors and neighborhood — 9
• Family support, more counseling-oriented than financial, including parenting skills — 9
• Provider services for seniors (including housecleaning, checking on me, taking me to the
doctors, etc.) — 8
• Financial generally, including financial empowerment — such as learning how to get rid of
debt, learning how to budget, etc. — 8
• Help for first-time home buyers, including understanding the process — 8
• Mental health / counseling — 7
• Rental assistance — 4
• Living wage issues — 2
• Recreational activities for kids — 2
• Public safety / personal safety / crime-related — 2
• Lower-cost funerals — 1
Q: If such assistance were provided, how would it be -- or how would it be able to -- help you or
your family? (Please describe.)
The responses here varied but – except for occasionally suggesting other issues – were all some
form of how assistance would take the pressure off, relieve worry (e.g., about aging family members or
children while parents or other family members were at work or school, for example by providing
dependable public transportation so they could get to medical appointments), or allow individuals and
families to “do more with less.” For example, by getting help with utilities, they might be able to buy
needed clothing, like shoes, for their children, or have the ability to get some medical or dental work
they’ve been putting off.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to know? If so, please add it here. If not, leave blank.
With so many other places in the survey where respondents were asked what they thought, only a
portion of residents used this section to make additional remarks not included elsewhere. (If respondent
is a senior, some additional description is included to clarify it was a senior making the remark.)
• “Good community feeling. Truly the Alamo City is a great city to live in.” (senior, male, white,
lives alone, advanced degree)
• “I need help!” (senior female)
• “Senior facilities are helpful and necessary” (senior, female, black, lives with another adult)
• (Mobility) I would like to know about getting a walker. (senior, male, lives alone, white)
• (Need to) provide better legal services — not so expensive (senior, female, Hispanic, lives alone)
• Address housing issues city-wide
• Assistance with stray dogs.
• Barriers are temporary due to unemployment in household. Obtaining employment will minimize
financial and added stressors affecting health.
• Behind Dollar General in the Five Palms area — 500 homes are being built. There will be
10,000-15,000 more people in area. Definitely needed — centers for young children, young
adults, child care, etc. (senior)
• Being from San Antonio unfortunately not to many of us have a "go to" for family issues on how
to work through issues right and not wrong. My husband and I are from broken families but (at
least) had his grandparents as guidance for family life.
• Change in neighborhood development is difficult for those that didn’t see it coming to their
neighborhood. Unsure of my future.
• City issues building permits for development and redevelopment that does not meet minimum
legal conditions for access for persons with disabilities.
• U.S. DOL encourages police to track crimes against people with disabilities but SAPD doesn't. I
think they are targeted.
• Difficult to know where to get services if services are available - Where do I go?
• Financial help for college.
• For now, nothing, it's the house that needs help not me (translated from Spanish) (senior, female,
Hispanic, lives w/others)
• How can I talk to someone on a one-to-one basis about my problems? (I would like to) (senior,
male, Hispanic and Native American, homeless)
• "I am very thankful for all the public libraries, especially ones with adult learning centers.
Libraries are very important to have. Many people make good use of the services. Helps keep
one moving forward rather than being stagnant"
• I enjoy coming to the senior center (senior)

• I have problem(s) with my apartment management. The gate (has) been broken (for at least)
since a month. I live at...(and she provides her apartment name, street address and apartment
number.) (senior, female, Puerto Rican, lives alone, has only lived here for 5 years, and in her
ZIP Code for 3 years)
• "I see a lot of assistance is needed in my neighborhood. Families need assistance with childcare,
food, utilities"
• I work in the provider field and the elderly are really suffering trying to find $ for food/ medicine
• I would like to know who could or would help me with these problems. Like I said, I am a low-
income senior and cannot afford to pay for the repairs I so desperately need.
• I'm glad to have the Financial Counseling Services at the libraries to help me learn more on how
to manage my income monthly and expenses. It's been a great help to me.
• It would be nice for everyone to know about the different types of help they could get for their
needs
• It's important to note that while my husband and I face less difficult challenges at this point, my
children are unable to move toward independence due to lack of affordable housing. I live in the
Dellview area and am amazed on the outrageous rental rates for homes as small as a 2/1. Most
of these small homes go for between $1,200 - $1,600 per month. The formula to determine
affordability for a home is that the cost of housing be between 30% to 40% of the monthly
income. That being said, these homes require annual income of between $45,000 - $67,000 to be
able to rent a unit in my very modest (and below modest) neighborhood. Please, do something to
expand affordable housing opportunities for working families, working students and single
working parents. Thank you.
• Legal assistance for those who need help with small legal matters. Wills, POA, deeds, title
transfers
• Middle-class families are also in need of assistance
• More transparency, accountability, why are so many city employees, in upper management
getting rich with public service. With the quality of life here there is no need for city manager
and others to make so much money. Make people work, not have children they can afford.
Every day children die by the abusive hands of parents. Stop promoting alcohol, drugs, tattoo's,
glamour, 11th century religion, culture and preach power of hard work.
• My health is not good. Stops me from doing a lot of things. (senior, female, mixed race/biracial
AA and NA, master's degree, no partner but kids and grandkids)
• Need help deep-cleaning house (senior)
• "Need sidewalks fixed in the area of Prue Road to Country Dawn and Country(?) Elementary.
Neighbors need to keep yard clean (senior, female, Hispanic, veteran, living with others)"
• No, it (FEC) was a great help and an eye-opener
• Our sidewalks need repair. If either of us were wheelchair-bound, we would have to ride in the
street. That is already dangerous. (senior, female, Hispanic, unclear if partnered)
• "Police relationships with Southside community I don't know what they are dealing with but they
approach people as if they are criminals it doesn't matter elderly the young and especially the

under privileged. Also, the streets, all the vacant lots and dead end roads and over grown brush
everywhere it would be nice to see a manicured Southside like the amount of money that is put
into manicuring the Northside. street cleaning and empty lots needs to be cleaned. At Six Mile
Creek the grass is grossly overgrown around Las Bouganvillas area. No one is cleaning it up."
• The Training for Job Success program seems like a great program!
• There are too many homeless people begging on the street for money it makes me feel unsafe
• Who can I contact to get assistance for son?
• Who could help me to get rid or find someone to take my five dogs but (through) a no-kill
shelter? Cannot afford to keep them.
• Why are all the older, affordable houses on the Southside now way out of reach for anyone
wanting to buy a home?
• Why does our current government waste money going after sports related items?
• "Yes, the cement work in our apartment is very lousy, probably done by non-professionals, in
one big hurry.” (senior, female, Hispanic and Native American, single)
• Better health care (senior, female, Hispanic and Native American, single)
• More nice, well-built apartments for young families and older Americans (senior, female,
Hispanic and Native American, single)
• Low rent and health e(n)vironments (senior, female, Hispanic and Native American, single)
• You can also speak to my daughter about this survey. She could give you better answers. (senior,
female, Puerto Rican, in a couple)
• You could also assist with food, like maybe gift cards to HEB.

How survey respondents ranked their top needs, plus breakdown by senior and non-senior status
Figure 95 Overall ranking of all 31 possible service needs, per survey results

The level of detail captured in the survey re: demographics as well as the ability to visualize the
responses in Tableau allows us to separate seniors as a group from non-seniors, and compare them at a
glance, visually. The full data visualization is available on the Web, here, and it’s interactive so the
columns can be sorted — and tool tips show up when you hover over a choice to tell you more about the
selection.
We spend some time detailing the difference between the 2015 shorter survey, which captured
fewer demographic details and overly sampled the senior population as a way to explain how different
the ranked choices were in 2015 to 2018. We suspect it is because of sampling the general public, in
addition to customers and stakeholders (as in 2015), which resulted in a broader range of low- and
moderate-income residents. It’s also apparent where they were located in the City, from a look at this
map, which is away from high-income, high performance on multiple metrics areas to the north.
It’s also important to remember that seniors and non-senior adults differ sometimes in terms of
what they see as major “needs” — from affordable child care to more programs and activities at senior
centers. So we have taken the additional steps of breaking down the responses by non-senior adults and
seniors, to show where they overlap and where they differ, as shown in the following charts.
The previous chart, and the next set of four charts are all available as an interactive data
visualizations, here.

Figure 96 31 Service needs were ranked differently by 2018 and 2015 survey respondents

Figure 97 Service needs ranked overall and by percent of seniors and non-seniors

Figure 98 How non-senior adults ranked needs 1-31

Figure 99 How seniors only ranked needs 1-31

VIIII. TOP 31 NEEDS RANKED IN ORDER OF POPULARITY
INSTRUCTIONS: The following pages are presented in the following manner:
• Left-hand side: The spatial distribution of need, along with a bar chart ranking need from highest
to lowest. Right-hand side: More information about the need including:
• Its ranking overall, and then its ranking among senior and non-senior populations, since they
often want different things and it’s important to be able to look at them separately.
• A list of what the top 5 requesting ZIP Codes are, from highest to lowest
• What level(s) of need it fits into. This is a ROMA-related concept, that each need should be able
to be identified as a family-level need (individuals and families), a community-level need, and/or
an agency-level need.
• What other needs it might naturally bundle with. These suggestions may come from observations
from the data, the survey results (individual and/or partner), key informant interviews, or things
we know about conditions separately.
• Notes – this is a place for you to add your own notes as needed about community partners,
resources you know about or need to find out about, etc.
(Please note: Prevalence of need, resulting in these rankings, reflects only who responded to the
survey; others who did not respond and live in ZIP Codes not heavily represented in the survey (e.g.,
high-hardship ZIP Codes 78202 and 78203) may also be in need of these services.)
The entire set of maps is available as an interactive data visualization online, here.

(Continued on next page)

Figure 100 Need #1 – Weatherization

Weatherization
Rank #1 overall. More than 1 in 3 survey respondents (34.1 percent) requesting it.4
Rank among seniors: #2, with 26.5 percent of seniors wanting it
Rank among non-seniors: #2, with 37.4 percent wanting it.
We describe more about weatherization in San Antonio in a whole section, here.
Top 5 ZIP Codes requesting it:

78237 (The median year houses were built in this ZIP Code? 1964, so 54 years old)
Level of need:
Families
Agency
Community
May bundle naturally with:

Help with utility bills
Legal services
Notes:
4
We found a strong overlap with “help paying utility bills,” among seniors and non-seniors. Utility bills were high because
homes were leaking energy and needed weatherization. Also an overlap with “legal services,” since many did not have clear
title to their homes, which would present an impediment to participating in government-funded weatherization programs.

Figure 101 Need #2 - Crime Awareness or Crime Reduction

Crime Awareness and/or Crime Reduction
Rank: #2 overall, with almost one in three (32.6 percent) choosing it.5
Rank in seniors: #3 overall, with 23.5 percent wanting it
Rank in non-seniors: #3 overall, with 36.4 percent wanting it

78228
78210
78221
78237
78242
Level of need:
Families
Agency
Community

Public parks and facilities
Neighborhood clean-up projects
Notes:
5
There appears to be an overlap between respondents who chose this need, and also two others: public parks and
facilities, and need for neighborhood clean-up projects.

Figure 102 Need #3 - Health Insurance or Affordable Health Care

Health Insurance and/or Affordable Medical Care
Rank: #3, with 31.3 percent overall wanting it6

Rank among seniors: #14, with 16.2 percent wanting it
Rank among non-seniors: #1, with almost four in 10 wanting it (37.7 percent)

78223
78228
78240
78237
78210
Level of need:
Family
Community

Prescription assistance
Notes:
6
This item appears to share some overlap with those who need prescription assistance.

Figure 103 Need #4 - Employment Opportunities

Employment Opportunities
Rank #4 overall, with 30.0 percent choosing it

Rank within seniors: #15, with 16.2 percent choosing it
Rank within non-seniors: #5, with more than one-third choosing it (35.8 percent)

78210
78240
78228
78237
78223
Level of need:
Family
Community

(All the other job- and employment-related needs)
Child care
Transportation
Notes:

Figure 104 Need #5 - Public Parks and Facilities

Public Parks and Facilities
Rank #5, with 29.8 percent choosing it7

Rank among seniors: #17, with 14.0 percent choosing it
Rank among non-seniors: #4, with more than one-third choosing it (36.4 percent)

78210
78207
78221
78237
78201
Level of need:
Community

Crime awareness and crime reduction
Neighborhood clean-up projects
Notes:
7
As mentioned previously, this item appears to share some overlap in responses with those who wanted more crime
awareness and crime reduction and also saw the need for neighborhood cleanup projects.

Figure 105 Need #6 - Affordable Housing

Affordable Housing
Rank #6, with 29.1 percent overall choosing it8

Rank among non-seniors: #6, with more than a third choosing it (33.6 percent)

78210
78240
78223
78207
78229
Level of need:
Families
Community

Help paying rent
Help paying utilities
Transportation
Child care
Notes:
8
This seemed to overlap with “help paying rent,” perhaps making the need for affordable housing more urgent.

Figure 106 Need #7 - Counseling Services

Counseling Services
Rank #7, with 28.7 percent choosing it9

Rank among seniors: #5, with more than one in five (21.3 percent) choosing it
Rank among non-seniors: #7, with almost one in three (31.8 percent) choosing it

78237
78228
78210
78223
78245
Level of need:
Families
Community
Agency

Legal services
Assistance with goals and self-sufficiency
Parenting classes
Classes on healthy relationships, resolving conflict, etc.
Notes:
9
There is some question whether everyone who chose this response meant “mental health counseling,” not legal
counseling. There may be some overlap between the two, and some confusion. It was surprising high as a choice among
even Hispanic and black seniors, who via the research literature are not known to be heavy users of mental health services.
However, times may have changed and the need may be more obvious for families, etc. We certainly heard about the need
for access to counseling services and sub-acute mental health care from many of our key informants, including educators.

Figure 107 Need #8 - Neighborhood Cleanup Projects

Neighborhood Cleanup Projects
Rank: #8 overall, with 28.2 percent choosing it10

Rank among non-seniors: #11, with 30.5 percent choosing it

78210
78228
78207
78237
78221
Level of need:
Family
Community
Agency

Programs and activities for youth (12-18)
Notes:
10
As mentioned earlier, there appears to be some overlap between this choice and those who chose crime awareness and
crime reduction, and also public parks and facilities.

Figure 108 Need #9 - Help with Utility Bills

Help with Utility Bills
Rank: #9 overall, with 27.8 percent requesting it11

Rank among seniors: #6, with more than one in five (20.6 percent) requesting it
Rank among non-seniors: #9, with 30.8 percent requesting it

78210
78228
78240
78237
78242
Level of need:
Families
Agency

Help making my home more energy-efficient (weatherization)
Help with paying rent
Affordable housing
Notes:
11
This had some overlap with “help making my home more energy-efficient (weatherization),” since lack of weatherization
can increase utility bills.

