FinalInDesignMay17

Opportunity Youth in Lorain County
Demographic Profile & Needs Assessment
Prepared by the Oberlin Research Group
may 2016

Acknowledgements
The Oberlin Research Group would like to thank Dr. Eve Sandberg for her mentorship, guidance and unwavering
support throughout the course of this project.
We would also like to thank ORG Board Members: Dr. Beth Blissman, Director of Oberlin College Bonner Center
for Service and Learning and Pamela Snyder, Executive Director Office of Foundation, Government, and Corporate
Grants for their sponsorship of ORG.
We would like to thank Noelle Atkins for sharing her knowledge with our class, and Tracy Tucker for her help with
finances and administrative work.
Finally, we would love to thank all of the wonderful organizations that serve the youth of Lorain County, who opened
their doors to us and encouraged our research; we are incredibly grateful.
Caila Glickman
Project Director,
Oberlin Research Group
Anthony, 18
Elyria, OH
“The support for this community, for what
people do, it’s amazing because a lot of people
do good things to provide for this city, especially
a struggling city. It amazes me because Elyria
school district is pretty poor. It’s amazing to see
a lot of help going towards that, not only for the
schools, but for the community as well...It makes
me proud to be from Elyria, it’s who I am”

O P P O R T U N I T Y Y O U T H I N L O R A I N C O U N T Y | 3
Table of Contents
About ORG: the Oberlin Research Group..................................4
Executive Summary.....................................................................7
Methodology........................................................................................9
Lorain County At-a-Glance....................................................................9
Family & Home Life...................................................................10
Education........................................................................................20
Employment & Workforce Development...............................................32
Housing & Homelessness........................................................................38
Transit & Movement......................................................................42
Health, Including Mental Health & Substance Abuse........................52
Juvenile Justice...............................................................................58
Notes................................................................................................62

4 | O P P O R T U N I T Y Y O U T H I N L O R A I N C O U N T Y
Katie Firstenberger
Production Associate
Katie is a third year student from Hopkinton, MA. She majors in Politics and Gender, Sexuality, and
Feminist Studies. Katie has experience working for the New York City Bar Association: Diversity Pipeline
where she was able to combine her interests in finding ways that the law can be used to advocate for
marginalized people. She is particularly passionate about legal and political advocacy for people of
color, queer people, and people with disabilities. At Oberlin, Katie is a Cole Scholar with the Oberlin
College Initiative in Electoral Politics. She will be interning for the Stevon Cook for Board of Education
campaign in San Francisco this summer as a part of this program.
Caila Glickman
Project Director
Caila is a second year Political Science major and pre-medical student from Los Angeles, CA. She has
been active in researching cancer-causing mutations in DNA for the past two years and is an editor of
Oberlin College’s Synapse Magazine, a monthly magazine that covers scientific topics in an approach-
able manner. She is passionate about international relations, specifically in the MENA states, and hopes
to combine her interests through health aid in impoverished nations.
Nimo Ismail
Project Team Lead
Nimo is a third year Politics major with International Studies concentration and a minor in MENA (Middle
Eastern and North African Studies) and Africana studies. She is from Somaliland, an unrecognized
country in the Horn of Africa. Nimo is interested in international law and the intersection between
politics, law, and international relations. She hopes to go back to Somaliland after she graduates and
help open up an all women’s college and then pursue a law degree after that.
Eli Dalven
Data Analytics Lead
Eli is a fourth year Economics and Politics double major from Arlington, MA. He brings a blend of
econometrics and policy research to ORG; helping to measure the impact of various factors on
Opportunity Youth and the county at large. Using mapping software and data analysis, he helps to
illustrate the project’s major findings. As a Geneen Scholar at Oberlin College, he has studied the
organizational behavior and governance of the financial services industry, focusing on the 2008 crisis
and its aftermath. Following two legislative internships--once in the New York City Council and again
on Capitol Hill--his interests in political economy led him to spend the winter working for a Community
Development Financial Institution and learn how finance can be a catalyst for good. After completion
of his undergraduate studies this spring, he plans to pursue a career helping fiduciaries and investors
direct capital to investments that yield social and environmental returns.
The Oberlin Research Group is a student-run
consulting firm based in Oberlin, Ohio

Laura Spector
Operations Manager
Laura is a fourth year Politics and Piano Performance double-degree student from Dallas, Texas. She
has a background in fund-raising, development, and has enjoyed bringing these skills to the Oberlin
Research Group. Laura’s musical achievements have included performances with the Bolshoi Orchestra
in Moscow, Russia, and the Ashdod Symphony, as well as top prizes at international competitions. In
summer of 2014, she served as a community organizer for the North Texas chapter of the Wendy Davis
gubernatorial campaign. Laura is interested in community development, arts outreach, and consulting.
Amelia Gallay
Research Analyst
Amelia is a fourth year Politics major, English minor from Cold Spring, New York. She just completed
her senior Honors Thesis on the motivations of long-shot congressional candidates and is set to
graduate this May. The majority of her professional experience thus far has been in electoral politics and
government; she has worked for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on Capitol Hill and spent this past summer
interning for a political consulting and direct mail firm in the Bay Area, Terris, Barnes, & Walters. She
also has experience in nonprofit work and grass roots organizing, both canvassing and conducting
research for the New York Public Interest Research Group on an antitracking campaign. On campus,
Amelia conducted political research for Professor Mike Parkin and was the Director of Placement for
Oberlin’s Winter 2016 Congressional Internship program. She is passionate about environmental
issues and reform in the criminal justice system.
Jona Beliu
Research Analyst
Jona is originally from Tirana, Albania and has since lived in many different regions of the United States
for 14 years. She is currently majoring in Politics with two concentrations in International Relations
and Peace and Conflicts Studies. Jona has worked for numerous nonprofit organizations, including
Habitat for Humanity and Housing Works. Her passions lie in intersectional social justice work, which
has informed her experience in community outreach and qualitative research. At Oberlin college she
is a member of the Oberlin Research Group and Cole Scholars. During the summer of 2016 she will
be working on Kathleen McGinty’s campaign for U.S. Senate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Max Herzog
Director of Communications
Max is a fourth year Political Science and Environmental Studies major from St. Louis, MO. He has been involved
in numerous consulting and education projects in sustainability and social-impact spaces in Chicago, Oberlin,
Cleveland, and the Philippines. He is dedicated to community development and climate resiliency in the Midwest
and plans to settle in the Greater Cleveland Area after graduation.
Since 1999, ORG has worked with stakeholders
of all stripes in the Greater Cleveland Area

As a requirement of Ohio’s Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funding, Lorain County
reports the number of individuals that use its workforce development services,
and the outcomes of their participation. The services were offered through Lorain
County’s OhioMeansJobs office in conjunction with LCCC. Below is a summary of
the program’s history to date.
+31%LC youth funding PY’12-’16
$7.6Mallocated to youth PY’08-’16
13.5%of LC 16-24 year olds are OY

