Facts & Figures
Homelessness, Poverty, and Education in Cincinnati
- Cincinnati’s childhood poverty rate is the third highest in our nation, behind only Detroit and Cleveland. A devastating 48% of Cincinnati’s children live in poverty.1
- Cincinnati ranks 7th in a list of cities with the highest percentage of total residents living in poverty (25.1%)2
- 7,838 people were homeless in Cincinnati in 2011 3
- 31% of Cincinnati’s homeless are children3
- Adult Men comprise 43% of the homeless population3
- Women comprise 26% of the homeless population3
- 13% of the homeless population is veterans3
- 35% of Cincinnati's homeless suffer from mental illness3
- 28% of the homeless have an alcohol dependency3
- 29% of the homeless have a drug dependency3
- 8% of the homeless have a physical or cognitive disability3
- Almost 1 in 4 children under 5 in Ohio live in a state of hunger or are at risk of hunger4
- 26% of 6th graders in Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) are not proficient in reading. 35% are not proficient in math. 5
- 18% of all students in CPS do not graduate from high school.5 Dropouts are more likely to work at lower-paying jobs — or have no jobs at all. They're also more likely to break the law.6
- Eighteen local school districts have dropout rates higher than the national average. Four of these districts with rates higher than the national average more than doubled in the past five years.
Mentoring Matters
Research confirms what we already knew anecdotally or intuitively — that mentoring works.
Mentored youth are7:
46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
27% less likely to begin using alcohol
52% less likely to skip school
33% less likely to engage in acts of violence
Mentored youth are also more likely to have greater self-esteem, have confidence in their schoolwork, get along better with their friends and families, and attend college7.
Breaking the cycle of poverty and despair
City Gospel Mission...
- Serves more than 9,200 men and women each year
- Serves more than 12,000 at-risk children each year
- Provides more than 29,000 nights of shelter to people in need each year
- Has over 2,500 caring volunteers
- Serves more than 139,000 hot, nutritious meals each year
- Has 7 innovative, relationship-based programs for at-risk kids
- Provides long-term residential recovery programs for men and women
- Has been open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year since 1924
- Offers Medical screening and HIV testing to guests
- Offers children three key factors to break the cycle of poverty in their lives: education, a relationship with a caring adult, and a relationship with Jesus
- Has 115 beds for emergency and transitional housing
City Gospel Mission's Adult Client Demographics:
- 100% have incomes below the poverty level8
- 45% are chronically homeless8
- 43% are chronically mentally ill8
- 69% are substance abusers8
- 15% are veterans8
- 12% are victims of domestic violence8
- 74% Male, 26% Female8
- 47% African American, 38% Caucasian, 2% Hispanic, 13% Other/Unknown8
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Sources:
1 The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), October 11, 2011
2 U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2011
3 Homeless in Cincinnati - the 2011 Data Report, The Partnership Center, Ltd.
4 Child Food Insecurity in the United States, 2005-2007
5 Ohio Department of Education, CPS 2010-2011 Report Card
6 Income, Earnings, and Poverty Data, 2008 American Community Survey
7 Mentoring: A Promising Strategy for Youth Development. Washington: Child Trends
8 VESTA Report, 2011 City Gospel Mission adult clients