Figure 109 Need #10 - Nutrition Education or Healthy Eating Education Workshops

Nutrition Education and/or Healthy Eating Education Workshops
Rank #10 overall, with more than one in four (27.1 percent) requesting it
Rank among seniors: #9, with 19.1 percent requesting it

78210
78237
78242
78245
78207
Level of need:
Families
Community

Food
Parenting classes
Child care
Notes:

Figure 110 Need #11 - Financial Education, Budgeting Classes, and/or Credit Counseling

Financial Education, Budgeting Classes and/or Credit Counseling
Rank: #11 overall, with more than one in four (26.0 percent) requesting it12
Rank among non-seniors: #8, with almost one-third (31.8 percent) requesting it

78223
78237
78210
78207
78228
Level of need:
Family
Community
Agency

Legal services
Help finding resources in the community
All the job-related domains
Notes:
12
There seemed to be some overlap between this and requests for legal services.

Figure 111 Need #12 - Programs and Activities for Youth (12-18)

Programs and Activities for Youth (12-18)
Rank: #12 overall, with more than one-quarter (25.8 percent) requesting it13
Rank among non-seniors: #13, with almost three in 10 requesting it (29.0 percent)

78237
78210
78223
78207
78228
Level of need:
Family
Community
Agency

Neighborhood cleanup projects
Parenting classes
Child care
Nutrition education and/or healthy eating education classes
Notes:
13
In survey responses as well as key informant interviews, we heard the refrain “affordable” recreational opportunities, not
just opportunities; ones available in the summer; and ones for residents who live on the outskirts of the city. There was also
overlap between this need and those who requested for parenting classes.

Figure 112 Need #13 - Prescription Assistance

Prescription Assistance


78228
78237
78221
78223
78242
Level of need:
Families
Community

Health insurance and/or affordable health care
Notes:
14
There was overlap between this and respondents who needed health insurance and/or affordable medical care.

Figure 113 Need #16 - Help Finding a Job

Help Finding a Job
Rank #14 overall, with almost one-quarter (24.3 percent) requesting it

Rank among seniors: #16, with 14.7 percent requesting it15

78237
78210
78223
78207
78228
Level of need:
Family
Agency
Community

Other employment-related topics, of which there are several
Transportation
Child care
Notes:
15
Younger seniors in particular continued to see a need for this.

Figure 114 Need #15 - Classes on Healthy Relationships, Resolving Conflicts, etc.

Classes on Healthy Relationships, Resolving Conflict, etc.
Rank: #15, with almost one in four (24.3 percent) requesting it


78237
78223
78228
78242
78207
Level of need:
Family
Community

Counseling
Parenting classes
Child care
Programs and Activities for Youth (12-18)
Assistance with Goals and Self-Sufficiency
Notes:

Figure 115 Need #16 - Programs and Activities for Seniors

Programs and Activities for Seniors

Rank among seniors: #1, with three in 10 requesting it (30.1 percent)

78237
78210
78223
78207
78228
Level of need:
Family
Agency
Community
May bundle naturally with

Transportation
Legal services
Weatherization
Notes:

Figure 116 Need #17 - Assistance to Attend Trade or Technical School

Assistance to Attend Trade or Technical School

Rank among seniors: #30, with 7.4 requesting it16
Rank among non-seniors: #10, with more than three in 10 (30.8 percent) requesting it

78237
78210
78245
78223
78240
Level of need:
Families
Agency
Community

Other employment-related items, of which there are several
Child care
Transportation
Parenting classes
Notes:
16
Sometimes when seniors request items like this, from their responses they’re thinking of a family member who may need
it, not themselves necessarily

Figure 117 Need #19 - Help with Job Skills, Job Training and/or Job Search

Help with Job Skills, Job Training and/or Job Search
Rank #18 overall, with 23.0 percent requesting it

Rank among non-seniors: #16, with more than one-quarter (27.4 percent) requesting it

78237
78207
78210
78240
78242
Level of need:
Families
Agency
Community

Other job- and employment-related needs, of which there are several
Counseling services
Child care
Transportation
Notes:

Figure 118 Need #18 - Help Finding Resources in the Community

Help Finding Resources in the Community (Navigation)
Rank #19 overall, with 22.8 percent requesting it17

Rank among non-seniors: #18, with more than one-quarter (26.5 percent) requesting it

78240
78218
78237
78221
78210
Level of need:
Family
Agency
Community

Child care
Transportation
Programs and activities for youth (12-18)
Programs for seniors
Notes:
17
Across the board, whether in survey responses from individuals, nonprofits who provide services to low- and moderate-
income clients, or key informant interviews, we heard the need for more help navigating what options are out there.

Figure 119 Need #20 - Help Paying Rent

Help Paying Rent

Rank among non-seniors: #19, with more than one-quarter requesting it (25.5 percent)

78240
78242
78223
78207
78210
Level of need:
Families
Agency

Affordable housing
Food
Transportation
Child care
Notes:
18
There was an overlap between this and responses to need for affordable housing.

Figure 120 Need #21 - Computer Skills Training

Computer Skills Training

Rank among seniors: #8, with more than one in five (20.6 percent) requesting it19

78237
78207
78228
78221
78223
Level of need:
Families
Agency
Community

Notes:
19
Most of the seniors surveyed were reached through in-person surveys (paper, English and Spanish) at comprehensive
Senior Centers. Many of those centers have well-regarded computer skills training available for seniors.

Figure 121 Need #22 - Legal Services

Need for Legal Services

Rank among non-seniors: #23, with almost one in five (19.3 percent) requesting it

78237
78228
78220
78233
78210
Level of need:
Families
Community

Counseling services
Helping make my home more energy-efficient (weatherization)20
Notes:
20
We found that lack of a clear title to a home could be the impediment behind not being able to take advantage of a
weatherization program, which in turn could bring down energy bills. Seniors and others seemed to need help with legal
services. There was also a need to educate on what legal services are vs. what a notary can be used for, since there is much
confusion about this in the Hispanic community, particularly among those with a language barrier or low educational
attainment, or recent immigration status. Also for guardianships and limited powers of attorney for family members who
were acting as guardians for children, but not because of abuse. They need forms with legal authority to make decisions for
children in whose care they reside.

Figure 122 Need #23 - Assistance with Goals and Self-Sufficiency

Assistance with Goals and Self-Sufficiency

Rank among non-seniors: #22, with more than one in five (20.6 percent) requesting it

78237
78207
78223
78220
78222
Level of need:
Families
Agency
Community

Counseling services
Legal services
Parenting classes
Child care
Transportation
Notes:
21
Case management, such as practiced by the Training for Job Success program, is an example of this.

Figure 123 Need #24 – Food

Food

Rank among non-seniors: #24, with almost one in five requesting it (19.3 percent)

78237
78228
78207
78233
78240
Level of need:
Families
Community

Nutrition education and healthy eating education classes
Parenting classes
Child care
Transportation
Notes:

Figure 124 Need #25 – Transportation

Transportation


78240
78207
78223
78237
78218
Level of need:
Families
Agency
Community

Child care
Help finding a job
Help paying rent
Food
Programs and activities for seniors
Notes:
22
In addition to the usual needs for reliable, accessible, affordable transportation (school and work) we increasingly heard a
need for it re: caring for aging family members, and residents not wanting to be forced to miss work or school to be able to
take their aging family members to medical appointments – but wanted to know they were safe doing so.

Figure 125 Need #26 - Adult Education or Night School

Adult Education or Night School

Rank among seniors: #26, with 10.3 requesting it23

78228
78210
78237
78223
78207
Level of need:
Families
Agency
Community

Assistance with attending trade or technical school
Notes:
23
As with certain other items (e.g., parenting classes) that at first seem not age-appropriate for seniors to request, from the
survey responses in particular it became clear they were wanting this for their children, who are often parents themselves.

Figure 126 Need #27 - Child Care

Finding Child Care24


78237
78207
78218
78240
78249
Level of need:
Families
Community
Agency

Transportation
Parenting classes
Finding a job
Assistance with attending trade or technical school
Notes:
24
Separately, we know of a lack of affordable, accessible child care in many high-poverty ZIP Codes, and an overall lack of
nights and weekend options (for parents who work increasingly popular flexible schedules, determined by their employers).
The 2015 Community Needs Assessment also made note that child care in San Antonio is oversupplied in the north of the
city, which is more prosperous, and undersupplied in the East, West and South.

Figure 127 Need #28 - Parenting Classes

Parenting Classes

Rank among seniors: #24, with 11.8 percent requesting it25
Rank among non-seniors: #28, with 15.3 percent requesting it26

78223
78237
78207
78242
78210
Level of need:
Families
Agency
Community

Child care
Nutrition education and/or healthy eating education classes
Counseling
Food
Notes:
25
As mentioned previously, seniors are sometimes requesting this because they see it as a need in their children who are
parents themselves.
26
While this does not seem at first glance to be a popular choice among non-seniors, responses from the partner survey
indicates that education about child discipline is frequently needed (and requested). There is also overlap between this and
those who ask for more programs and activities for youth (12-18).

Figure 128 Need #29 - Help with Applying for SSDI, WIC, TANF, etc.

Help with Applying for SSDI, WIC, TANF, etc.
Rank #29 overall, with 13.8 requesting it


78237
78240
78210
78227
78222
Level of need:
Families
Agency
Community

Food
Transportation
Child care
Notes:

Figure 129 Need #30 - English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes

English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes

Rank among non-seniors: #30, with 11.5 requesting it

78228 (12.10 percent of those in Spanish-speaking households say they speak English “less than well”)
Level of need:
Families
Community

GED Classes
Notes:

Figure 130 Need #31 - GED Classes

GED Classes


78228 (28.9 percent of residents age 24 and above are without a high school diploma or GED)
Level of need:
Families
Agency
Community

Parenting classes
Child care
Transportation
Help finding a job
Assistance to attend trade or technical school
Notes:
27
Even though this item is ranked in last place, note that there is still 10 percent of the respondents requesting it – so it’s
still seen as a need, just not a top need.

VIII. WEATHERIZATION AS THE TOP NEED FOR 2018 RESPONDENTS
Figure 131 Weatherization was the top choice in services needed in 2018 Community Needs Assessment

Figure 132 Weatherization emerged as “top need overall” in 2018 survey results
With no expectations of what might surge to the top of the comprehensive 2018 Community
Needs Assessment survey of low-income individuals and families in San Antonio, it was still a surprise
to see that “help making my home more energy-efficient (weatherization)” earned the top spot. This
need was chosen as need #1 from a slate of 31 choices for the city’s low-income residents, with more
than a third of the residents surveyed (34.1 percent) reporting a need for it. It was also in the second
most-popular spot on the list for both the senior population, where more than one in four respondents
(26.5 percent) saw it as a need; and among non-seniors, for whom more than one in three (37.4 percent)
desired it.

Figure 133 Distribution of aging housing stock in San Antonio per U.S. Census Bureau data, and top 10
ZIP Codes needing weatherization
Housing with energy leaks due to the age of the home and its state of repair, problems such as
lack of insulation, outdated and inefficient appliances, etc. contribute to energy loss and can cause high
utility bills. In a city with 300 days of sunshine a yearciii improving energy loss can be an important way
to reduce expenses, and obviously tied to periodic need for utility assistance, especially for those with
low incomes or fixed incomes.
When asked about the obstacles that stand in their way, various survey respondents who
responded to the individual and family surveys in English and in Spanish were vocal about needing
home repair as an issue — particularly seniors. Additionally, 16.6 percent of the partners, agencies and
nonprofit service providers who responded to a separate survey said that they are asked for resources for
help with home repairs frequently by clients they serve. Among those providers who serve seniors, 5.7
percent said that it is a need they are asked about frequently. Here are some of the comments we
received in the survey.

67-year-old Hispanic senior, female, lives with another adult. Lives in 78221. Has lived 45
years in her ZIP Code, and 67 years in San Antonio. She was born here, and she owns her own
home. She has some college completed or an associate’s degree. She says she has “several
obstacles,” all of which involve repairs:
“My house is falling on me. It needs major repairs. I cannot afford to pay anyone to fix it.
When it rains all the water comes inside the house because the roof is really deteriorated. I also
need my vehicle repaired because it needs a transmission that I cannot afford (be)cause I am on
low-income status. Therefore, I cannot make my doctors’ appointments for my medical
treatments. Fixing my house and fixing my car so I can get around to do my grocery shopping
and going to my doctors’ appointments (would be very helpful). I was also unable to go vote
because I have no one to take me to the polls and cast my vote. It would help me greatly. It
would take some of the pressure and stress off me. I would worry less. I would like to know who
could or would help me with these problems. Like I said, I am a low-income senior and cannot
afford to pay for the repairs I so desperately need.”
86-year-old Hispanic senior, female, lives alone. Lives in 78210. Has lived in her ZIP Code
and in San Antonio her whole life. She was born here, and owns her own home. She has less than a
high school education. She sees home repair as her “one main obstacle:”
“(I need) help with cracks in the wall. Home may be settling. Husband passed, now no
help with the home. Casa Verde will not assist with weatherization for my home unless the
electrical wiring is done to my house (first). This is a big obstacle that I am facing right now. I do
not have money to do repairs myself. If assistance with utilities was provided it would leave me
with more money to pay other bills and relieve some stress off me.”
80-year-old female, lives with another adult. Lives in 78226. Has lived in her ZIP Code for
41 years, and in San Antonio for 60 years. She originally came here when some family members
moved here, and she owns her own home. She has less than an 8th grade education. She identifies
home repair issues as the “several obstacles” in her life right now:
“(I would like) to get help with my house would help me from going outside to do
laundry. It would help, sometimes, to feel like I may fall down to do laundry and if it rains it
could be worse.”
Weatherization in context
On a national level, policy advocates note that a 2011 study from the National Energy Directors’
Association found that almost one quarter of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
recipients kept their homes at unsafe or unhealthy temperatures in the previous year, due to not having
enough money to pay their energy bills.civ

The research literature has also connected utility cutoffs with maternal depression in low-income
mothers, which of course would negatively impact children’s development as well, along with
depression generally — so there are psychosocial benefits for addressing this issue as well.cv (You can
also read more about that here.cvi)
We learned more about the topic from work done by the Texas Energy Poverty Research
Institute (TERPI), a nonprofit consortium, conducted a webinar entitled “A New Approach to
Understanding Energy Burdens in Texas” in August, 2017, with the content available on their website.
They define energy poverty as “a condition faced by many Americans in which the personal cost of
consumption needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle creates a significant or unnecessary economic
burden.” They also describe the adverse consequences on energy-vulnerable individuals and families,
including social, health and environmental impacts.
They make the policy case for why addressing energy poverty matters by citing the following
statistics:
• As energy prices increase, so does poverty. Across the U.S., electricity prices are expected to
continue to increase (due to capex, regulation, etc.). For every 10% increase in home energy costs,
840,000 Americans would be pushed below the poverty line.
• Texas has one of the highest poverty rates in the United States, with 37 percent of households living
below 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline. ($48,600 for a family of four.)
• The poverty rate is increasing for Texas’ minorities.
• The Hispanic population in Texas is expected to double by 2050.
• Low-income households in some parts of Texas pay 12 to 28 percent of their monthly income to
cover their energy needs. (San Antonio is at the high end of that range.)