Executive Summary
Opportunity Youth (OY) have different needs and respond to different strategies than other at-risk
populations, even if they share similar risk factors. The defining characteristic of OY is that they
lack the educational background and skill levels to succeed in conventional career pathways,
which renders them ‘disconnected’ from the labor force and from their educational goals. Many
lack the stability in their lives to persist and complete educational or workforce development
programs. OY in particular require additional support that older adults may not. Without adequate
bridge programming, their prospects remain severely limited, and they impose substantial social
costs over their lifetimes. Therefore, it is critical that education and employment strategies target
Opportunity Youth specifically to address their specific needs and build on their unique strengths.
OVERVIEW
Nationally, Ohio ranks 19th–lowest in
percentage of disconnected youth,
with 12.3% of people ages 16-24
unenrolled in school and unemployed.
However, these and other statewide
measures often obscure the reality of
Lorain County and its communities. In
Ohio, disconnection is most prevalent
in its urban cores, as well as in the
Southwestern Appalachian region.
For a more appropriate context, the
Cleveland-Elyria Metropolitan Statistical
Area (MSA, which includes Cuyahoga,
Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina
counties) has some 32,300 discon-
nected youth, representing 24.4% of
young blacks aged 16-24, 18.3% of
young latinos and latinas aged 16-24,
and 8.4% of young whites aged 16-24.
Adding to the new literature focused
on opportunity youth, ORG’s tasks
were to determine to what extent
Lorain County contributes to these
regional demographics, and to help
youth identify and voice their needs.
This final report, therefore, is a toolkit
for community organizations and not
a comprehensive evaluation of local
program effectiveness.
KEY FINDINGS
The major obstacle in evaluating the
state of opportunity youth in Lorain
County is a lack of specific data. With
overly broad census categories and
limited information from area service
providers, ORG’s first challenge was to
infer how many youth actually fit the
description of OY. Since 13.5% of all
16-24 year-olds in Lorain County are
disconnected and 6,500 live in poverty,
our estimates indicate that as many as
4,700 youth can be considered OY.
This population has a female to male
ratio of about 60:40, which differs signifi-
cantly from national OY demographic
estimates, and should be accounted
for in any Lorain County-specific
recommendation. Furthermore, while
whites make up the majority of youth
--and at-risk youth--in Lorain County,
the dynamics that push at-risk youth
into poverty and disconnectedness
are more likely to produce black and
latino OY relative to their white peers
for the foreseeable future. The added
challenges facing minority youth in
Lorain County should also factor into
community solutions.
While only 2,010, or 5.6% of youth in
Lorain County’s lead a family household,
OY are overrepresented; often acting
as a primary caregiver to partners,
siblings, and relatives in cases where
their parents cannot.
As many as
4,700 youth
16-24 in Lorain
County can be
considered OY

8 | O P P O R T U N I T Y Y O U T H I N L O R A I N C O U N T Y
While some sectors have recovered from
the recession, job prospects have not
improved for 16-24 year olds trying to
establish themselves in the workforce,
particularly those without a high school
diploma, or those who live in economi-
cally distressed areas--where even a
diploma or GED may not be enough due
to insufficient openings. Lorain County’s
Opportunity Youth must face both of
these factors, since each year, roughly
450 students drop out of high school,
and often remain in under-resourced
districts, further limiting their upward
mobility.
Today,the unemployment rate for Oppor-
tunity Youth is more than double the
unemployment rate for those 25 and
over, and long-term youth unemploy-
ment persists in Lorain County.
Our interviewees reported a strong
desire for stable employment and
understood the need for skills and
credentials, much like others in their
age cohort. Yet unlike their advantaged
peers, they saw relatively few obvious
paths forward. And their disconnec-
tion is costly. For each year youth are
off track, they produce a substantial
fiscal and social burden in terms of
lost productivity and tax revenue and
higher expenditures on criminal justice,
public assistance, and healthcare. In
Lorain County, 20% of people aged
16-24 do not have health insurance.
Beyond the health risks of not being
covered, a single accident or illness
could be financially devastating.
Ohio’s Department of Education provides
“report cards”for each Ohio school district.
Of all the school districts within Lorain
County, only three achieved a“B”rating
for student performance, with a“C”as the
average rating, two“D”ratings, and an“F.”
Very few school districts in Lorain County
are making progress in their attempts to
“close the gap”in performance between
students that are disadvantaged due to
class, race or disability and students who
are not, and five school districts received
an “F” rating for their attempts to close
this gap.The lowest performing schools in
the county are in the Elyria City, Firelands
Local, and Lorain City school districts.
Young people in Lorain County are subject
to other adverse pressures as well. For
those who are brought to court, too many
defendants waive their right to counsel,
and Ohio incarcerates a larger percentage
of its youth population than most other
states--with disproportionate detainment
of minorities, a lack of transparency and
metric tracking of youths in the justice
system and over prosecution of minors
tried as adults. While several nonprofits
and legal advocacy organizations are
operating select number Ohio counties,
Lorain County is not benefiting from most
of their reform efforts.
Overall, best practices involve cohesive
and complete cooperation between all
nonprofits, community-based organiza-
tions, and state agencies with a vested
interest in improving the academic
and professional success of youth in a
given area. Such partnerships need to
include clear and organized data-sharing
agreements, periodic meetings, and
the inclusion of an intermediary who
will neutrally maintain cooperation and
communication amongst all partners.
6% increase
in homeless
families
since 2010
1 in 5 people
ages 16-24
lacks health
insurance
The total economic burden of
disconnected youth in Lorain County
amounts to tens of thousands of
dollars per individual per year

Deborah Kass,
OY/YO, 2015
We used well-established risk factors to determine the likelihood
of young people joining this demographic, which is expected
to grow significantly over the next decade. We used qualitative
analysis to more fully understand the personal and specific
challenges that this population faces, and have identified
their most significant unmet needs in the areas of Family and
Home Life, Education, Employment and Workforce Develop-
ment, Housing and Homelessness, Movement and Transit,
and Health, Mental Health, Addiction and Substance Abuse.
Our interview team contacted key informants who work with
Opportunity Youth to learn about local trends in these sectors.
We also contacted OY and at-risk students to record and share
their stories. This report contains excerpts from conversations
with OY and those who serve them. All interviewees agreed
participate, and per ORG policy, are quoted anonymously.
At the same time, our research team surveyed the literature on
Lorain County and on disconnected youth, to synthesize the
small relevant overlap. Because OY are not bounded by city
limits or county lines, we also researched the Cleveland-Elyria-
Mentor Metropolitan Statistical Area, and Columbus to gain a
broader perspective on what is truly a regional demographic.
Methodology
The Oberlin Research Group (ORG) gathered data on young people in Lorain County between
the ages of 16-24 who are neither enrolled in school nor participating in the labor force. This
demographic, which the White House Council on Community Solutions calls ‘Opportunity
Youth’ (OY), remains underserved by conventional support services, and often falls ‘through
the cracks’—so to speak—and may end up in the informal economy or in the correctional system.
This report offers only a
baseline of Lorain County’s
OY characteristics, serving
as an estimate until more
specific data can be gathered.

