Impact Areas
Education and Youth Enrichment
- Early Childhood Care: extremely expensive and limited slots
- K-12: only 4 of 12 schools received full accreditation in 2014
- Postsecondary: 76.1% of students continue education after high school
Child Care Options and Prices:
| Child Care Center | Early Head Start/Head Start | Family Child Care |
|---|---|---|
| Infants (0-3): $10,028 | Free for those who meet federal poverty guidelines | Infant: $12,272 |
| 4 year olds: $7,696 | 4 year olds: $6,656 | |
| School Aged: 4,958 | School Aged: $4,173 |
Health, Aging and Disability
Health
- Low-income residents of Buena Vista, Lexington, and Rockbridge County are labeled a Medically Underserved Population.
Aging
- Significant proportion of elderly (26.6% in Rockbridge County) deal with increased need for medical and social services and are at risk for social isolation and disconnection
Disability
- Correlation between poverty and disability seen in BV percentages
Disability Rates:*
- Rockbridge: 10.9% of population with one or more disability
- Buena Vista: 13.5%
- Lexington: 6.1%
- Virginia: 7.6%
- United States: 8.4%
*Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015
Food and Shelter
Food Insecurity:
- 4,570 individuals in the Rockbridge Area are food insecure
- Rockbridge County: 10.7%
- Buena Vista City: 14.1%
- Lexington City: 17.5%
- Much of Rockbridge County is in a food desert, a major contributor to food insecurity
Housing Problems:
- Substandard quality: detrimental to physical, mental, and social well-being
- Lack of shelters in our area
- 1,492 low-income households pay more than 30% of their incomes on housing costs.
Community Development
Employment
- Unemployment rate is decreasing (5.6%), but underemployment continues to affect 1,719 people.
Immigration
- Immigrants account for 21% of all low wage work, deal with long documentation process, barriers to healthcare, and limited support services in the area
Transportation
- Public Transportation provided through the Rockbridge Area Transportation Services (RATS) and Maury Express (however, the limited routes & inconvenient hours leave most of the county disconnected
Strong Returns
Why Prison Reform?
- Americans care: "the criminal justice system should try to rehabilitate criminals, not just punish them."
- Prison system has not been held accountable for rehabilitation results
- Potential is squandered
- Families are fractured
- Communities are left open to recidivism risks.
We want Strong Returns: prisoners reentering their communities with a second chance at life and the necessary connections and personal tools to find success!