• The Texas State Data Center estimates Texas Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) income-
eligible households spend 12.5 percent of their annual income on home energy costs, compared with
4.0 percent for non-WAP income-eligible households.
• Federal funding for weatherization is regressing toward pre-2009 levels, and state subsidies are
phasing out.
One of the statistics they cite above comes from a 2014 report, “Weatherization in the State of
Texas,” prepared by the Community Affairs Division of the Texas Department of Housing and
Community Affairs — the state agency that serves as our partner for the Community Services Block
Grant. In that report, it describes that
“The benefits of weatherization have been under study for many years. A report from Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, a contracted independent laboratory for the DOE, found that weatherization
generated benefits for ratepayers, households and society as a whole. The Nonenergy Benefits
from the Weatherization Assistance Program: Summary of Findings from the Recent Literature
report published in 2002 found that low-income households that received weatherization
benefited from improved affordability of their place of residence by reduced utility costs and
benefited from safety and health improvements, including fewer fires and fewer illnesses. . . . In
addition, the Oak Ridge report found that weatherization typically lowered costs for utility
companies as a result of the reduced rate of nonpayment and costs associated with collections for
nonpayment and fewer needs for service provision, such as emergency service calls. These
savings to utility companies tend to be passed on to ratepayers. Finally, weatherization created
societal benefits such as reduced emissions because of reduced energy usage and reduced
unemployment as a result of the weatherization program.”cvii
They also do a great job indicating the various factors that influence the size of a household’s
“energy burden:” household makeup, housing structure and appliances, material hardship, socio-
demographic profile and health-related needs. Although they break down each of these items further, the

one of greatest interest to us is “housing structure and appliances,” which they describe as being
influenced by:
• The age a structure was built
• Type of structure
• Urban/rural location
• Quality of insulation/appliances
Using the Houston area as an example (Harris County) they illustrate the issue various ways,
mapping U.S. Census Bureau and other data for housing structure by age and tenure; percentage of
households at or below 200% of poverty; households with disability; the presence of young children;
and electricity burden to come up with a map identifying high-risk block groups to investigate further.
They consider these groups to be particularly vulnerable: young children (five and under), the elderly,
and people with disabilities.
We learned from our key informant interview with City Councilman William “Cruz” Shaw and
his staff from District 2, that he had made weatherization and energy efficient a real focus after he took
office, encouraging residents in his predominantly low-income district to utilize funding available
through the “Under 1 Roof” program (personal communication, Danette Brown), a $2.25 million
program available to city residents, which has recently received increased funding. (The program was
originally developed by Councilman Roberto Treviño, City Council District 1, where it started as a pilot
program.cviii) Shaw utilized a mass mailing to constituents, enclosing brochures and other information
about programs available to residents, and then his office fielded calls and drop-in visits from
constituents who wanted to learn more about it. (Many residents in his district, in addition to low
incomes, are also living in older housing stock.)cix

What Councilman Shaw and his staff quickly found, however, was that many residents did not
qualify for the program due to other issues common in a low-income community, but infrequently
discussed. When we talk about “compound poverty” or “complex problems” that need bundled
solutions, this is a great example. The most prevalent barriers to being able to use the “Under One Roof”
or any comparable funding for these low-income residents turned out to be, first, needing to have their
property taxes current, with no liens on the home; and second, needing to have valid paperwork
establishing home ownership.
Unfortunately, as you learn from conversations with low-income advocates and knowledgeable
others, in this particular community, it’s common for both homes and businesses to be “passed down”
from parents to children but without any paper trail establishing ownership. This causes small businesses
to go out of business on the death of the proprietor, and for the gift of the house to be invalid from
parents to children. (It’s interesting to note how many times residents we surveyed mentioned a need for
legal help in their responses. The need for legal services was 22nd overall, with almost one in five (18.8
percent) requesting it. Among seniors, it was their 13th most important concern, with 18.2 percent
desiring it, and among non-seniors, it ranked 24th, with 19.1 percent reporting a need for it.)

Figure 134 Where respondents said weatherization is needed most
Because of the ability to map our survey results in Tableau Public, we are also able for the first
time to show exactly where in the city and county survey respondents expressed particular need for the
service (meaning it was ranked as either “very much needed’ or “needed” on the survey. Here’s a look at
those results overall, combined. We are able to provide this level of detail for the other top needs as
well, but we are using this as a single example of the enhanced survey and data visualization impact
possible for aligning with bundled services.28
28
The comparison maps and charts in this several-page section only refer to a slightly older subset of the data and may be
updated as time permits. While the rank order of need by ZIP Code is accurate in the 1-31 section, here the theme will be
the same even if ZIP Codes change slightly by rank order. A few do, but none drop out.

Figure 135 Overlap between Weatherization and Needing Help with Utility Bills
We were also able to compare and contrast the maps of where respondents said weatherization
was greatly needed with where they felt like they needed help with their utility bills. The overlap is
readily apparent. On the following pages more areas of potential overlap are indicated.

IX. POSSIBLE NEED OVERLAPS BY ZIP CODE
Figure 136 Overlap between Affordable Housing and Needing Help Paying Rent

Figure 137 Overlap between Affordable Housing and Needing Help with Utility Bills

Figure 138 Overlap between Health Insurance/Affordable Medical Care and Prescription Assistance

Figure 139 Financial Education, Budgeting and/or Credit Counseling and Need for Legal Services

Figure 140 Overlap between Crime Awareness and Crime Reduction, Public Parks and Facilities, and
Neighborhood Cleanup

Figure 141 Programs and Activities for Youth (12-18) and Parenting Classes

Figure 142 - Four job-related needs, combined

X. PARTNER SURVEYS
Figure 143 Partner Surveys Returned
In the summer of 2018, we also asked delegate partners, agencies and nonprofits
(typically 501(c)3 providers, to answer a short survey about needs they see and gaps in services, as well
as related questions, such as who they typically partner with, where their organizations have waiting lists
(for what services), what additional services they wish they could offer or could be made available
locally, and so forth. The partner survey strove to elicit feedback on most-utilized and most asked-for
services, and gaps in services, among providers to low- and moderate-income clients in San Antonio and
Bexar County. A more limited version of the survey, without the exploratory questions and a few of the
categories, but substantially similar had been conducted jointly in Napa and Solano counties in Northern
California recently. With a combined population of 581,373 residents, this survey produced 15
responses and 13 usable results.

As with the individuals and families survey described previously, our completion rate was much
closer than the above graphic indicates. All 137 who responded provided substantial information
throughout the survey; 120 provided answers to every question. In addition there were several paper
surveys from a pilot/testing phase that brought the total number of responses above 140.
Who took the survey
The online-only survey went out to partner agencies, nonprofits and other service providers by
email, by Facebook, and via a popular listserv of providers in the community. There are approximately
170 such agencies and nonprofits in Bexar County, members of the Nonprofit Council, and to date we
have received responses from most of those respondents. Additionally, a few other agencies and
nonprofits were included by being emailed directly, or found out about the survey via the online link
distributed on a listserv to providers.
A list of responding service providers includes, but is not limited to:
• Aid the Silent

• Alamo Area Rape Crisis Center
• Alpha Home
• American GI Forum
• American Heart Association
• The Arc of San Antonio
• AVANCE
• BCFS Health and Human Services
• Bexar County Veterans Service Office
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas
• Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio
• Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of San Antonio
• Center for Health Care Services
• Center for Health Care Services - Integrated Treatment Program dual-diagnosis dorm (and formerly Supported
Housing program)
• Center for Refugee Services
• Center on Independent Living (COIL)
• Child Advocates of San Antonio (CASA)
• The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio
• The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio — CHRISTUS Santa Rosa
• The Children’s Shelter

• Chosen Care, Inc.

• Chronic Pain Resource Center of South Texas
• Church Under the Bridge
• Clarity Child Guidance Center
• Communities In Schools
• Communities in Schools of San Antonio
• CONNECT+ABILITY
• Down Syndrome Association of South Texas
• Dress for Success
• Dress for Success San Antonio & Career Gear San Antonio
• Family Service Association of San Antonio, Inc.
• Girls, Inc. of San Antonio
• Goodwill Industries of San Antonio
• Guardian House Parenting Program
• Guide Dogs of Texas
• Habitat for Humanity of South Texas
• Harlandale ISD
• Haven for Hope
• Healthy Futures of Texas
• Healy-Murphy Center
• I Care San Antonio
• Jewish Family Service
• King’s Compassion
• LiftFund
• Madonna Neighborhood Centers, Inc.
• Martinez Street Women’s Center
• Meals on Wheels San Antonio
• Merced Housing Texas
• Montgomery Elementary School (NEISD)
• MzDeezDrama Productions
• Northeast Senior Assistance
• P.E.A.C.E. Initiative
• Project Angel Fares
• Project Brave
• Project Quest
• Providence Place
• Ride Connect Texas
• River City Advocacy & Counseling Center
• SA Youth
• SAMMinistries
• San Antonio AIDS Foundation
• San Antonio Clubhouse
• San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Awareness (SACADA)
• San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA)
• San Antonio Humane Society
• San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology (SAMSAT)
• San Antonio State Hospital (SASH)
• SAY Sí
• SLEW Cancer Wellness Center

• South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH)

• Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children
• TEAMability
• Texas Burn Survivor Society
• Texas Department of State Health Services – Specialized Health and Social Services
• Texas Family Protective Services and Texas Child Protective Services (DFSP/CPS)
• Texas Kidney Foundation
• THRU Project
• University Health System — FFACTS Clinic
• Urban-15 Group
• USA-SA Bully Free Campaign
• Voices for Children of San Antonio
• YMCA of Greater San Antonio
• Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of San Antonio
Taken together, these nonprofit partners represent over 4,800 years of service to low-
income San Antonio and Bexar County residents, at-risk individuals and families — for an
average of 41 years of service to the community. They also report serving a combined 263,680 to
645,800 clients a year, according to their accounts, or an average of between 2,293 and 6,798
annually.
NOTE: We allowed respondents the opportunity to respond anonymously, and fewer than one in
four (24.4 percent) took that opportunity. The rest provided agency or organizational name and
respondent’s name and title. Most were executive directors of their agencies or organizations; but
presidents and CEOs, program directors, program managers, and case worker/social workers were also
represented. The respondents who answered anonymously typically provided full information
throughout the survey, including about their agency or organization — just not the identifying name.
(The following charts and graphs that illustrate results of the Partner survey are all available as
interactive data visualizations, here.)cx

Figure 144 Nonprofit needs ranked by count per Partner Survey results

These agencies and nonprofits also serve a large number of clients in a year, as we see from the
following:
Figure 145 Nonprofit clients served annually per Partner Survey results
These agencies, partners and nonprofits represent a diverse set of focus areas, as shown in the
following infographic:
Figure 146 Nonprofit types per Partner Survey results

They also represent a distribution of organizational types:
Figure 147 Nonprofit or agency service focus areas per results of Partner Survey
“Other” included:
• Affordable Housing (4)

• Arts (1)
• Disability services (1)
• Hospice (1)
• Housing or Housing and Employment (2)
• Job training and job placement with wrap around support services (1)
• Mentoring (1)
• Public school district (1)
• Senior Services (1)
• Service Members (1)
• Workforce Development (2)
• Youth Development / Youth Development & Arts and Culture (2)

Figure 148 Interest in connecting further per results of Partner Survey
Because of the great importance in partnering with other providers, as part of the “bundled
services” approach, we asked respondents if they would be interested in connecting further with other
providers surveyed around topics of mutual interest. More than half (56 percent) reported that they
would be.
We also asked what areas of interest they might want to explore further, per the previous
question. Their responses included:
• Sustainable medication funding assistance for those who cannot afford it

• Affordable housing options
• 1. Linking Parents/Grandparents with children ages 0-3 years old to resources in our community.
• 2. Establishing a bridge for ISD's and NPO's to discuss early childhood efforts underway
(exploration phase for new innovative ideas and partnerships)
• 3. Parent Focus group to assess needs of parents/caretakers of young children and other needs.
• Addressing the needs of the elderly poor, especially as this population grows in San Antonio
• Adverse childhood experiences and its relationship to cardiovascular health. Social determinants
of health
• Affordable housing, domestic violence
• Affordable housing, rental assistance, car repair assistance, home repair assistance, and/or lawn
or yard maintenance.
• All School District Transparency with Statistic information regarding bully/hate behavior, Teen
Suicide attempt reports, Disciplinary, Funding for Bully prevention programs etc.
• Animal health and wellbeing
• Any topic that is useful for families in need.
• Anything workforce development-related.

• Behavioral health intervention in schools; Special Education Advocacy; Mentorship programs;

access to behavioral healthcare services
• Blind Services and Service Dogs
• Bringing Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programming to San Antonio area schools,
expanding programs to proactively address healthy relationship skills to younger children such as
K-5.
• chronic pain, adult disability with limited social support
• Collaboration amongst providers.
• Creating common systems of youth supports across Bexar County (physical, social and
emotional)
• Early childhood education and childcare; high school graduation rates/dropout prevention;
children and adolescent mental health; teen parenting; trauma informed care and education
• "Educating parents about specific practices to help a child increase literacy skills
• The importance of early intervention "
• Emergency resources for personal disaster victims, such as losing everything in a fire.
• Family Services, adoption, foster care, transitional housing
• Filling in the gap of resources for low income, young adults.
• Foster Care, homelessness, mental health services, transitional living, education and employment
services and parent and youth training
• Fundraising for non-profits
• Health education, educational attainment.
• Healthcare
• Home repair and modifications to allow aging in place
• Homelessness; domestic violence; affordable housing.
• Housing, Landlord
• how to meet the needs of children who cannot start Head Start right away due to their DOB
• IMPACT OF FAMILY VIOLENCE
• Mental Health
• Mental health
• Mental Health; Legal System
• Nonprofit leadership/Management, fundraising, engaging marginalized communities.
• Not sure--there are several. Continuum of early learning birth to school; maternal-child health;
trauma/ toxic stress and continuum of services and practices to address/ ameliorate.
• Postpartum depression, parenting children in the age of social media, mental health, community
collaboration
• Safe communities, mental health/trauma resources for kids and families, bullying prevention
• Safety Home Repairs for Seniors. Roof, Windows, Ramps, Bathroom and Bedroom Bars
• Service enhanced housing, affordable housing, chronic homelessness, youth homelessness
• Services for foster youth aging out of the system; support into adulthood.
• Social justice and racial equity, Creative Youth Development, Arts and Culture
• STEM Education
• Streamlining and easier access to community services
• Teen Pregnancy, Pregnancy in general
• The walk of a family through all their services needs and which agencies they are touched by.