1 0 | O P P O R T U N I T Y Y O U T H I N L O R A I N C O U N T Y
Right to Left: Amherst, Lorain, Elyria and Oberlin all exhibit sharp disparities in median household income.

O P P O R T U N I T Y Y O U T H I N L O R A I N C O U N T Y | 1 1

Personal & Home Life
OVERVIEW
Opportunity Youth in Lorain County grow up in and
around poverty. In 2000, the median household income
in the City of Lorain was only $33,917, while the median
household incomes for two other major urban areas of
Lorain County, the City of Elyria and the City of Oberlin,
were $38,156 and $41,094 respectively. Lorain County’s
median household income, however, increased to $48,110
in 2009. Despite that increase, a person earning minimum
wage who works full-time, 52 weeks a year, earns less than
the poverty level income--this is a major issue facing both
youth and adults today. In 2000, 25% of all children in Lorain
City were living in poverty. That number doubled in 2009
due to the harsh effects of the 2008 economic recession.
However, there are existing services and providers within
Lorain County which seek to help struggling youth and
families to ensure their well-being. Also of concern is the
continuing decrease in two-parent households in Lorain
County, a decrease that is particularly severe for African-
American and Hispanic families.
MIGRATORY FLOWS
Between 1990 and 1995, two-thirds of all residential moves
within the Lorain County population occurred within the
borders of Lorain County, with residents tending to stay in
the same community. During the same time, the exchange of
residents between Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties was evident,
as more than one-third of all people moving into the county
were from Cuyahoga County. Similarly, when Lorain County
residents moved out of the county, Cuyahoga County was the
most popular choice. However, the county experienced a net
migration loss of 1,577 during these five years. Approximately
44,344 people moved into Lorain County while 45,921 moved
out of the county. The same patterns also held true between
1995 and 2003. Lorain County’s population growth rate of 5.9
percent between 2000 and 2010 was below the national rate
of 9.7 percent, but it exceeds the state rate of 1.6 percent.
During this period, out-migrants from Lorain County gener-
ally outnumbered in-migrants almost every year, except 2000
and 2002. Therefore, migration is not the only factor affecting
population grow.
“[In Lorain,] Poverty just
feeds into so many other
things and it is so hard to
break away from. Even as the
kids start to break, they get
pulled back into supporting
more people in the family
and getting a job at a very
young age instead of going
for their future. It is basic
needs of the family.”

POPULATION GROWTH
Lorain County’s African-American population grew at a rate
of 14.0 percent, adding 2,973 residents. (WHEN?) Figures
for 2000 to 2010 also reveal an increase in African-American
population at a rate of 6.6 percent or 1,596 persons. Lorain
County had the 10th largest African-American popula-
tion in the state in 2010. Particularly, for the last couple
of decades, the county’s Hispanic population grew more
than four times faster than the county as a whole, at a rate
of 28.9 percent or 4,415 persons between 1990 and 2000
and at a rate of 28.5 percent or 5,614 individuals between
2000 and 2010 (Lorain County had 4th largest Hispanic
population in the state in 2010). In 2010, approximately
one in every six (17.4%) Lorain County residents was
African-American or of Hispanic origin (compared to 10%
in 1970, 12% in 1980, 14% in 1999).
CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS
The younger population (ages 0-17) in the county has
slightly declined over the last two decades. This age
group constituted 27.4 percent of the county population
in 1990, 26.2 percent in 2000, and 23.9 percent in 2010.
In actual numbers, between 1990 and 2000, the younger
population held stable with no significant increase (+134
persons); however, for the 2000-2010 period, this age
group decreased by 3.3 percent (-2,472 persons). The
young population (ages 18-24) decreased significantly by
10.4 percent (-2,866 persons) between 1990 and 2000;
however, this population grew slightly by 2.6 percent or
645 persons over the 2000-2010.
DEPOPULATION AND LABOR FORCE LOSSES
The largest population loss has been mainly observed in
urban areas in Lorain County since 1990: Lorain City, Elyria
City, and Sheffield Lake City.
Between 1990 and 2000, all three urban areas lost popula-
tion; Lorain City (-2,593 persons), Elyria City (-793 persons),
and Sheffield Lake City (-454 persons).
Between 2000 and 2010, Lorain City (-4,555 persons) and
Elyria City (-1,420 persons) lost their population more
rapidly, and Sheffield Lake City (-234 persons) continued
to lose their population.
HOUSEHOLD STRUCTURE
Married families continue to decline while non-family
households grow. In Lorain County, married couple families
decreased significantly from 60.8 percent of all house-
holds in 1990, to 55.2 percent in 2000, and 50.5 percent
in 2010. In contrast, female-headed households continued
to increase from 11.7 percent of all households (11,286
households) in 1990, to 12.6 percent (13,324 households)
in 2000 and 13.5 percent (15,755 households) in 2010.
The person per household is 2.5, taken from data from
2010-2014.
Similarly, male-headed households steadily increased from
3.3 percent (3,213 households) in 1990, to 4.2 percent (4,399
households) in 2000, and 4.8 percent (5,574 households) in
2010. There is a sharp increase in non-family households in
the county from 24.1 percent (23,117 households) in 1990, to
28.0 percent (29,644 households) in 2000, and 31.1 percent
(36,197 households).