• Transportation, Seniors and people with disabilities issues, isolation, grief and loss.
• Various topics.
• Working with a disability
• Youth Development
Responses to questions about needs and unmet needs about clients served
In this section, we take a look at responses within categories of service provided. The survey
responses are ranked most prevalent to least prevalent. The first infographic in each set is by number of
responses; the second is by percentage of responses.
NOTE: Several of the questions are more geared to the general audience of respondents, and
some would be geared to respondents who offer services in particular domains. Take note of the
responses to the more general questions in particular:
Q1. Of the following list of help with basic needs, which are requested by the clients you serve?
(Choose all that apply)
Figure 149 Ranked order of basic needs per Partner Survey responses

If other, please describe:
• (Medication funding assistance - see below)

• Affordable homeownership
• Animal care
• Assistance with health needs
• Assistance with school matters
• Autism Diagnosis, Education, Resources, Training
• Behavior support for their children or young adolescent
• Cell phones
• Day care
• Emergency shelter
• Employment
• Employment
• Ensure, Glucerna
• Eye care
• Furniture
• Help with prescriptions and medical supplies
• Home modifications, prescriptions, DME equipment
• LEGAL HELP, WE NEED ACCESSIBLE AFFORDABLE ATTORNEYS
• Mediation Services
• Medicaid
• Medical assistance (medicines)
• Medical services, prescription assistance
• Medical/mental health service assistance
• Parent request how to deal with and reporting bully behavior
• Percussion supplies
• Quality Early Childhood Education & Care
• Referrals for all other basic needs services mentioned above
• School supplies
• Supportive Housing
• Training and jobs
• Workforce development services

Q2. Of the following list of resources, which are requested by the clients you serve? (Choose all
that apply)
Figure 150 Ranked order of resources needed per Partner Survey responses
• Animal Care • In-school counseling services

• Blind services • Information regarding bully prevention
• Bus passes; anything related to disability and reporting
assistance • Long wait time to access mental health
• Childcare for 3 year olds • Medical/Dental financial assistance
• Educational opportunities • Mental Health
• Equipment and communication device • Minor home repair and maintenance
assessment and recommendation assistance
• Hearing aids • Moving vans
• Home modifications • Rental Assistance
• In-home assistance • Rides for medical and personal errands

Q3. Of the following list of support services, which are requested by the clients you serve? (Choose
all that apply)
Figure 151 Ranked order of support services needed per Partner Survey responses
• Bully prevention and teen suicide prevention education

• Caregiver support, in home assistance, in home psychotherapy.
• Child support case assistance
• Employment assistance
• Filing for Medicaid
• Free medical clinics information
• GED/High School information
• Healthcare assistance
• Insurance coverage
• Rental Assistance
• Schools and disabled children
• Support with Guide Dog
• Transportation for medical, grocery, church, etc.
• Will preparation, home maintenance, home budget and finances, code compliance, neighborhood
safety, conflict resolution, landscaping, community involvement

Q13. Of the following list of socio-emotional health and well-being services or needs, which are
requested by the clients you serve? (Choose all that apply)
Figure 152 Ranked order of socio-emotional health services needed per Partner Survey
• Affordable psychiatric services, Medicaid psychiatrist, PTSD, psychotherapy

• Conflict resolution
• Grief support
• Parent support (for those) who have children with severe, multiple disabilities.
• Parenting for mothers and fathers with children ages 0-3 years old
• Referral for services
• Relational training
• Social emotional learning (SEL) in education
The responses that follow relate to specific domains of interest to a portion of the providers:

Q4. Of the following list of adult education and employment services or needs, which are requested by
the clients you serve? (Choose all that apply)
Figure 153 Ranked order of adult education and employment services needed per Partner Survey
• Adult education on hate prevention

• Mentoring and tutoring for adult learners
• Money for testing
• Pet training
• Referrals for non-checked services above, plus others
• Sexual health information for their child

Q5. Of the following list of child development services, which are requested by the clients you
serve? (Choose all that apply)
Figure 154 Ranked order of child development services needed per Partner Survey
• Active learning services

• After school programs
• Application for 504 services
• Arts Education, Social Emotional skill building
• Autism
• Bully Prevention and Teen Suicide prevention Education
• Child mental health services
• Childcare/Afterschool Programs
• Drug prevention
• Reading on Grade Level
• Technical education

Q6. Of the following list of services for people with disabilities, which are requested by the clients
you serve? (Choose all that apply)
Figure 155 Ranked order of services needed for People with Disabilities per Partner Survey responses
• (Medication assistance - see below)

• Cortical visuals impairment assessment and program
• Day-hab services; services for caregivers
• Drug (abuse) prevention
• Eye care
• Home health care for people without health insurance
• Home health care services
• I'm not certain what you mean by people with disabilities, I answered for our clients that receive
Social Security Disability, but I am not sure if you mean intellectual disabilities.
• referrals for services for any of the above-mentioned
• Respite care
• Respite care for parents
• SSI
• SVCS. FOR VICTIMS OF FAMILY VIOLENCE

Q7. Of the following list of family health information or services, which are requested by the
clients you serve? (Choose all that apply)
Figure 156 Ranked order of Family Health information or services needed per Partner Survey responses
• Adult children drug use

• Alzheimer’s education, caregiver support, mental health services, psychiatric services.
• Drug Treatment
• Eye care
• Hearing checkups, hearing aids, sign language interpretation for appointments, speech therapy,
sign language lessons for families
• Low cost or free clinics
• Pet health
• REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, ISSUES OF SEXUALITY
• Teen pregnancy prevention

Q8. Of the following list of services for justice-involved individuals and families, which are
requested by the clients you serve? (Choose all that apply)
Figure 157 Ranked order of services needed for Justice-Involved Individuals and Families per Partner
Survey responses
• Appealing denied services, referrals to Disability Rights Texas

• Drug Prevention
• Education after release
• Education and related criminal justice matters
• (Criminal record) expungement
• Legal aid
• Mandated community service hours
• Sexual Assault Support Services
• Sexual health education as mandated by the juvenile court

Q9. Of the following list of parenting topics, which are requested by the clients you serve?
(Choose all that apply)
Figure 158 Ranked order of Parenting topics per Partner Survey responses
• Accessible therapy in school so parents do not lose income

• Active learning and communication for children with severe multiple disabilities
• Afterschool activities
• ALTERNATIVES TO CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
• Autism and Special Ed
• Behavioral interventions
• Communicating with school
• Discipline
• discussing sexual health with children
• Drug prevention
• Education on Bully Prevention and Teen Suicide Prevention
• Family counseling, parenting children with behavioral problems, ADHD
• Parent and family engagement in education
• Social and emotional learning, healthy relationship skills
• Summer care for children ages 3 to 4 years old.
• Summer food assistance; scholarships/educational resources for parents

Q10. Of the following list of services for pregnant women, which are requested by the clients you
serve? (Choose all that apply)
Figure 159 Ranked order of services for Pregnant Women per Partner Survey responses
• Baby beds and diapers

• Benefits enrollment (CHIP, Medicaid, TANF, SNAP)
• CPR & First Aid Certification
• Dental care during pregnancy
• Diapers and clothing
• Drug treatment while pregnant
• Employment issues-unable to work due to childbirth, loses job, unable to pay rent.
• Maternity clothes
• Parenting classes
• Prenatal disability diagnosis
• Specific resources for teen moms
• WIC/SNAP services

Q11. Of the following list of services and resources needed for seniors, which are requested by the
clients you serve? (Choose all that apply)
Figure 160 Ranked order of Senior topics per Partner Survey responses
• Animal health
• Drug Abuse education
• Power of Attorney
• Vision care
• We refer to the organizations providing services to senior and linkage support

Q12. Of the following list of services and resources needed for single parents, including but not
limited exclusively to single mothers, which are requested by the clients you serve? (Choose all
that apply)
Figure 161 Ranked order of Single Parenting topics per Partner Survey responses
• Bully Prevention and Teen Suicide Prevention Education
• Counseling Services in Spanish & English; quality early childhood education and care for their
children
• Eye care
• Health insurance deductible assistance
• Job readiness services, plus referrals for any/all of the above
• Life skills and drug (abuse) prevention
• Mental health services
• Social group for youth
• Workforce Development

Open-ended responses to the partner survey
In addition to the quantitative choices, there were also open-ended (qualitative) questions,
to capture more detail from nonprofit and agency providers:
Q14. Are there any other services or resources you receive requests for? Please specify which ones
and how frequently they are requested, if possible (e.g., weekly, daily, once in a while). (Leave
blank if this doesn’t apply.)
• A huge request is legal assistance for low income clients. I have a difficult time connecting
clients to resources because the listings I do have (St. Mary's, Texas Rio Grande) have large
waiting lists or are so booked assisting other clients that they are not able to get back to me
(social worker).
• Affordable housing and public transportation!
• Almost weekly we are asked for help for older children (over 8 years old) and adults dealing
with autism.
• Assistance related to housing and legal protections for women experiencing domestic violence.
Requests occur on a daily basis.
• Baby items (diapers, wipes, formula)-daily
• Toddler beds-monthly
• Counseling- weekly
• Cell phones. THRU Project provides eligible clients with a free smart phone and service to
allow them consistent contact with employers, school and THRU Project mentor program.
• Child care and respite services for children with disabilities
• Children/Family mental health services, usually families ask for "counseling help" for their child
that is being bullied, seems depressed, etc... We get this request as least once a week.
• College and career preparation (year-round, weekly)
• Funding for college (year-round, annually)
• Every day we receive calls from individuals in need of emergency home repairs - leaking roof,
plumbing issues, and electrical issues - which we are not able to respond to in a timely manner.
We have a long waiting list for people in need of home repairs and not nearly enough funding to
serve everyone who calls. We also receive many calls from people with incomes at 30% - 50%
AMI in need of housing. There are very few units available in the City for persons at this
income level.
• Fans and Heaters every season
• Daily baby and adult diapers
• Fixed income elderly 2300-3500 per month unable to repair homes, bodies too frail to live in
their homes, unable to drive, needing supportive services such as shopping, cleaning, assistance

with bathing and dressing. They can't afford the services they need and there are no affordable
options for them to get services or move from their homes to a more supportive environment.
This is presented to the agency several times per day.
• FOOD PANTRIES THAT DELIVER (ELDERLY & DISABLED); food pantries open on the
weekends & late evenings.
• Foster Care Case Management is requested daily.
• Furniture and appliances (monthly)
• GUIDANCE TO MANUVER IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. COURT ACCOMPANIMENT.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHATS GOING ON AROUND THEM IN COURT THEY NEED
SOMEONE TO DO HANDHOLDING WIITH THEM IN THE COURT SYSTEM THEY
DON'T UNDERSTAND ALOT OF WHAT GOES ON
• Housing and transportation-every single day
• Integrated Student Supports, these are the predominant services our agency provides to school
district partners. We also provide training for adults who work with youth for mental health and
trauma strategies.
• Low to no cost Social groups activities are needed in the community for adults that are on the
high end of the Autism Spectrum
• Medical Alert devices - once in a while
• Medication funding assistance - two to three times a week.
• Mental health once in a while.
• Housing for homeless or clients that are on verge of being homeless on weekly basis.
• Mental Health Treatment; SSI/benefits help; housing-all are asked for daily
• Monthly for furniture.
• Our clients are looking for VA claim assistance
• Our program is a Bully Prevention and Teen Suicide prevention program. Parents whose
children experience bullying and other hate behavior in public or private schools do not have a
source to communicate with or are educated in the process of properly reporting a bully incident
to a school administrator. Our program is a resource where parents to get information and
assistance to properly report bully incidents and get immediate action to solve such experience
prior to the bullying to escalate to a higher level of Violence.
• Our requests come from our partner organizations and from child care providers, not directly
from clients.
• Phones/phone service - weekly
• Car repairs- once in a while
• Gift cards for food - weekly
• Diapers - weekly
• Program financial aid
• Programs for Christmas gifts (usually 10+/- families ask from November-December)
• Purchasing a home, credit report repair, resume writing

• Resources for vehicle modifications, home modifications (once in a while) and benefits provided
under Medicaid waiver programs (monthly)
• School Advocacy - weekly; Prescription assistance - weekly; Housing/Homelessness/Eviction -
weekly; Food Bank services - weekly
• School supplies-yearly
• holiday meals/gifts-yearly
• for those coming from homelessness to their own place-affordable or free household
items/furniture-constantly
• transportation assistance if VIA is not an option (not on the route, out area) about 1x a mos"
• Special needs Camp for younger children
• The ability to work, go to school and take care of child care and regularly scheduled
appointments is impossible with SA public transportation. If you live and work downtown, you
are ok. But, there is not even a bus to the Toyota plant. One of my clients was hit (and by all
rights should have died) trying to ride his bicycle from the bus stop (Texas A&M) to the entrance
to his job.
• The I Care Vision Center, located at Haven for Hope, receives approximately ten applications a
day for vision services including -medical, surgical and optical eye care. 30% of the patients
requesting help are seniors on a fixed income, 20% are homeless and 80% are low income
individuals living at or below 150% poverty guidelines. Our most requested resource is the Eye
on Diabetes Program which provides complete eye care, including retina surgeries, for those who
cannot afford it.
• Trauma recovery and housing
• Various services specific to children with special needs including child care, medical equipment,
medication, psychoeducation, specialty foods, in-home support (for children with debilitating
conditions), nursing.
• VIA low fare passes for teen parents weekly
• Wanting a Guide Dog to help them with their mobility.
• We need Medicaid to assist amputees with prosthesis.
• We often get requests for supplemental support from parents of deaf children or teens in the
sense of books, language development work books, etc. We also get requests for school
clothes/supplies from our families. To qualify for our programs, you must be in financial need.
Having to spend money on things like clothes or school supplies often is burdensome to our
single parents.
• We provide employability education services for unemployed and underemployed women and
men, including, but not limited to, interview and new employment attire. This is our purpose, etc,
and what all potential clients are requesting. Some may also need to use our emergency food
pantry, bus passes for job search, and/or referrals to other agencies for other services.
• We provide ethical capital to small business owners and entrepreneurs who can't get access to
loans from traditional sources, such as banks. We also provide financial education and business
support. We get requests every day

• We provide for families who have a child with special needs the opportunity to travel to San
Antonio to visit Morgan’s Wonderland, all expenses paid.
• We receive inquiries from families that are above our maximum income limit (70% of AMI) and
from families that do not have sufficient income or rental history or have excessive debt.
Families that are above Habitat's income limit are referred to our partner non-profit, Cross
Timber Homes. Cross Timber Homes provides homeownership opportunities for families with
incomes below 120% of AMI. Habitat provides counseling and makes referrals to families that
do not have sufficient income or rental history or have excessive debt.
• We receive requests for grief counseling, companions & caregivers, household chores, as well as
small and large home repairs.
• We receive requests for our self-management blood pressure program.
• We receive requests for Recovery High School for teens who come out of treatment back into
mainstream society. Monthly
• We work with burn survivors, and we get at least 2-3 requests a month to help people who have
lost everything in a fire but don't have any physical injuries (thankfully). We are unable to help
them rebuild, as we are very small and that is not our mission. But it would be wonderful to
have resources to help those who have lost everything and have to start from scratch.
• Weekly - Housing Requests
• Weekly - Continuing Education and Training for Parents with young children
• Daily - Resource linkage for families
• Daily - Childcare for children ages 0-3 year old (especially 36-48 months)
• Wigs, prosthetic bras, and prostheses for cancer patients - daily. Healthcare translation services
for Spanish speaking cancer patients - weekly. Co-payment Assistance - monthly.