HOUSEHOLD STRUCTURE, CONT.
African-Americans are almost four times as likely, and
Hispanics nearly three times as likely to be female-headed
(no husband) than are Whites. In 2009, forty-three percent
(3,489 of 8,165 households) of all AfricanAmerican house-
holds in Lorain County and thirty-three percent (2,484 of
7,500 households) of Hispanic households in Lorain County
were female-headed with no husband present, compared
to eleven percent for White households. Those figures
were almost four times (African-American population)
and three times (Hispanic population) higher than that
of the White population. Also, the Hispanic population
had a high percentage (16.7 percent or 1,253 of 7,500
households) of male-headed households.
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Overall, Lorain County’s median household income ($48,110)
in 2009 was higher than the region ($45,787) and Ohio
(45,395), but slightly lower than the nation ($50,221).
Lorain County ranked 19th in 1990 in median household
income and moved up to 12th in 2000 and slightly down
to 14th in 2009. However, the median household income
gap has widened; in 1990, median family income for Lorain
County was $10,015 less than the number one county in the
state, but in 2009, the gap was $34,996. In 2000, Median
household income in the City of Lorain was only $33,917
or $11,125 less per household than the county overall.
Median household income for two other major urban areas
of Lorain County, the City of Elyria and the City of Oberlin,
were $38,156 and $41,094 respectively. Twenty-five percent
of all African-American families in Lorain County lived in
poverty, compared with 19 percent of Hispanic families
and 4.5 percent of White families in 2000.
MAKING ENDS MEET
A person earning minimum wage who works full-time
earns less than the poverty level income. Families relying
on welfare alone make even less than a minimum wage
worker. The number of families living in poverty declined
from 6,683 to 5,127 from the years 1990 to 2000. The per
capita income gap has widened over the past seventeen
years – in 1990, Lorain County residents averaged $4,854
less than the number one county (then Geauga County)
in Ohio, but in 2009, Lorain County residents averaged
$13,942 less than the number one county (Delaware
County) in the state. Lorain City, the largest city in Lorain
County, had a per capita income of only $16,340 in 2000.
On average, the Lorain City residents make $4,714 less
per person than county residents overall.
In 2000, 25% of all children in Lorain City were living in
poverty while in 2009 that number rose to 50%, largely
due to the recession. The poverty rate for children rose
from 36.4% in 2008 to 54.9% in 2009.

FAMILY SERVICES
The Food Assistance program is designed to raise nutri-
tional levels, to expand buying power and to safeguard the
health and well-being of individuals and families whose
gross monthly income is within 130 percent of the federal
poverty guidelines
Child Recipients
• 2013 County: 25,390
• 2012 County: 25,970
Ohio Works First (OWF) is the financial-assistance portion
of the state’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
(TANF) program, which provides cash benefits to needy
families for up to 36 months. Currently, 18 out of every
1,000 residents in Lorain County received cash benefits
through OWF during FY 2013.
Child Recipients
• 2013 County 4,103
• 2012 County 5,530
CHILD AND YOUTH WELFARE
Differential Response offers child welfare agencies options for
responding to accepted reports of child abuse and neglect by
requiring that such reports be assigned to either the “Tradi-
tional Response (TR)” pathway or the “Alternative Response
(AR)” pathway. In some instances, a traditional child protection
response is needed in order to determine whether abuse or
neglect has occurred and to ensure child safety and well-being.
AR sets aside fault finding and substantiation decisions and
applies only to reports that do not allege serious or imminent
harm. In an AR response, caseworkers partner with families and
ensure they are connected with the services and supports they
need to keep their children safe.
By August 2011, thirty-three counties had implemented the
Differential Response System. As of September, 2012, an
additional fifteen counties went ‘live,’ increasing the grand
total to forty-eight ‘active’ counties. To date, 70 counties
have implemented Differential Response.
In 2004, the U.S. Health and Human Services Administra-
tion of Children and Families mandated a Children and
Family Services Review (CFSR) process to gauge the
effectiveness of child-welfare programs. The CFSR is a
review of state child welfare systems and a guide that
validates successful strategies and provides insight for
areas needing improvement.
Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) is Ohio’s voluntary quality rating
system for child care programs. SUTQ is designed to increase
the number of high-quality programs, recognize and support
programs that achieve higher quality standards, and provide
parents with an easy-to-use tool to assist them in making more
informed choices on behalf of their children. Programs with the
highest ratings qualify for monetary awards.
“They know they’re getting
dinner every night, where
they didn’t know that all
the time when they were
home.” -Barbara

The number of Licensed Child Care Centers Earning
Quality Ratings as of June 30, 2013: 39
Ohio counties provide child care services and early learning
opportunities that families need to succeed at work and school.
Through state and federal funding, families whose income is
at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty guideline can
receive payment for all or part of their monthly child care
expenses while parents work or attend job training/educational
activities. A family may remain eligible until income increases
to 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline.
Ultimately, the number of children in foster care for 18
months or longer has been declining, from 5,524 in 2008
by about 8% a year, to 3,308 in 2012. Over 1,000 foster care
children are adopted each year, showing that the situation
is improving for many. To measure these outcomes, the
Ohio Children and Family Services Review Dashboard is a
program evaluation tool which empowers service providers
to detect problems in performance and make changes
prior to the end of the review period, thereby avoiding
financial penalties for missed targets. The program year
for the federal reporting period is April 1 to March 31.
Data presented is as of March 31, 2013.
2012 Lorain County 2012 Ohio 2013 Lorain County 2013 Ohio
Children Using Publicly-
Funded Child Care
4,321 188,526 3,987 178,132
Public Funds used for Child-
care Expenditures
$12,690,231 $571,296,382 $10,595,146 $508,988,420
Lorain County,
FY ‘12
Ohio,
FY ‘12
Children Approved for Initial KPI Funding 73 2,241
Children Receiving KPI Payments Redeterminations
148
4,714
MAKING PROGRESS
Organizations like New Life Furniture assist families in need
within Ohio and Lorain County. These organizations provide
services that create stability and the ability for families to
support themselves and provide for their children. New Life
Furniture, “started as a small, volunteer ministry in the summer
of 2006 to help families moving from the Interfaith Hospitality
Network homeless program to permanent housing. Several
homeless shelters and a domestic abuse shelter heard about
these efforts and began asking for help for their clients. What
began as a small effort to help a few families quickly turned
into full-time coordination of donations, deliveries, and the
need for more storage space.”
This has been their impact so far:
• 1,145 people served, 571 of whom were children.
• 495 furniture deliveries to families and individuals.
• 6,891 items delivered.
• Average of 14 pieces of furniture per household.
• 484,510 lbs. of furniture reused
• $218,529 fair market value of furniture

KPI provides time-limited incen-
tive payments to relatives caring
for minor children who would be
at risk of harm if they remained
in their own homes.

EXISTING SERVICES AND PROVIDERS
“Most of us don’t even recognize
the kind of support system we
have, and to be completely
without one is... If your car
doesn’t run and you’ve got nobody
to call, or your baby’s sick and
you’ve got nobody to call... That’s
the biggest thing, and sometimes
it’s just one incident like that that
puts them out”
Food Assistance Program
Ohio Works First
New Life Furniture
Lorain County Rape Crisis Center
Lorain County Children Services/Child Abuse Hotline
Bellflower Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse
Battered Women’s Shelter
Lorain County Safe Harbor/Genesis Hotline: Provides
safe house for victims of domestic violence and their
children
Safe School Helpline
United Way’s 211/First Call for Help
Joining Forces
El Centro De Servicios Sociales: Services and referrals
for at-risk youth 12-18 and their families. Specializes in
supporting hispanic families.
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Lorain County
Far West Center: Outpatient mental health services for adults
and families
Beech Brook: Outpatient mental heath services for ages
3-18 and their families
Nord Center: Crisis Stabilization, mental health support,
and referrals.
YWCA Women’s Center: Information access and essential
support services for women and families..
Amachi Program: Provides children with incarcer-
ated parents with a mentor. Partnership between Big
Brothers Big Sisters and local faith-based orgs.
Child Care Resource Center
Lorain County Jobs and Family Services
Child Support Enforcement Agency
Public Children Services Agency
Lorain County Help Me Grow: Support for families with
young children

Education
OVERVIEW
The majority of public schools in Lorain County have
seen a decrease in their enrollment, both overall and for
black students.1
Conversely, there has been an increase
in enrollment of Hispanic students. Ohio’s Department of
Education provides “report cards” for each Ohio school
district.2
Of all the school districts within Lorain County,
only three achieved a “B” rating for student performance,
with a “C” as the average rating, two “D” ratings, and an
“F.” Very few school districts in Lorain County are making
progress in their attempts to “close the gap” in performance
between students that are disadvantaged due to class,
race or disability and students who are not. Five Lorain
County school districts received an “F” rating for their
attempts to “close the gap.” Lorain County School districts
that are doing comparatively better include Amherst
Exempted Village schools, Avon Local schools and Avon
Lake City Schools. The lowest performing schools in the
county are in the Elyria City, Firelands Local, and Lorain
City school districts. Opportunity Youth who have been
exposed to poverty-related stressors and/or suffer from
mental illness face additional challenges to their academic
and professional success, but research shows that the
neurological and psychological effects of such stressors
can be overcome. For any nonprofits, state agencies,
or community-based organizations trying to better the
academic performance of Opportunity Youth, cooperation
and communication between partners is crucial.
CHANGE IN ENROLLMENT SINCE ‘08
(By School District)
OVERALL FOR BLACK
STUDENTS
FOR
HISPANICS
Amherst Exempted -11.3% +12.9% -12.7%
Avon Local +14.5% -19.5% +150.5%
Avon Lake City -3.7% -18.2% +5%
Clearview Local -7.5% -16.5% +23.6%
Elyria City -9.8% -19.4% +23.3%
Firelands Local -11.2% N/A +24.6%
Keystone Local NC N/A +8.3%
Lorain City -18.6 -22.9% +6.7%
Midview Local -13.7 NC +583.3%
North Ridgeville City +6.8% +21.6% +35.6%
Oberlin City -9.8% -7.6% +27.6%
Sheffield/Sheffield Lake -12.1% -22.1% +14.1%
Wellington Exempted -25.2% NC -17.3%

Source: Ohio Department of Education, Interactive Local Report Card, 2011-2012 Academic Year
N/A: No students in the given demographic attend this school district.
NC: No Change in Enrollment
DROPOUT FIGURES, ‘11-’12
(By School District)
Graduate
Count
Dropout
Count
Total
Students
Graduation
Rate
Lorain City 461 205 666 69.2%
Elyria City 416 62 478 87.0%
North Ridgeville City 237 47 284 83.5%
Amherst Exempted Village 330 28 358 92.2%
Midview Local 270 22 292 92.5%
Sheffield-Sheffield Lake City 178 17 195 91.3%
Avon Lake City 302 14 316 95.6%
Clearview Local 142 12 154 92.2%
Wellington Exempted Village 111 12 123 90.2%
Firelands Local 177 11 188 94.1%
Keystone Local 131 11 142 92.3%
Avon Local 258 9 267 96.6%
Oberlin City 79 8 87 90.8%
Columbia Local 95 3 98 96.9%
Lorain County 3,187 461 3,648 87.4%
“I just got done working somebody for an hour and a half on
a math lesson because he had to go to court and didn’t go to
school today, and he just said “thank you ‘cause my teacher
never would have taken that time to explain it to me.” And
it’s not the teacher’s fault because he doesn’t have the time.
- John

Mapping Northeast Ohio’
Using 2014 ACS data, we can observe the geographic
distribution of high school dropouts aged 16-19 in a
given year, according to their census block group. Areas
shaded in medium orange represent districts with 50-100
dropouts, and dark orange sections represent districts
with over 100 dropouts. This gives us a snapshot of how
many at-risk youth in Lorain County join the OY cohort
each year, and where they come from.

’s High School Dropouts

DISCIPLINARY ACTION
In the Lorain City School District, disciplinary actions exceed those of the state for “all discipline types:”more than
60% of schools had an increase in “out-of- school suspension rates from 2011-2012 to 2012-2013.”3
Research shows
that a punitive school environment is incredibly detrimental to educational and professional advancement of students
who are already struggling with poverty-related stressors (exposure to violence, food insecurity, homelessness, and
parental absence or neglect).4
Children who experience trauma suffer from inhibited development of “crucial executive
functions, including working memory, self-monitoring, emotional regulation, and the abilities to hold contradictory
information in the brain, see alternative solutions, and negotiate the unfamiliar.”5
When children exposed to such
stressors are in “typical” school settings and exhibit stress-induced behavior, they are punished or sent to special ed
programs. A strongly punitive school environment also negatively effects all students within the system, as there is a
negative relationship between a school’s suspension and expulsion rates and school-wide achievement.6
DROPOUT RATES
Ohio’s 8th-12th Grade Dropout rate is 3.4%.8
Ohio’s public school system
classifies students as dropouts if they withdraw due to truancy or nonattend-
ance, left school to pursue employment, left school when they were over 18
years old, moved to another area and are not known to be continuing their
schooling, or completed course requirements but did not pass all portions of
Ohio’s Graduation Test.9
67.2% of traditional public schools averaged fewer
than ten dropouts per year. Community schools accounted for 4.6% of all
public school students in 2010 but accounted for 56.6% of student dropout.
Students in Ohio’s six urban districts are 6.6 times more likely to drop out than
public school students in the rest of the state.10
Ohio’s Department of Education has several classifications they assign to
schools based on school performance or participation in specific programs
that aim at increasing school/student performance. If a school is participating
in Race to the Top (RttT), a federal program created to improve graduation
rates and test scores for struggling schools, it is designated as a RttT school.
The three traditional public high schools in Lorain County that have signifi-
cant dropout problems are all situated in Lorain City: Academic Enrichment
Academy, New Beginnings, and Lorain High School. All three are RttT partici-
pants.. Both Community schools in Lorain County with significant dropout
problems (Life Skills Center in Elyria and Summit Academy Secondary-Lorain)
have been granted “Dropout Recovery” status, meaning they have a waiver
from the Ohio Department of Education which enables some students to
graduate without completing the Ohio Core Curriculum, as long as they
have completed a “competency-based instructional program”.11
Schools that
perform in the bottom five percent of all Ohio public schools are designated
“Priority Schools,” a designation two Lorain County public schools have earned.
LORAIN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
WITH SIGNIFICANT DROPOUT
PROBLEMS7
Academic Enrichment Academy (Lorain City)
•designated “priority” school
•RttT participant
•2010 Dropout Percentage: 18.3%
•2006-2010 Dropout Trend: average increase
of 14.4 dropouts over the previous year.
New Beginnings (Lorain City)
•designated “priority” school
•RttT participant
of 4 dropouts over the previous year.
Lorain High School (Lorain City)
•RttT participant
of 6.7 dropouts over the previous year.
Lorain County Community Schools with
the most significant Dropout Problems:
Life Skills Center of Elyria
•designated “dropout recovery” school
•2010 dropout Percentage: 272.2%
•2006-2010 Dropout Trend: average
decrease of .9 dropouts over the previous
year.
Summit Academy Secondary - Lorain
•designated “dropout recovery” school
•2010 dropout Percentage: 11.7%
“I think that the youth get a bad name. They’re
told that they’re lazy. That they’re bad. That they
don’t care. And I really think that the biggest
problem is that they’re hurt. They’re wounded. And
they don’t know then how to express themselves or
who they can trust or where they can go.”