Q15. What services or resources in your agency usually have the longest waiting list? (Skip if not
applicable.)
• Affordable homeownership.
• Affordable housing units for persons with incomes at 30% - 50% AMI.
• Affordable housing and home repairs for seniors.
• Affordable housing units
• Assistive Technology Financial Aid- Assistance with items like hearing aids, diabetic shoes,
home modifications (grab bars, tub cuts, ramps)
• Buying, fixing and arranging financing for basic cars can take weeks and more money that we
can appropriately charge a client for.
• Child Care
• Child Care
• Childcare
• Childcare for 3 year old children who don’t qualify for HS if their birthday is after September 1.
• Counseling
• Counseling and psychiatry
• Deaf Resources where a child can receive hearing aids, speech therapy, sign language lessons, or
assistive hearing devices.
• Diapers
• DV and parenting classes
• Early Head Start and Parenting Education.
• Employability education services (sometimes up to a 3-week wait for appointment).
• Eye on Diabetes retina vision clinics.
• Financial Assistance/Emergency Assistance, Senior Care
• Free summer and after school programming
• Healthcare training tuition assistance
• home modifications, DME equipment
• Home repairs
• housing
• HOUSING
• Housing
• housing (SAHA Section 8, 811, HUD waitlists), getting approved for benefits (SSI, social
security, RSDI, disability, Medicare or Medicaid)
• Housing and employment
• Housing and Mental Health Services
• Housing and SSI
• Infant Child Care

• Low-cost summer camp opportunities

• Weekend STEM programs (transportation is a barrier)
• Medical Diagnostic Services for Autism
• Mental health and housing
• Mental Health Counseling and Reunification counseling
• Mentoring
• Mentoring for male youth
• Mentorship housing
• One-on-one consultations on business support and planning.
• our Life Enrichment program (day program for adults with cognitive or other developmental
disabilities age 18+)
• Receiving a Guide Dog
• Rent and utility assistance
• Rental assistance
• Request for furniture and household goods
• Right now, due to low volume of volunteers and high volume of seniors and people with
disabilities needing transportation, it is getting into the program. But we register them as soon as
we can to get them registered.
• Section 8 voucher programs typically have the longest waiting list of the housing assistance
programs.
• Senior Home Repairs Program
• specific assistance
• Summer programming for youth.
• Summer programs for children.
• The demand for LCSW counselors and Psychiatrist appointments.
• Transportation Resources, Prosthetic Bras, and Prostheses.
• Utility assistance
• Utility assistance, housing, mental health services
• We are at capacity for the number of children we can serve. Longest waiting list is to have their
child with severe multiple disabilities in our organization.
• We do not have a wait list that we keep for utility assistance but we have much higher need for
this service than we have funding in house or through MOUs to provide to our clients.
• YouthBuild program (HS diploma, workforce training)

Q16. What additional services or resources do you wish your organization provided — or wish
were available locally?
• Additional affordable housing connected to public transportation.

• Additional mental health services and affordable housing
• adult high school, parental support
• Affordability Housing
• Affordable housing, Rental assistance, Car repair assistance, Home repair assistance, and Lawn
or yard maintenance.
• Affordable senior housing with supportive services.
• Affordable, quality childcare
• "Assess partner financial planning / Money Management
• Parent Education Classes
• College Career readiness "
• Because we are a young organization with limited staff, we are unable to provide these services
below. Education workshops/conferences for parents/caregivers to learn about deafness and how
to raise a child in a hearing society. What they can do to help their kid excel in school and how
they can overcome adversaries that are associated with the stigma of hearing loss.
• Blind / Visually Impaired Resources. Applicants need Orientation and Mobility Training as well
as access to affordable low vision equipment and living skills.
• Caregiver support via peers
• Case Management
• Child care for employed mothers.
• Child development for children with disabilities
• Childcare resources for working women with low incomes.
• Conflict resolution
• Creative youth development for incarcerated youth; community partnership for homelessness
prevention/intervention for out-of-school time programs network like Excel Beyond the Bell
• Dental assistance
• education and training
• Emergency financial assistance
• Financial Resources
• Furniture
• Gas cards, bus passes, HEB cards, childcare assistance
• Home Repairs Roofs, Windows, Etc.
• Housing assistance
• Housing assistance for young men (17+) who are homeless. Adult shelters are not optimal for
them for safety reasons.

• Housing resources/emergency shelter

• I wish there was more rental and utility assistance in Bexar County
• I wish we could be a mediator between the parents and school districts to find solutions to a bully
incident and build positive relations within all schools of all levels.
• In-home therapy services
• job training specifically for Veterans in the first 6 months of transition
• Learning centers for 3 year old children.
• Money for educational/professional tests. A dental assistant came in looking for a job to earn the
$75 needed to take a licensing exam...so she could get a job.
• More after-school and summer programs that provide educational experiences.
• More and higher quality early childhood services; more mental health services; more families of
infants and young children able to be served by evidence=-based home visiting.
• more beds for women and children to remain together in Substance use treatment
• MORE EDUCATION IN PREVENTION OF FAMILY VIOLENCE IN ENGLISH AND
SPANISH. I NEED MORE EDUCATORS AND THE COMMUNITY NEEDS WAY MORE
LAWYERS
• More local transportation, more affordable local clinics, more dental options, more services to
help seniors with basic needs (toiletries, food, etc.)
• More rent and utility financial assistance
• More services and resources for the children who have severe multiple disabilities and their
families.
• More sexual health education services to community college students (ages 18-24) at all Alamo
Colleges. More health education services to at-risk youth.
• One stop Community centers on the north side
• On-site Adult Education & Development (GED, ESL, Career Readiness)
• On-site CCS Vouchers for agencies to determine the needs of the populations they serve and at
the same time have subsidies to be sustained by CCS to truly make an impact in families with
young children.
• Out of school time services for youth that live in the surrounding area of our corporate office
located at 6756 Montgomery Drive, 78239.
• Parents struggle to get kids and especially teens to therapy and the loss of income, transportation
barriers, etc. They regularly wonder why school counselors do not really counsel and why social
workers are not available.
• Parking vouchers for hospital parking for victims who are receiving a sexual assault forensic
exam.
• Personal financial literacy education should be provided to all children attending public school.
Poor financial choices made in the years immediately after high school graduation can be
extremely difficult to overcome.
• Phones and phone cards

• More childcare support or subsidy especially for GED candidates and those with immigrant
status
• Potluck Partners for families involved in parent education
• prevention / diversion emergency assistance & youth / young adult specific affordable housing
options
• psychiatry services to children - youth
• Recovery High School for teens. More programs for children and siblings of Substance user's.
• Rent and utility assistance
• Transportation vouchers
• See response to #4. We would love to have additional financial resourced to provide emergency
assistance to burn patients. Some are indigent and have to be released to a specific address. In
other words, the hospital can't release them unless they have a specific place to go. The social
workers have told us that if we did not supply emergency assistance to provide transportation to
get them there, they would have to keep the patient in the hospital until they could find another
way to get them there. This results in additional hospital costs, much of which is absorbed by the
public.
• Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programming for schools - the school districts have put up too
many roadblocks to adding SEL into their curriculums.
• Service-oriented legal services
• Supervised Independent Living
• Support groups for families of children with autism.
• Support groups!! Particularly for parents of children with special health needs and their families,
but really any groups to help connect growing families that are available in a central location.
• Sustainable medication funding assistance for people with disabilities / without income / without
insurance.
• Sustainable medication funding assistance for people with disabilities / without income / without
insurance.
• Technology services for families to assist their children with homework, research for school.
There is a lack of computer knowledge among the adults in the families we serve. I can't believe
I am typing this, but community/school safety is a daily call. Will my daughter be safe at school?
Will she be safe at your programs? How does the agency handle active shooter training?
• There are very few pediatric and adult psychiatry providers accepting new patients - particularly
that take Medicaid.
• transportation assistance
• transportation or mobile services
• Transportation, education
• Tutoring on specific core school subjects
• VIA bus passes, financial assistance for rent/utilities

• We serve the elderly poor and homeless. I wish I knew how to help an elderly person that has no
family and needs someone to be in charge of their finances, etc.
• We wish we could provide more patient navigation to assist patients with "warm hand-offs" to
continuing care providers. Transportation is also difficult for our patients.
• We would love to have access to more neighborhood associations so they can be aware of our
program for transportation and volunteer reimbursement opportunities.

Q17. Do you have other agencies or organizations you **regularly** partner with? If so, how
many? (Feel free to skip if not applicable.) [Text Area]
• Numerical responses:
o Several! (3)
o Multiple agencies! (2)
o Too many to list!
Two (1)
o Two to three (3)
o About 3 (1)
o Three (2)
o Three to five (1)
o Four (4)
o More than four (1)
o Five (6)
o More than five (1)
o Six (2)
o Seven (1)
o Eight to 10 (1)
o 10 (2)
o More than 10 (6)
o More than 12 (1)
o 13 (1)
o Regularly around 15 MOAs
o 20 (2)
o More than 30 (1)
o Approximately 40 (1)
o I would estimate that we partner with 40 to 75 agencies (1)
o About 50 (2)
o Over 60 referral and collaborative partners (1)
o Our agency partners with over 70 CBO's (1)
o 90 (1)
o A lot, probably over 100 (1)
o Over 200 (2)
o We partner with over 200 agencies but rely heavily on mutual referrals with about 50
agencies.

• Partners cited by name:

o AARC, SAAF, Beat AIDS
o Alamo Area Resource Center, BEAT AIDS, Center for Health Care Services
o Banks and credit unions refer clients to us and provide financial support, SBDCs for
business support, government agencies for funding and programming, community
organizations for outreach.
o Catholic Charities, Communities In Schools, YWCA, San Antonio Public Library, Nurse
Family Partnership
o Christian Hope Resource Center, Rackspace, Excel Beyond the Bell partner
organizations, SA2020, San Antonio Botanical Gardens
o Communities In Schools, ChildSafe, Project Worth, UT Teen Health, SA Food Bank,
P16plus
o Communities in Schools, Good Samaritan, surrounding child care centers, Alamo
Workforce, Health Plans (i.e. Superior, Aetna etc.), Texas Kidney Institute, Prevent
Blindness, Well Med, Health Collaborative, Metro Health, Project Worth, surrounding
Banks, Lift Fund, HISPA, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio Food Bank, and
many more.
o Family Endeavors
o Food Bank, SA Youth, SAYL, Boys Scouts, EBBSA, Parks and Rec.
o Gordon Hartman, Baptist Foundation, San Antonio Area Foundation
o H4H, SAMM, CHRC and Pay it Forward. PeopleFund handling financing.
o Haven for Hope, Goodwill, Connect + Ability, Centro Med, SAMMinistries, AACOG,
Kinetic Kids, Team Ability, DisabilitySA, SAAF, Morgan’s Wonderland, Lighthouse for
the Blind, Any Baby Can, The Arc
o Haven for Hope, SAMMinistries, Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, Catholic
Assistance Ministries, City of San Antonio
o I Care San Antonio is a collaboration of multiple partners. We partner with over 35
doctors, including optometrists and ophthalmologists, to provide care at the Vision
Center, we collaborate with over 40 organizations to provide referrals to our organization,
such as the Battered Women’s shelter, Catholic Charities and Haven for Hope, and we
collaborate with businesses such as surgical centers, optical stores, and pharmaceutical
companies to provide services, medications and products to our patients.
o I work for the State, we have many agencies that are contracted and that we regularly
partner with.
o Jewish Family Services
o Lighthouse for the Blind as well as other internationally accredited Guide Dog Schools /
Service Dog schools.
o Managed Care Organizations
o Many organizations including the SA Food Bank, WellMed, Catholic Charities, BCFS,
COSA, Bexar County, SAHA, etc.

o Many...the collaborators in the ALL (Autism Lifeline Links) and school districts
throughout Bexar County and surrounding counties.
o Bexar County Community Investments, AAGOG, Food Bank, SAAF, JCC, Churches,
NESA, Area Schools of Social Work (UTSA, OLLU), SALSA, BSAC, United Way,
Methodist Health Care Ministries, Project Mend.
o Other AIDS Service Organizations, and Mental Health/Substance Abuse facilities
o SA Food bank, CHCS, CIS
o SAFB
o San Antonio Metro, UT Teen Health, THRU Project, Haven for Hope, Boysville, Roy
Maas, YMCA, San Antonio College, St. Philips College, Palo Alto College.
o Transplant for Children, PKD, TOSA
o VolunteerMatch
o We use the SARAH Resource Guide and CAM listings to refer.
o We work to access all organizations in the city that provide assistance to our clients.
o Family Service. Child Protective Service.
o San Antonio Food Bank, Bexar County Direct Client Services, Allsup, Methodist Wesley
Nurses, and Breast and Cervical Cancer Medicaid Program.
o Yes, Cross Timber Homes.
o Yes, SAHA, Good Samaritan, Family Service Association, Alamo Colleges. 40+NPO's

Q18. Do you have other agencies or nonprofits you **occasionally** partner with? If so, how
many? (Please free to skip if not applicable.) [Text Area]
• Numerical responses
o Too many to count!
o Several! (2)
o One to two (1)
o Two (7)
o Two to three (1)
o Three (2)
o Four (1)
o Five (6)
o Five to 10 (1)
o Six (2)
o More than six (1)
o Eight (1)
o Eight to 10 (1)
o 10 (2)
o 10 or more (2)
o About 15 (2)
o 15 plus (1)
o 15-20 (1)
o 20 or so (2)
o 20 or more (1)
o More than 25 (1)
o 30 (1)
o 50-plus (1)
• Partners cited by name:

o AACOG, HHS
o Bexar County Guardianship program, Adult Protective Services, Christian Senior
Services, Oasis, Wesley Nurses, St Frances of Assisi Mobile Loaves and Fishes.
o Haven for Hope, Goodwill, Connect + Ability, Centro Med, SAMMinistries, AACOG,
Kinetic Kids, Team Ability, DisabilitySA, SAAF, Morgan’s Wonderland, Lighthouse for
the Blind, Any Baby Can, The Arc
o Jewish Family Service
o Local dog trainers to re-carrier Guide Dogs that don’t make our program. That way the
dogs can be used in other services.
o Refer to other affordable housing providers.
o SA Haven

o San Antonio Public Library, UTSA, Trinity University, Southwest School of Art
o We informally refer to many agencies across San Antonio for assistance with various
issues affecting homelessness (informally because we do not use HMIS).
o Work Out Help Out
o AACOG, Bexar County, United Way, Ride Connect Texas
o JISD, NEISD, SAISD, NISD, Harlandale ISD, Edgewood ISD.
o Prevent Blindness Texas, Walgreens, and UTSA Health Ambassadors.
o Occasional partners tend to be event-specific or seasonal.