Only 9% of freshman who started at Lorain County Community College in 2000
completed their Associate’s degree within three years. 19% of students who entered
the college in 2000 transferred to another postsecondary institution within 3 years.17
Lorain County Community College (LCCC) has an open-
enrollment policy and currently serves 13,929 students,
5,141 enrolled full-time.12
The current in-state annual tuition
is $3,291.13
Demographically speaking, the majority of LCCC
students are white, two-thirds are women and half are over
the age of 25. Most LCCC students drive to school and about
half of first-time, full-time students received some form of
financial aid.14
Students who attend LCCC most commonly
pursue the health professions and related clinical sciences;
liberal arts and sciences, social sciences, and humanities; and
business, management, and marketing.15
LCCC is the only
community college in Ohio that offers a University Partner-
ship Program, “in which students can earn bachelor’s and
master’s degrees from any of eight four-year institutions in
Ohio without leaving the Lorain campus”.16
LCCC was the
first college in Ohio to build an Advanced Technologies
Center, which provides industrial and technical training.
Though LCCC has a certain amount to recommend it, the
college’s retention and graduation rates are dismal.
Lorain County Community College:
CASE STUDY
CHALLENGES FACING OPPORTUNITY YOUTH
Studies show that children exposed to poverty-related
stressors are more likely to give up when faced with
academic or personal challenges and are more likely to
suffer from low motivation, which is a particularly difficult
problem to tackle as motivation is a self-perpetuating entity.
If a child has high motivation, the academic benefits of
that motivation leads to further increases in motivation.
If a child has low motivation, the negative outcomes of
that fact lead to decreases in motivation.18
As discussed in this section and the section on disciplinary
action, youth living in poverty and/or experience childhood
trauma face unique impediments to their academic and
professional success. However, “There is strong evidence
that neurological and psychological effects of childhood
stress can be overcome. There is growing evidence that
even brief interventions can significantly improve young
people’s learning strategies and mindsets, and, ultimately,
their academic performance.”19
At the Grafton Reintegration Center, Chris Jackson helps
himself and fellow inmates prepare for life on the outside in the
prison’s One Stop Shop program that hones job-hunting skills.
STEVE FOGARTY FOR THE CHRONICLE-TELEGRAM

Education Standards in Lorain County:
LESSONS FROM LOCAL AND NATIONAL MODELS
LCCC’s dismal retention and graduation rates could be helped
through the implementation of a program similar to New York
City’s College Access and Success Initiative (CAS) which brought
together academic institutions and community-based organizations
(CBOs) in order to improve the academic success of young people
who graduated from failing high schools, are recent immigrants,
or who dropped out of high school but got their GED.20
The CAS
Initiative includes monthly meetings of college and CBO staff,
facilitated by its intermediary the Youth Development Institute,
the meetings include sharing of information: data on student
course loads and academic performance (grades, financial aid
status, number of remedial courses taken and passed).21
CAS employs three strategies in an attempt to maximize partici-
pating students’ academic success: the “primary person approach”,
pre-enrollment preparation, “college-friendly employment”.
•“The Primary Person Approach”22
: Staff members pair each
young person participating in CAS with two counselors: one
adult from the college (who focuses on academics) and one
from the CBO (who focuses on personal issues and supports).
Weekly phone calls, texts, emails, and IM help counselors and
students keep in touch.
•Pre-Enrollment Preparation: CAS has expanded the amount of
time project staff have to work with students before they enroll,
ensuring students have a strong support system prior to enrolling.
•“College-Friendly Employment”23
: CAS considers it impor-
tant that, if participating students need to work while they’re in
school, they work for the college in a capacity that allows them
to prioritize their schoolwork and where their supervisors will be
receptive to the student’s academic needs.
Participants in CAS mention
seven requirements needed to
develop an effective partnership
between Colleges/Institutions
and CBOs:24
•Long-term commitment
•Analysis of resources and motivation
•Top-to-bottom commitment
•A formal partnership agreement
•Regular meetings and communication
with stakeholders and key people in
each institution
•Understanding different cultures,
practices, concerns, and policies
•A neutral partner at the table
“All I see when I look at our kids is
potential, huge, enormous, amounts
of potential that is in a lot of cases
untapped, and unrealized by them. So
the biggest factor for me also is helping
them tap into that and realize their
full and what I believe to be unlimited
potential because they don’t see that
they can do anything they want to do
with their lives.” -Lisa

EDUCATION CHALLENGES REMAIN FOR COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
Problem: Funding for programs looking
to provide underserved youth with
better academic resources is often
limited and inconsistent.
Solution: Revisions in state policy
that “incentivize and reward dynamic
partnerships between schools and
community agencies toward the
goal of creating a seamless range
of psychosocial resources for youth
development”. 25
Problem: Data on student populations
is disorganized and difficult to access.
Solution: School districts and community
agencies should enter into data
agreements to ensure a cohesive and
accessible database that will enable
interested parties to better collaborate.
Problem: The performance of schools
is measured by “accountability systems
that place a priority on a narrow set
of measures”26
Solution: “States and districts should
expand the metrics on which they hold
schools accountable, including a broad
set of skills and outcomes that matter
for college and career readiness”.27
Problem: The ratio of adults working
with students to students is skewed,
educators and school staff are being
spread too thin.
Solution: States should earmark
resources for the professional training
and development of schools staff and
partner organizations.28
Problem: Existing partnerships looking
to help opportunity youth do not have
appropriate organizational structures
in place to weather staff turnover and
other big organizational changes.
Solution: State agencies, schools, and
CBOs should hire intermediaries that
connect and coordinate all interested
parties: “It would sustain the vision
and effort, maintain consistent
communications, and ensure that
roles are complementary and not
duplicative.”29

EXISTING SERVICES AND PROVIDERS TO OY:
Joining Forces
Pathways Counseling and Growth Center
Boys and Girls Clubs of Lorain County
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County
Direct Action for Central Lorain
Oberlin Community Services
Ohio State University Extension 4-H
Save Our Children
Avon Lake
Lorain County Community Action Agency (Head Start Program)
The Bridge Technology Center
Youth4Youth
Northern Ohio Special Education Regional Resource Center
Cleveland Scholarship Program
Direct Action for Central Lorain--CDC
Joining Forces
Life Skills Center
Lorain County Urban League
Lorain County Joint Vocational School
Oberlin Community Services
Online Tutoring Center
Project Joy
Vocational Guidance Services
Women’s Link

Interview with
Anthony,
Mentor and Youth
of Lorain County
Can you tell me about your home life?
It was me, my mom, and my sister growing up. We’ve
been through a lot of tough times, just growing
up. Basically, just living through a poor situation
and seeing my mom looking on the ground to find
coins just to get me something to drink. It’s been
like that, and to where I am now.... it couldn’t be
better. I’m not recently living with my step-dad
and my mother, and she also adopted two boys...
we’re living in a better environment and it’s great.
What does your local community look
like to you?
There’s a lot of stuff that goes on in this community,
good and bad. The support for this community is
amazing, because a lot of people do good things
to provide for this city, especially a struggling city.
It amazes me because Elyria school district... it’s not
that rich, it’s pretty poor. It’s just amazing to see
a lot of help going towards that, not only for the
schools but for the community as well. It makes me
proud to be from Elyria because it’s who I am, really.
Are you planning on being a full-time
student after graduation, and are you
planning to work while you’re in school?
Not only do I plan to work, but I plan to have a
career. Just mentoring kids throughout all of Lorain
County, because I know it gets hard out here,
involving gang violence, a lot of drugs. It’s what
these kids are born into, it’s what they’re brought
into. Not a lot of people realize how much it takes
for them to get pulled out of those situations, and
it’s a harder job then you think. As of being there,
and being supportive, that’s job that I’m good at...
I plan to do so many things.
What would you say is the biggest challenge
you’re facing in your daily life?
The biggest challenge has been with me my whole life...
I just want to make my family proud of who I am. I want
to make Elyria proud. I want to make my peers proud. I
want to make, especially, [my teacher] proud. I want to
make everybody proud.
Our interview team sat down with Lorain county youth and got to know
some of the challenges facing OY in the area through the eyes of people
who have experienced those challenges first-hand.

What do you see as the primary problems
or challenges facing OY?
A lot of them have out-of-school and out-of-program
problems like home situations, I would say. Maybe
some of them could have anxiety... just the usual
of what a teen would go through.
Where do youth find the most success?
Success builds on a strong drive and hard work.
Me, personally, I’ve been diagnosed with autism
since the age of four. I understand where they’re
struggling.. that’s one thing [my teacher] taught
me how to do--block things out... stay in your own
world and stay focused.
Is there anything else you would want
people to know about the youth of Lorain
County?
If I was to say anything to everyone in Lorain County,
I would just tell them that it doesn’t matter what
a kid is going through, it could be the smallest
thing, and a lot of small things matter in this
world today. These kids need help; they need to
find their own path and they need to be guided
on how to succeed and want even more success.
If anything, what would be great is to work with
them through the hard times and the struggles
to the point where they aren’t even impressed by
success. They just want everything more and more,
and just live a happy life, and pass that on to their
kids when they grow up.
“These kids need help;
they need to find their own path
and they need to be guided on
how to succeed and want even
more success.”

The fastest growing occupations in Lorain County include
some of the lowest-paying ones, which poses a conundrum
for workforce development programs.
Employment & Workforce
Development
Four key sectors of the local economy—
healthcare, manufacturing, logistics,
and call centers—provide good
employment opportunities for
Opportunity Youth who are able
to attain a high school credential.
Median wages exceeded $13 an
hour in 15 of the largest 18 occupa-
tions not requiring a college degree.
However, growth trends and hiring
practices reveal some of the hurdles
between OY and the jobs they seek.

The defining challenge facing Opportunity Youth is how
to gain entry into an increasingly competitive and creden-
tialed workforce for the first time. For Lorain County OY
with some employment record, most had worked in the
service sector, and saw no path to advancement. Their
experiences underscore major dynamics in the economy:
the majority of jobs in sectors that pay a good wage
(this study defines baseline financial stability for single
young adults as $12 an hour and $16.37 for a family of
three) and have growth potential typically require more
than a high school diploma or GED. Additionally, service
sector occupations with the highest growth rates also
have some of the lowest median wages. For OY without
a diploma or GED, very few other options with solid
career potential exist.
Furthermore, most employers are not hiring Opportunity
Youth. Employers in these four sectors cited several major
reasons including: lack of a high school diploma or GED; a
transient work history; lack of foundational/customer service
skills; a bad attitude or work ethic; and failure to pass a drug
test or disclose a criminal record.
Workplace challenges faced by youth also must be
seen in light of several underlying barriers, such as:
unreliable or unaffordable access to childcare; unmet
basic needs, such as housing, clothing, and food; weak
support networks; and diagnosed and undiagnosed
mental health issues. Limited bus routes and schedules
present transportation challenges as well. These factors
all point to potential strategies for building skills and
capacities in Opportunity Youth that can help them
succeed in the workforce.
Resources for youth high-value skill-building
https://getschooled.com/startsomewhere/
https://www.girldevelopit.com/chapters/dayton
https://www.girldevelopit.com/chapters/toledo
https://tcfapp.org/PortraitView/PrintPortrait?portraitKey=2408
In a recent survey conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, Ohio small business owners reported:

Housing & Homelessness
OVERVIEW
Housing affordability and stability is especially challenging for
OY nationwide, and Lorain County is no exception. The median
gross rent is $747, but according to the Center for Community
Solutions, 53% of tenants in Lorain County spend a third or more
of their household income on rent--a strong indicator of financial
strain. For households that earn less than $20,000 per year, nearly
75% lose a third or more of their income to cover rent. (NEORIO)
HOMELESSNESS
Due to foreclosures, evictions, and other crises, an average, about
200 individuals are homeless in Lorain County on any given night.
Of those 200 individuals, about one-third are dependents and 10
percent are veterans. The numbers are based on a one-night count
of homeless people nationwide conducted every two years by
homeless advocates who report the numbers to HUD. (Robertson,
Lisa “Lorain homeless shelter crowded, short of funds” Appeared
in Elyria Chronicle-Telegram Oct 16, 2014. © 2014 Lorain County
Printing & Publishing Co.) In
2014, Cleveland had the lowest
rate of unsheltered homeless
individuals among major city
Continuums of Care in the US,
at 1.3% or about 27 individ-
uals. While encouraging, these
figures don’t tell the whole story.
Since 2010, the Cleveland Area
has seen an 6% increase in the
number of homeless families,
with nearly 600 in 2013. This
worrying trend puts more youth
at risk of disconnection, since
a single missed payment can
disrupt their living situation and
recovery can take months. At the
Haven Center shelter at 1536 E.
30th St. in Elyria, the Neighbor-
hood Alliance provided 16,042
shelter nights to 458 individuals
(114 of whom were children)
in 2014. At the facility in 2011,
459 clients were served, a 13%
decline from 543 in 2007.
“Over 750 Lorain County
youth below the age of 18
have been identified as
homeless at some time during
the 2013-2014 school year”
-Jim Hartline, Region 2 Homeless Liaison