Figure 162 A selection of key informants

XI. CASE STUDIES, KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS, FOCUS GROUPS AND PUBLIC
FORUMS
As part of the needs assessment process, we have conducted small focus groups and/or key
informant interviews with more than 30 individuals with substantial institutional knowledge and/or who
represent key constituencies within the demographics of low-income populations in the city. The group
of respondents was very diverse, representing citizens and stakeholders who are black, white, Hispanic
and Native American.
From our discussions with these key informants, multiple important themes emerged.
As compound poverty exists, so do “compound problems” — multipart problems or problems
that cross several domains when it comes to finding a solution. In our interviews with key informants,
we heard some very compelling stories, which function as almost “case studies” to the problems that
exist. Some of the more salient examples follow as a way to illustrate the compound nature of barriers
individuals and families are facing.

Case studies
“Aurora,” (a pseudonym) a 90-year-old Hispanic female with limited mobility due to her age,
was living with her grandson who she had raised from birth. Aurora’s case came to the attention of the
City when she was experiencing a true crisis, challenging for someone at any age. She was being evicted
from her home where she had lived her whole life (and where she had raised her grandson, now an
adult) — because unbeknownst to her, her home had gone into foreclosure and she was being evicted,
after her grandson committed fraud, signing her name to various legal documents and loans, and
spending the proceeds. Because most of the forms involved were written in English only, Aurora was
dependent on her grandson to read and interpret them, and she did not know until it was too late the
extent of the fraud and the damage committed. Resolving her case cuts across multiple services and
service providers, from banking to law enforcement to fair housing and financial empowerment.
Mental health concerns and the need for counseling resources and sub-acute mental health care,
and/or transitional services for those exiting acute mental health care, came up frequently in
conversations with key informants. Apparently the need is greater than it has been, and people are seeing
the impacts of this as an unmet need in various settings, including education. Both our school social
worker interviewees and Rep. Diego Bernal told us stories about significant impacts on individuals and
family members, within the educational domain.
Brian Jaklich, LCSW, Social Work Facilitator, Student Services/Special Programs at the
predominantly low-income Harlandale Independent School District (ISD) recounted several powerful
anecdotes of students being directed impacted by the parents’ mental illness, and resulting behavioral
problems, undealt-with grief, etc.

In one story, a 13-year-old Hispanic male student, seventh grader, who lives with his brother and
an extremely abusive father; he and his mother and brother had to flee to the domestic violence shelter.
He is dissociating, having witnessed a lot of abuse, is very withdrawn and keeps to himself, and is
having trouble functioning, with a lot of behavioral and adjustment issues due to trauma in the home.
In another story, four different children, all students at various levels of elementary school. Their
mom is psychotic, and they have missed “so much school” because of her not being able to get them to
school, not functioning well and not in any type of treatment. Through efforts, they were able to finally
get her into treatment, but the children have since been removed by Child Protective Service (CPS) and
have been placed with a paternal aunt. Their home situation has improved and they’re back in school,
but they’re demonstrating a lot of behavioral problems from the trauma and are also missing their
mother — because of their involuntary separation from her, due to her untreated mental health issues.
A final story caused us to burst into tears: An 18-year-old senior, both of whose parents are
deceased. His mother died from illness; his father subsequently committed suicide. Teen is “extremely
depressed,” “never got help in the grieving process at all,” and has since disappeared. He was supposed
to be living with his grandparents but at the moment he cannot be found; he has dropped out of school
and “we are having a hard time finding him.”
(All three stories are great examples of the overlap with Adverse Childhood Experiences work,
and the long tail of trauma that follows children into adulthood, with physical, behavioral an/or mental
health consequences.)
Transportation and mobility are also a consistent issue. Felipe, a 22-year-old Hispanic male,
single, who lives in a low-income neighborhood in the City with his disabled single mother who he
helps to support, also gives us a window into compound difficulties. The youngest child of a large

family and the only one still at home, Felipe works full-time in an administrative job, works part-time
for a local grocery chain, goes to UTSA full-time, plays on a sports team for UTSA, has an active social
life and even volunteers his time with younger children. Managing his challenging schedule is difficult
enough, but mobility impacts him — both his and his disabled single mother’s. He told us a compelling
story about when he used to work for Bill Miller’s part-time while attending UTSA at the main, 1604
campus, having to leave for work and school in the morning, with 40 lbs. of books in his backpack,
along with his full Bill Miller’s uniform, including hat and shoes. In the high heat of San Antonio, he
was walking — or running, if he could — the bus route from campus to downtown, or vice-versa —
hoping that a public bus would come along on its assigned schedule, but figuring that if he ran he would
at least make as good time as he could, often arriving at his destination drenched and tired out from just
getting from place to place. In addition, when he is at work or at school, he says he worries about his
disabled single mother, the recipient of an organ transplant, in case she needs medical care. He feels that
his only options are to leave wherever he is during the day — work or school — to take her to the
doctor’s, or he has to rely on public transportation that he doesn’t feel is safe or secure for her to travel
on by herself. This situation can put him in a real bind with school and employers, and we heard similar
stories from many others of various ages.
Inadequate transportation was a theme, but also unavailability of affordable child care and
recreational opportunities for children and teenagers in the summertime. Rosa, a young married
Hispanic female with two young children, told us about her mother reducing her own hours and going
from full-time to part-time employment when Rosa and her husband had their first child, because Rosa
knew she couldn’t afford child care — earning slightly above the cut-off for subsidized child care,
which already can be hard to find. Caring for Rosa’s now two children means her mother has fewer
means to look after her own needs as they arise into retirement, but Rosa expressed that she couldn’t do

it without her. Sheree, a black female, also married with two young children, who like Rosa works for
one of the City’s major service providers and also goes to graduate school, lives slightly outside the
urban core, and earns just above the cut-off for federal subsidies for child care. She expressed frustration
that her community has no community center, and no recreational activities for her young son to
participate in over the summer. Juggling her schedule in a very intensive work environment with lots of
needs, she also is concerned that she doesn’t know what her son will be doing for the summer, and can’t
stay home to provide more opportunities for him.
Social workers at Harlandale Independent School District (ISD), representing all grades —
elementary, junior high and high school — shared many unmet needs where the existence of mobile
services that could come to the community, instead of centralized services generally but not exclusively
downtown that require low-income people to come to them, would help greatly. Queta Rodriguez, the
County’s Veterans Service Officer, who herself grew up in relative poverty in a high-hardship ZIP Code
in the city (78207) and returned to it after 20 years away in the Marine Corps, told us about the
“Community Schools” model that Austin is utilizing, where service providers would use an office in a
local school, in a central location where help is needed, instead of asking people to leave their
community and go somewhere else to get their needs met, often one at a time. Whether through the
provision of mobile services that come to community members, or utilizing a room in a school building
that’s centrally located within a high-need community to provide services, either idea has the potential
of simplifying life for community residents and increasing their access to the services they need, across
multiple domains. Again this speaks to the provision of services model – individual versus bundled
services, as put forth by ROMA.)
What we heard was how often mobility impacts people’s choices — from students and workers
like Felipe to those providing services, like those at the Clubhouse, who offer mental health social

support in the community, but realistically only for those who live within walking distance or within the
length of one bus route to access their services. The need for community centers which provide services
and do not require trips to downtown were mentioned by multiple people we interviewed. Apparently
the issues are working several jobs, being disabled, having unsafe or unreliable personal transportation,
no insurance, being afraid to get on the roads, not having a valid driver’s license, not knowing how to
drive around downtown, not being able to afford to park downtown, etc., all came up as issues.
Exploitation was also a theme of what we learned about from our interviews. Not to say that it is
prevalent, but the opportunities for it to exist — especially with language barriers, non-bilingual written
communication from creditors, etc. — continue to make it possible in many areas, and devastating when
it happens. Financial literacy and the barriers from not being financially literate were also evident.
Success stories abound, and examples of strong partnerships — with desires for many more —
were also evident. The focus of the exploration however was uncovering causes and conditions of
poverty in the community, hence the emphasis here.
It would take almost another whole report this length to detail the wonderful things we saw and
heard happening in this diverse city. Many nonprofits and others with caring outlooks and capacity and
willingness to provide resources. Some of them are seeing enormous need — such as the Mexican
Consulate, with 200-250 unique visitors a day(!) — but behind all the numbers are the lives that are
changing because of compassionate and effective delivery of services to those who need them most.
We close with a story from the San Antonio Clubhouse, which offers day services and social
support to residents recovering from and living with mental illness in the community. The model is
impressive and so were the stories we heard, including one about “Frank.” When Frank first came to the
Clubhouse he was living with mental illness at home with his family, whose support was uneven. He

had severe social anxiety, few coping skills, and though a grown man, he had yet to be able to work, on
even a part-time basis. Making new friends and socializing at the Clubhouse, and learning social and
work skills, he volunteered in the kitchen. Today, he has a fulltime job working in a restaurant on the
RiverWalk and is taking his first trip to Europe.
“From data to action!”
Figure 163 A sign, designed by a former patient, greets visitors and staff alike at the San Antonio State
Hospital, which provides treatment to individuals suffering from mental illness

XII. THEMES THAT EMERGE
Figure 164 Self-sufficiency emerges as a dominant unifying theme
Self-sufficiency emerged as the unifying theme
Self-sufficiency emerged as the largest, most unifying theme captured in the data, both from the
survey responses — individual/family and nonprofit partners — as well as interviews with key
informants and focus groups. Self-sufficiency will look different to different populations. We mention
four key populations above with different needs. All are vulnerable in their own right, but then there are
subgroups that are vulnerable in particular.

• Seniors want to be able to stay in their homes and not be a burden to others. They need help
weatherizing their homes, getting from place to place safely, having access to enough food to eat,
and enjoying social support with their peers and others in the community.
• Students are in a phase of maximizing their education while juggling responsibilities at work and
home, and often need access to affordable child care in order to pursue their dreams. They have
concerns about being able to pay for school, benefit from mentoring, and risk being homeless during
periods of low income or financial aid.
• Parents and families expressed concern about caring for aging family members while they were at
work or at school, mental health needs of children in the school system without a clear path to help
and healing, and want access to affordable recreation opportunities for their children, especially
during the summer and in parts of the city away from the urban core. Child care is also an issue here,
as well as access to public transportation. People routinely talked about having to take several buses
to get to their work or school, not having access to affordable child care, and worrying about aging
parents both locally and at a distance, and have to leave work or school to take them to medical
appointments.
• The especially vulnerable include children, the elderly, immigrants and refugees, anyone with
cognitive or language difficulties and barriers, the frequently marginalized, including those with
mental illness, the homeless and the disabled. They are at increased risk for exploitation and often
have much less access to centralized services. We heard many stories about people being unaware of
how to navigate the system of human services and to get their needs met in an efficient and
compassionate way, including having services come to them or to be able to access several providers
at once in a centralized model.

Additional themes to develop include:
• How mental health and the need for access to mental services is a common thread across the
community, with a sense of large-scale, largely unmet need. Multiple ways may exist to improve the
problem, some of which appear to be underway, however addition options are available to explore,
including more access to peer support and creating more community centers for those with mental
health challenges (like the Clubhouse), or the senior center model expanded to mental health.
• People have difficulty being aware of what services are out there and how to access them efficiently.
We learned this many times through our survey responses, where wanting to be able to access
community resources was a strongly felt need among residents, both seniors and non-seniors. We
also learned about this through the responses to the Partner survey, and through interviews with key
informants across many domains. The model of using a navigator appears to be promising and
successful, and increasing the idea of access to bundled services and case managers to help people
navigate their way to self-sufficiency. We have learned about a community schools model, which we
will describe in the next section, and also the idea of making mobiles services more readily
available.

XIII. THE ROAD AHEAD / RECOMMENDATIONS
Program recommendations for the future include:
• Bundling services. For example, with weatherization, the top need identified by the individual and
family survey, we learned that weatherization overlaps with needing help with utility bills, home
repair and also legal services in many cases. A bundled service model would involve making all of
these elements available to the same population during a single assessment, as opposed to going
from one agency to another.
• Providing navigator assistance with finding resources in the community was a need that came up
consistently across the board, perceived as a need equally among seniors and non-seniors. Case
management has been a successful part of the process in many residents’ ability to transition out of
poverty, for example with the Training for Job Success model. Similar to a case management model,
where an experienced and knowledgeable provider works with the individual or family over a certain
amount of time a navigators clients find the services they need and are qualified for out of a dizzying
array of possible options. San Antonio has many services, resources and agencies that can and do
offer much-needed services and resources to low-income residents, but often residents are unaware
of or overwhelmed by the process of finding out what those services are, where they are located, or
whether or not they are eligible for them. Even providers seem to struggle to keep a list of current
providers across all the possible domains for services their clients need, and can be seen on listservs
putting out urgent calls for help with resources they’re not sure how to find and access. Creating a
more systematized approach where resources were more readily apparent to both those in need and
their providers, and utilizing experienced community navigators to help connect residents with the
services they need seems both very desirable and saving residents time, money and frustration.

The ideal community navigators would be knowledgeable, have experience in community resources, and
be able to connect individuals and families to the services and resources they need via a warm hand-off.
More than giving people a list of “phone numbers to call,” this model involves working with low-
income or otherwise vulnerable clients to insure that needed connections have been made and that the
client can now move through their list successfully to address what often amount to multiple needs. This
model would also offer continuity, as navigator/providers would all receive the same training. Perhaps
locating navigators, even part-time, at senior centers or libraries in under-served communities, with a
minimum of one each in the South, East and West parts of the city would be advantageous. We saw and
heard success stories about individual providers (e.g., Priscilla Robledo at CPS Energy, among others)
who are able to help clients navigate their way to successful resolution, but these were occasional
success stories and such a model would help formalize the process and make it available to many more
people in need.
• Providing decentralized services or mobile services to improve access to residents in high-need
ZIP Codes. Until we conducted this comprehensive Community Needs Assessment, we did not
realize what a barrier asking low-income residents to travel downtown or to a centralized location in
another part of the City can be. In survey responses and in key informant interviews, we heard time
and again about the barriers — from working several jobs with limited time off, to unreliable
transportation, to fear of driving on the highway or lack of car insurance or the ability to pay for
parking downtown — to driving to a service provider only to have to repeat that trip with multiple
other providers for what amount to aspects of often-connected problems. This process of repeating
the same story, we know from the bundled services model, also can be a source of stress to clients
and a barrier to looking for help. From conversations in the community we learned that the potential
of having mobile services available that would bring a variety of services to the community, maybe

twice a month — daytime and evening hours alternating is one model, to reach the greatest number
of residents — would improve access considerably. We envisioned such a model — staffed with
social work students, counseling students, and law students from the major programs in the City,
working under the supervision of licensed practitioners — who could provide services to residents in
high-need ZIP Codes on a monthly basis.
Figure 165 One of Washington state's two mobile service trucks to deliver social and human services
We learned that Washington State has a mobile service delivery option, in the form of the
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services’ “Mobile Community Services Office” that
reaches out to rural, geographically distant or under-served populations, and also assists as a mobile
office when tasked with disaster relief.cxi From their website:
• The Department of Social and Health Services has created two 40-foot trucks that transform into
functioning offices - each vehicle includes a reception area, interview stations, a sun shade for
protection from the elements or extra space, and a mechanical lift as an option for access instead of
the stairs.
• Each Mobile CSO unit is staffed by experienced program specialists who are able to determine
financial eligibility for the cash and food assistance programs. They process new applications,
reviews and changes for active cases; they issue EBT cards and receive documents. Applications for
the Child Care Subsidy Program will be forwarded to that unit for processing. The Mobile CSO
specialists also determine eligibility for Medicare Savings Programs and Aged, Blind, or Disabled
Medicaid.

As they describe their goals, also from their website:
• Improve participation in the Basic Food Program by providing services at locations where DSHS
representatives do not usually have a presence, including services at senior centers, job fairs,
health fairs, migrant worker camps, and community events which will provide broader
community outreach.
• Strengthen Community Partnerships by expanding on existing community partnerships with
social services organizations; state, local, and county agencies; and interested parties in the
business community to create access points where people can apply for Basic Food, Cash and
Child Care benefits.
• Operate as a response vehicle for disaster recovery events where the Disaster Supplement
Nutrition Assistance Program may be activated. The Mobile CSOs will be used as a facility to
accept applications in more severely impacted areas where power has not yet been restored. The
Mobile CSOs may also be used as a support office to facilitate back-room processing of
applications by staff working outside disaster areas.
• A similar model, also providing decentralized services or improving outreach and access to high-
need communities was the Community Schools model,cxii which we learned about as it is practiced
in Austin. In this model, although the focus is primarily educational, there is a community
services/social and human services aspect to it. Space is made available at a local “community”
school, which residents typically know by name and have access to geographically, and on a regular
basis, providers show up to that location and share space in a room or rooms at the school, doing
intake and assessments and connecting residents with resources. This model would also address the
increasing need we found for decentralized services available in residents’ communities, particularly
for vulnerable populations. This model uses partnerships, such as the one we learned about with the
City’s own Parks and Recreation department partnering with Metropolitan Health during the
summertime to screen children for immunization needs while they are engaged in recreational
activities. We could utilize and expand this model to address the many other areas where there is
overlap between needed services and community members who need greater access due to barriers
of poverty and limited transportation options available in high-need ZIP Codes.

• With many of these issues, residents seemed to want to ensure that there was “access equity” to
needed services and providers, with no penalty in the form of lesser or more cumbersome access to
those who live in high-hardship ZIP Codes. The idea of centers of access for the East, West and
South of the City as well as the North was broached by various key informants.
• With mental health and access to counseling resources becoming apparent as a widespread need
across various sectors of the community, making more information and education available about
mental health, and providing navigation to resources available would be a welcome and vital
initiative. Frontline workers who interface regularly with the public are exposed to unmet mental
health and could benefit from training and education about what to expect and how to connect
individuals with resources that are out there. Additionally, access to peer support was a consistent
part of some great success stories we heard about from our key informant interviews across the
community, as was mentoring. Like case management and navigation, peer support and mentoring
are low-cost opportunities to empower individuals and families to achieve greater success —
because they inspire vulnerable individuals through role models who have achieved success or have
learned how to overcome their challenges. Peers and mentors can function as compassionate
“educators” about possible next steps. At the San Antonio Clubhouse, we heard experiences of
members who gained employment and greater self-sufficiency thanks to mentoring and peer support.
Special attention should be paid to the highest-hardship ZIP Codes which may need these
opportunities.
• Legal services emerged as a popular need, across various segments, and reference was made to too-
little capacity at too-few providers locally (with long waiting lists) for services needed. While
utilizing law students via mobile services or via the community school model, under the trained
supervision of a licensed provider could be one option for improving access, it’s also possible that

local lawyers might be encouraged to provide pro bono legal services once a month in the highest-
hardship communities just by asking them to give a limited amount of time (personal
communication, A. Calzada, June 16, 2018).
• Like the need for greater access to counseling services and legal services, individuals frequently
expressed stress brought on by the newest crisis in their lives, that of caring for an aging family
member. (Of those individuals and families who reported having multiple obstacles to success at
present, child care was marked as their sixth “biggest need” by prevalence.)
• Residents seemed to want (and need) more education about what to expect, as well as an orientation
(navigation) to what services were available in the community. Stress brought on by limited
transportation options for aging family members, and the need for employees and students to leave
work or school to bring aging family members to medical appointments was a frequently expressed
need.
• Improving transportation and mobility emerged as important needs, with residents (and providers)
expressing frustration about trip lengths and multiple segments of trips to reach destinations, and
precluding access to services for those more than one bus-trip away or within walking distance. (Of
those individuals and families who reported having multiple obstacles to success at present,
transportation was marked as their fourth “biggest need” by prevalence.) Reconfiguring access to
services so that they are much more available to high-poverty residents would be an essential and
much-needed improvement. (Since there seems to be some stigma among San Antonio residents —
versus those in other large cities, with better access to public transportation, that “taking the bus” is
associated with poverty — creating a public service campaign around this might be beneficial, and
educating residents that in other cities, everyone takes the bus, including very high-earning
individuals.)

• Child care. Affordable, accessible child care came in as a strong need from the individuals for
whom it was a barrier, and also from providers who noted that it was their most-frequently requested
item by percent. (Of those individuals and families who reported having multiple obstacles to
success at present, child care was marked as their fifth “biggest need” by prevalence.) Particularly
when we map where single mothers and their children live in poverty in the community, we also see
little access to available, affordable child care. (This need is frequently mentioned by students as
well, who are going back to school to improve earning abilities for themselves and their families.)cxiii
• Social support/caregiver support/respite care/provider services. Seniors in particular often
struggle with feeling isolated, especially in evenings and on the weekends, when senior centers are
closed. Expanding open hours even partially could turn out to be beneficial to this community.
Seniors and their providers also expressed desire for medical and dental care, caregiver
support/respite support, addressing loss of independence, grief and bereavement, even reading and
understanding paperwork. Some of the most heart-wrenching stories we heard involved cases of
exploitation or fraud involving seniors and other vulnerable populations. These situations took time
to unravel and often involved multiple agencies and providers on an urgent basis. Focusing more on
preventing these situations from happening could be much more effective. Individuals and families
who were dealing with disability and illness expressed a need for caregiver support or periodic
respite, and seniors in particular expressed for provider help at home.
• Exploring greater cooperation or coordination with public health, to see what levels of joint work
would be valuable — from data-gathering to identifying programs or populations which might
benefit from shared outreach and interventions. (For example, nutrition education/classes on healthy
eating rose to #10 on the list of 31 services requested. This would be an area of potential overlap
with public health.)

• The creation of a poverty summit to address the various domains that this Community Needs
Assessment has captured and to connect the dots more among the various domains (e.g., housing,
transportation, child care, mental health, etc.) as they pertain to poverty. Various cities, counties and
Community Action Agencies throughout the U.S. — including Seattle, Washington;cxiv the Social
Development Commission, Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s CAA;cxv Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;cxvi the
New York State Community Action Association;cxvii Tarrant County, Texas,cxviii and the Anti-
Poverty Network of New Jersey,cxix among others — have held “poverty summits” in recent years to
address issues of concern locally and to proactively educate community members and community
leaders about the causes and conditions of poverty in their local areas, as well as effective anti-
poverty programs and initiatives. Milwaukee’s CAA described the goal of their anti-poverty summit
as engaging “community members, elected officials, both public and private sector and stakeholders
to develop initiatives to address the major issues in the community surrounding poverty.”cxx Local
universities are sometimes involved in these efforts (especially schools of social work), and funding
is provided by a variety of sources, including foundations.

Process recommendations for the future include:
• Make the survey of low- and moderate-income individuals and families, currently available in
English and in Spanish, available year-round to residents. This would improve the participation rate
across San Antonio, provide a snapshot into changing needs for services over the course of the year,
and change the data collection process from something one-time and intensive to ongoing and
incremental. Paper surveys could be made available, with minimal training of key staff at centers, at
Department of Human Services-related sites across the city, including but not limited to
Comprehensive Senior Centers, PreK4SA locations, HeadStart locations, library branches, Financial
Empowerment centers at libraries, BiblioTech locations, and Willie Velasquez. They could also be
made available at VITA sites during tax season, since customers have a certain amount of wait time
before their appointments. The online version of the surveys could also be made available year-
round, and publicized periodically on the DHS site and elsewhere, since a periodic “push” is
important to re-engage residents with the process.
• Similarly, encourage the online-only survey of Partners, Agencies and Nonprofits to also be
available year-round, to more continually assess changing needs and conditions regarding poverty in
the local community.

XIV. Key Informant Interviews
List of “Key Informants”
1. Matthew Martinez, Ph.D., demography graduate of University of Texas at San Antonio.
Specialty is “dropout legacy” of impoverished San Antonio neighborhoods.
2. “Felipe, a 22-year-old college student, Hispanic, from a low-income neighborhood who works
full-time, works part-time, goes to school full-time, plays on a sports team, and assumes some
care for a disabled single parent.
3. Sheree. Works full-time, goes to graduate school part-time. Married mom, black, with two
children. Lives outside the urban core of San Antonio, where services are sparse but needed.
Works in social services in the city.
4. Jewel Barnett, Ph.D., demography graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio, with
deep experience in several domains, including a specialized understanding of poverty and food
insecurity as it relates to school districts in the local area.
5. Patton Dodd, Ph.D., Executive editor of Folo Media, and the Executive Director of Media and
Communications for the H.E. Butt Family Foundation. Interested in economic equity issues in
the community, and also faith-based community efforts.
6. Lucas Monson. Assistant at Folo Media, with a background in urban affairs and comparative
cities, U.S. and abroad.
7. Rosa, young Hispanic female, married, with children. Her mom provides child care for her
because she is outside the income guidelines to have subsidized childcare, but it meant her
mother had to reduce her own work schedule to part-time to accommodate her daughter’s needs.
Grace works for a major utility, providing emergency services to low-income residents.

8. Rachel Schindel, graduate student in social work at the University of Texas at San Antonio
(UTSA) and a program intern at COPPS/METRO, whose specialty is community organizing and
advocacy.
9. Brian Jaklich, LCSW. Longtime social worker in the Harlandale Independent School District
(ISD) and now the head school social worker for Harlandale. Former NASW school social
worker of the year for the state of Texas.
10. Wilma Gibson, LMSW. Longtime elementary school social worker at Harlandale ISD.
11. Yadia Garcia, LMSW. Longtime junior high school social worker at Harlandale ISD.
12. Queta Rodriguez, Bexar County Veteran Service Officer (VSO). Grew up locally in 78207, left
for 20 years in the Marine Corps. Returned to live and work here in her old neighborhood, and
involved locally both at the school level (PTA) and running for office (District 2).
13. Genevieve Noriega, Director of Partner Services, San Antonio Food Bank.
14. Councilman “Cruz” Shaw, District 2.
15. Jarvis Soileau, Director of Constituent Services for Councilman “Cruz” Shaw, District 2.
16. Jolanda Chapa, Fair Housing Counselor, City of San Antonio.
17. Yolanda Perez, Human Services Administrator, City of San Antonio’s Senior Services Division,
Department of Human Services.
18. Texas State Representative Diego Bernal, LMSW. Bernal is a lawyer and a social worker who
represents this district locally at the State house.
19. Rev. Ann Helmke, Community Faith-Based Liaison, City of San Antonio’s Department of
Human Services.
20. Morjoiree M. White, M.Ph., Homelessness Administrator, City of San Antonio’s Department
of Human Services.

21. Jordana Barton, MPA. Senior Advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas | San Antonio,
with a focus on community reinvestment. Author of The Digital Divide. Member, SA2020 Board
of Directors.
22. Lluvia P. Ponce Avalos, Consular official, Mexican Consulate.
23. Cecilia Garcia Peña Silveyra, Consular official, Mexican Consulate.
24. Rogelio Sáenz, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Public Policy (COPP), at the University of Texas
at San Antonio (UTSA). He is a sociologist who is also very well-versed in demography
(population, immigration, etc.)
25. Anabel Marroquin, Special Projects Manager, Development Services, City of San Antonio.
(Fair Housing, Mobile Homes, etc.)
26. Mayra Elizondo, Senior Management Analyst, Financial Empowerment, City of San Antonio,
Department of Human Services, Family Assistance Division.
27. Ryan Lugalia-Hollon, Ph.D., Executive Director of P16Plus Council of Bexar County, and the
author of a new book about incarceration and poverty in Chicago. His background is in urban
research and youth programs.
28. Mark Stoeltje, Executive Director, San Antonio Clubhouse, Inc.
29. Kiley Clark, Staff Generalist, San Antonio Clubhouse, Inc.
30. Eric Estrada, Director of Operations, San Antonio Clubhouse, Inc.
31. Robert C. Arizpe, Superintendent of the San Antonio State Hospital.
32. Liesl Schauer, Community Services Supervisor, City of San Antonio’s Parks and Recreation
department.
33. Juanita Rodriguez-Cordero, MA, LPC, vice president, adult behavioral health, Center for
Health Care Services.

34. Danette Brown, Constituent Services and Senior Coordinator, Office of the City Council,
District 2
35. Blanca Cook, Manager, District 2 Senior Center, City of San Antonio.

ENDNOTES
i
https://public.tableau.com/s/gallery/san-antonio-population-characteristics-zip-code retrieved June 1,
2018
ii
https://apps.urban.org/features/city-financial-health/city.html?city=san-antonio-tx on June 22, 2018.
iii
The Washington Post (January 8, 2014).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/01/08/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-
war-on-poverty/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a3c3fcc0cd83 Retrieved on May 26, 2018.
iv
“LBJ’s War on Poverty” speech on YouTube. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3AuStymweQ on May 26, 2018.
v
https://www.communityactionpartnership.com/filelibrary/Community%20Action%20Explainer%207-
17-copy2.pdf on July 13, 2018.
vi
A Community Action Guide to Comprehensive Community Needs Assessments (July, 2011).
Retrieved from
http://www.nascsp.org/data/files/CSBG_Resources/Train_Tech_Assistance/Needs_Assessment_FINAL
_-_8.22_print_to_pdf.pdf on May 26, 2018.
vii
viii
ix
Introduction to ROMA, Version 5.0. Richmond and Mooney, The Center for Applied Management
Practices, Camp Hill, PA.
x
xi
xii
http://www.nascsp.org/data/files/csbg_roma/final-roma-case-study-2-19-14.pdf on June 14, 2018.
xiii
xiv
xvxv
http://communityservices.us/about/detail/category/community-action-agency/ on May 26, 2018.

xvi
http://www.nascsp.org/data/files/CSBG_Resources/Train_Tech_Assistance/Needs_Assessment_FINAL
_-_8.22_print_to_pdf.pdf on May 26, 2018.
xvii
http://www.nascsp.org/CSBG.aspx on May 26, 2018.
xviii
http://www.nascsp.org/CSBG/594/ROMA.aspx?iHt=13 on May 26, 2018.
xixxix
https://www.tdhca.state.tx.us/ on May 26, 2018.
xx
American Community Survey, 2016 5-year unless noted. Retrieved from:
https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US4865000-san-antonio-tx/ on May 16, 2018.
xxi
American Community Survey, 2016 1-year unless noted. Retrieved from:
https://censusreporter.org/profiles/05000US48029-bexar-county-tx/ on May 16, 2018.
xxii
Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved from:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hds02 on May 16, 2018.
xxiii
Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved from:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hds02 on May 16, 2018.
xxiv
USA Today. Retrieved from http://traveltips.usatoday.com/5-largest-cities-texas-63099.html on May
16, 2018.
xxv
Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Retrieved from
https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/popcnty201011.html on May 16, 2018.
xxvi
Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottbeyer/2016/06/17/mexican-nationals-are-
transforming-san-antonio/#3b86f777dab6 on May 16, 2018.
Hill Country Communication Action Association, Inc.’s Community Needs Assessment. (Recent,
xxvii
but date unclear.) Online link to come.

xxviii
Census Reporter. Retrieved from https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US4865000-san-antonio-
tx/ on May 16, 2018.
xxix
tx/ on May 16, 2018.
xxx
tx/ on May 16, 2018.
xxxi
Census Reporter. Retrieved from https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US4865000-san-antonio-tx/
on May 16, 2018.

xxxii
San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved from
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Majority-minority-old-hat-for-Texas-
3567140.php on May 16, 2018.
xxxiii
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2018/estimates-cities.html on June 20, 2018.
xxxiv
https://www.nlc.org/forms-of-municipal-government on August 14, 2018.
xxxv
https://www.bexar.org/146/Commissioners-Court on August 14, 2018.
xxxvi
https://fyi.capitol.texas.gov/City.aspx?CityCode=65000&CityName=San%20Antonio on August 14,
2018.
xxxvii
https://www.bexar.org/320/Federal-Agencies on August 14, 2018.
xxxviii
https://www.bexar.org/321/School-Districts on August 14, 2018.
xxxix
https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/2018-winners/ on August 14, 2018.
xl
https://www.sanantonio.gov/gpa/News/ArtMID/24373/ArticleID/13487/San-Antonio-Continues-to-
be-Best-Financially-Managed-Big-City-in-America on August 14, 2018.
xli
https://sacompplan.com/background-and-vision/assets-opportunities/ on August 14, 2018.
xlii
https://www.sanantonio.gov/EDD/Media-Resource-
Center/NewsAndEvents/ArtMID/2617/ArticleID/10784/San-Antonio-Selected-to-Develop-New-
Market-Prioritization-and-Metropolitan-Economic-Partnership-Strategies-as-Part-of-the-Brookings-
Institution%E2%80%99s-Global-Cities-Initiative on August 14, 2018.
xliii
https://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/commentary/article/Tourism-much-too-important-to-San-
Antonio-12348632.php on August 14, 2018.
xliv
https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/As-Air-Force-grows-AETC-maps-new-buildings-
for-11292521.php on August 14, 2018.
xlv
http://visitsanantonio.com/english/Microsites/2018-AAO/About-San-Antonio/Weather on August 14,
2018.
xlvi
https://www.payscale.com/cost-of-living-calculator/Texas-San-Antonio on August 14, 2018.
xlvii
https://sacompplan.com/background-and-vision/assets-opportunities/ on August 14, 2018.
xlviii
http://www.utsa.edu/spotlights/cybersecurity/ on August 14, 2018.
xlix
http://www.portsanantonio.us/Webpages.asp?wpid=478 on August 14, 2018.
l
https://www.nationalservice.gov/vcla/city/San-Antonio-TX on August 14, 2018.

li
https://www.tncouncil.org/ on August 14, 2018.
lii
https://www.tncouncil.org/big-give on August 14, 2018.
liii
https://www.sanantonio.gov/humanservices/FaithBased on August 14, 2018.
liv
https://www.propertyshark.com/Real-Estate-Reports/2015/06/03/americas-best-cities-for-religion/ on
August 14, 2018.
lv
https://www.sanantonio.gov/HousingTaskForce on August 14, 2018.
lvi
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/politics/article/Nirenberg-to-announce-transit-nonprofit-at-
State-12821538.php on August 14, 2018.
lvii
https://www.sanantonio.gov/Portals/0/Files/budget/FY2017/FY2018-
FY2021%20Forecast%20Document%20Final.1.pdf?ver=2017-06-13-083540-077 on August 16, 2018.
lviii
https://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/editorials/article/Seeing-San-Antonio-s-endemic-poverty-
10872728.php on August 16, 2018.
lix
lx
lxi
https://maps.bexar.org/bcdr/samplereports.html on August 15, 2018.
lxii
http://edocs.bexar.org/bao/countywide/Executive.pdf on August 15, 2018.
lxiii
http://edocs.bexar.org/bao/countywide/Market.pdf on August 15, 2018.
lxiv
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2018/estimates-cities.html on June 20, 2018.
lxv
https://medium.com/@lilygc/moving-in-moving-out-how-san-antonio-and-bexar-county-fare-in-
population-shifts-9d8bd9b5ff6b on August 27, 2018.
lxvi
http://www.saafdn.org/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/research/The_Impact_of_Dropping_Out_on_the_I
ndividual__the_Nation_and_the_State.pdf on August 15, 2018.
lxvii
https://p16plus.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/p16_FINAL20180301web.pdf on August 15, 2018.
lxviii
https://p16plus.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/p16_FINAL20180301web.pdf on August 15, 2018.
lxix
https://www.idra.org/research_articles/attrition-dropout-rates-texas/ on August 15, 2018.
lxx
https://www.irp.wisc.edu/resources/who-is-poor/ on May 17, 2018.

lxxi
Selected Economic Characteristics, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2012-2016.

Retrieved from
https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_16_5YR_DP03
&src=pt on May 16, 2018.
lxxii
U.S. Census Bureau (2016). Retrieved from
https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B17020B&geo_ids=16000US4865000&primary_geo_id=16
000US4865000 on June 10, 2018.
lxxiii
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Retrieved from https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-
guidelines on May 16, 2018.
lxxiv
University of California at Davis Center for Poverty Research. Retrieved from
https://poverty.ucdavis.edu/faq/what-current-poverty-rate-united-states on May 16, 2018.
lxxv
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2017/cb17-tps50-wealth-sipp.html on June 13,
2018.
lxxvi
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/04/how-poverty-compounds/478539/ on May
17, 2018.
lxxvii
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/04/how-poverty-compounds/478539/ on May 30,
2018.
lxxviii
https://forabettertexas.org/images/2016_KC_SanAntonio_wEndnotes_v01.pdf on May 16, 2018.
lxxix
https://forabettertexas.org/images/2016_KC_SanAntonio_wEndnotes_v01.pdf on May 17, 2018
lxxx
https://www.forabettertexas.org/images/SOTC_2016_SA_PressRelease.pdf on May 17, 2018.
lxxxi
https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US4865000-san-antonio-tx/ on June 1, 2018
lxxxii
https://www.irp.wisc.edu/resources/who-is-poor/ on May 17, 2018.
lxxxiii
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27044702 on May 26, 2018.
lxxxiv
http://eig.org/dci on May 17, 2018.
lxxxv
https://greatcities.uic.edu/2017/10/11/mapping-the-hardship-index-the-geography-of-poverty-in-
san-antonio-and-chicago/ on May 17, 2018.
lxxxvi
https://svi.cdc.gov/Documents/FactSheet/SVIFactSheet.pdf on May 17, 2018.

lxxxvii
https://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5165&Itemid=3745&lang=
en on July 2, 2018.
lxxxviii
http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/texas/2018/rankings/bexar/county/outcomes/overall/snapshot
on May 29, 2018.
lxxxix
http://healthcollaborative.net/wp-content/uploads/reports/chna-2016.pdf on May 29, 2018.
xc
“What Texas Can Learn from Utah,” by Patton Dodd. April 4, 2017. http://folomedia.org/ideas/what-
texas-can-learn-from-utah/
xci
“The best and worst Texas cities to move up the economic ladder,” by Hannah Thornby. Published in
the Austin American Statesman, April 10, 2015, citing the work of the Equality of Opportunity Project.
http://austin.blog.statesman.com/2015/04/10/study-maps-economic-mobility-across-texas-cities/ on June
10, 2018.
xcii
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/05/03/upshot/the-best-and-worst-places-to-grow-up-how-
your-area-compares.html on June 11, 2018.
xciii
https://www.folomedia.org/americans-no-right-education/ and https://www.folomedia.org/san-
antonio-segregated-schools/ on June 10, 2018.
xciv
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/10/19/498536077/interactive-redlining-map-zooms-
in-on-americas-history-of-discrimination on June 10, 2018.
xcv
http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/digital-divide/ on June 14, 2018.
xcvi
https://therivardreport.com/study-san-antonio-among-worst-connected-u-s-cities/ on June 10, 2018.
xcvii
http://www.bbcmag.com/minneapolis/docs/presentations/Wed-Oct-19/500pm/Barton-Jordana.pdf on
June 10, 2018.
xcviii
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56806e9ed8af10f889a11a50/t/5680dcddc647adf832fac7a8/145128
5725748/SanAntonioNeedsAssessment2242009.pdf on June 10, 2018.
xcix
https://evictionlab.org/rankings/#/evictions?r=United%20States&a=0&d=evictionRate&l=67 on June
10, 2018.
c
https://www.nasdaq.com/article/san-antonio-tops-list-of-cities-with-heaviest-card-debt-burden-
cm917624 on June 10, 2018.
ci
https://assetfunders.org/resource/afn-income-volatility-2017/ https://assetfunders.org/resource/afn-
income-volatility-2017/ on June 10, 2018.
cii
ciii
http://visitsanantonio.com/english/Microsites/2018-SOT/About-San-Antonio/Weather on June 1,
2018.

civ
https://spotlightonpoverty.org/spotlight-exclusives/increases-utility-bills-may-price-low-income-
families-basic-human-needs/ on June 18, 2018.
cv
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2009.00645.x on June 18, 2018.
cvi
https://medium.com/@lilygc/unsung-hero-how-utility-assistance-plays-a-vital-role-in-helping-the-
poor-9f3a4d4b6db0 on September 17, 2018.
cvii
https://www.tdhca.state.tx.us/community-affairs/wap/docs/14-Rider15Report.pdf on June 18, 2018.
cviii
https://therivardreport.com/trevinos-under-1-roof-program-combats-energy-bills-heat-island/ on
September 17, 2018.
cix
https://public.tableau.com/profile/lilygc#!/vizhome/MedianAgeofHousingStock_0/Story1 on June 15,
2018.
cx
http://bit.ly/CNA2018PartnerResponses (case-specific) August 23, 2018.
cxi
https://www.dshs.wa.gov/esa/csd-mobile-office/mobile-community-services-office on June 25, 2018.
cxii
http://www.theaustinproject.org/community-schools.html on June 25, 2018.
cxiii
https://therivardreport.com/commentary-child-care-important-for-higher-graduation-rates/ on June
25, 2018.
cxiv
https://caseygrants.org/who-we-are/inside-mcf/inaugural-poverty-summit-explores-the-new-
challenges-and-nature-of-poverty/ on July 13, 2018.
cxv
http://wiscap.org/event/poverty-matters-conference/ on July 13, 2018.
cxvi
http://www.sharedprosperityphila.org/4th-annual-uniting-to-fight-poverty-summit/ on July 13, 2018.
cxvii
https://ams.nyscommunityaction.org/page-1707605 on July 13, 2018.
cxviii
https://www.naco.org/sites/default/files/event_attachments/2017%20Poverty%20Summit%20Program.p
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cxix
http://www.antipovertynetwork.org/page-1641944 on July 13, 2018.
cxx
https://www.cr-sdc.org/SDC/About/Insights-on-Poverty.htm on July 13, 2018.

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Comprehensive Community

Needs Assessment 2018

This report has been prepared by:

Minerva Hernandez, LMSW, NCRT

Family Assistance Division | Department of Human Services

Lily Casura, MSW candidate

University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 2

Dedicated to the residents of San Antonio,

in all their rich variety, history, opportunities and barriers

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 3

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 4

Poverty and educational attainment ................................................................................................................... 95

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 5

Public Parks and Facilities .............................................................................................................................. 188

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 6

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 7

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 8

Table of Figures (Illustrations)

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 9

Figure 38 Poverty rates with disability..................................................................................................................... 89

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 10

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 11

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 12

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 13

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 14

A Note on This Material

Section I of the report covers context, including:

the War on Poverty, Community Action Partnerships and Results-Oriented Management

and Accountability (ROMA) models.

• An overview of poverty nationally, regionally and locally.

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 15

• A look at some ancillary issues that also affect San Antonio.

• A selection of maps displaying various distributions of population characteristics in San

Antonio with an association (positive or negative) with poverty.

Section II of the report covers the findings, including:

income residents, both individuals and families.

• Results of the survey (online-only, English-only) of partners, agencies and 501(c)3

nonprofits that provide services to low-income clients.

• The key theme that emerged.

• Recommendations for the road ahead.

If your interest is primarily in the survey results (individual/family and also

this report include where:

lives in one section of the individual/family survey.

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 16

bundled with this service.

partner with, etc.

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 17

Minerva Hernandez, LMSW, NCRT

Lily Casura, MSW candidate

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 18

With special thanks to

• Richard J. Harris, Ph.D., at UTSA

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 19

the poverty level in San Antonio.

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 20

clients a year, according to their accounts.

or matter to them most.

Revision date: July 13, 2018 Page 21

Figure 1 Survey results suggest groupings of needs into 6 main domains