HOMELESS SHELTERS IN LORAIN COUNTY
Emergency Shelter (172 total spots)
• The Neighborhood Alliance’s Haven Center has 40 individual beds, and 28 family beds in 4 family units.
• Family Promise’s Interfaith Hospitality Network has 14 family beds in 4 family units.
• St. Joseph’s Shelter, which operates seasonally, has 49 individual beds for men, and 9 for women.
• Safe Harbor’s Genesis house has 22 individual beds.
Transitional Housing (63 total spots)
• Humility of Mary’s Faith House has 28 family beds in 8 family units.
• The Lorain County Mission’s Hannah House has 4 individual beds for women, and 5 family beds in a single unit.
• The Lorain County Mission’s Timothy House has 4 individual beds for men.
• The YWCA of Elyria’s Women Campus Project has 12 individual beds, and 10 family beds in 4 units.
Rapid Re-Housing (37 total spots)
• Lorain County Community Action has 11 individual beds, and 15 family beds in 9 family units.
• The Nord Center has 6 individual beds, and 5 family beds in 2 family units.
Permanent Supportive Housing (102 total spots)
• The Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority’s Shelter-Plus-Care system has 49 individual beds, and 29 family
beds in 7 family units.
• New Sunrise Properties’ Supportive Housing Unit has 10 individual beds
• The YWCA of Elyria’s Women in Secure Housing Project has 14 individual beds for women.
These figures are based on information provided to HUD by Continuums of Care in the 2010 Continuum of Care
“Sophomore year, there was a lot more drama. Being stressed out
and then not having my own environment when we were in the
process of finding a new place to stay…being all crammed up in
one place, it’s not the right place for your mind. Being in a different
environment. I’ve been able to focus more; focus myself.”
-Director of Shelter and Emergency Services at Neighborhood Alliance (2014 Annual Report)
Ally, 17, Elyria
“...calls from females with children looking for shelter; that is the
majority of the calls I receive. There are no other reasons, except they
are [the ones] who are the most poor. Single females with children
are the least likely to have good-paying jobs, the least likely to afford
market-rate rent, and the most likely to be in need.”

LESSONS FROM COLUMBUS
In nearby Columbus Ohio, family homelessness
declined steadily between 1995 and 2009,
but has stubbornly risen in recent years. To
manage the influx of families facing housing
insecurity, Columbus’ homeless assistance
network consists of a Family Emergency
Shelter System, as well as Men’s and Women’s
Emergency Shelter Systems, and a Permanent
Supportive Housing System. Together, the
network is funded, managed, and evaluated
by the Community Shelter Board (CSB). CSB
operates an outcomes-based funding model
that uses measurable performance standards
to monitor progress toward community goals.
Using 15 system-level performance measures
and over 30 client- and program- level measures,
CSB assesses improvements in prevention,
length of stay, housing outcomes, cost-efficiency,
and recidivism, among other indicators. The
graph below illustrates the number of rated
programs between fiscal years 2006 and 2015
by rating category. This framework provides
clear benchmarks for evaluating outcomes,
and highlights areas for improvement.

Health
OVERVIEW
A person’s physical and mental health
effects all areas of their lives. In order
to participate in school, maintain
consistent work attendance, and support
themselves and their families, young
people need a healthy environment,
and recourse in cases of emergency.
This section will discuss some of the
major health issues in Lorain County in
an effort to highlight the ways in which
these issues impact Opportunity Youth
within the community. Additionally,
this section will discuss health care
initiatives, organizations, and coverage
bases to outline the service networks
already at work in the county.
HEALTH COVERAGE
A study conducted by Lorain City
PRIDE showed that 91% of Lorain City
residents have some sort of health
care coverage. However, while 93%
of White residents were covered, only
83% of African-American residents
and 74% of Hispanic residents were
enrolled in some form of health insur-
ance. Additionally, while 94% of White
Lorain City residents were linked to a
primary medical care provider, only
90% of African-American residents and
74% of Hispanic residents enjoyed
those benefits. This study found that,
a total of 8% of Lorain City residents
were without a primary health care
provider.
TOBACCO USE
Youth tobacco abuse is a significant
issue in Lorain County and across the
nation. In the United States, cigarette
smoking is the leading cause of prevent-
able disease and death, accounting for
more than 480,000 deaths every year,
or 1 of every 5 deaths. The negative
health effects of smoking can put a
financial and physical burden on youth,
especially as they get older and their
risk of lung cancer or emphysema
increase.
Public health officials have made
progress against youth tobacco use
at the national scale over the last four
years. From 2011 to 2015, cigarette
smoking has declined among middle
and high school students across the
country. About 2 of every 100 middle
school students (2.3%) reported in
2015 that they smoked cigarettes in
the past 30 days—a decrease from
4.3% in 2011. About 9 of every 100
high school students (9.3%) reported
in 2015 that they smoked cigarettes
in the past 30 days—a decrease from
15.8% in 2011.
Unfortunately, a 2011 health assess-
ment report identified that 14% of
Lorain County youth (ages 12-18)
were still smokers. This percentage
increased to 18% in youth aged 17-18
years old. Additionally, 4% of Lorain
County youth indicated they had used
chewing tobacco in the past month.
Of those youth who currently smoke,
60% had unsuccessfully tried to quit.
In 2008, 57% of Ohio high school
students had used some form of
tobacco during their lifetime. By age
eleven, 6% of high school students
and 5% of middle school students
had started smoking. According to a
survey conducted in the Lorain County
Community health assessment, only
19% of middle school students and
21% of high school students had never
smoked a cigarette.
The 2011 the Youth Risk Behavior
Surveillance System (YBRS), a program
headed by the Centers for Disease
Control, reports that 52% of youth
in Ohio had tried cigarette smoking
compared to the national average
of 45%. The 2011 health assessment
indicated that 31% of Lorain County
youth had done the same. During that
same year, 14% of Lorain County youth
self identified as current smokers. In
comparison, the YRBS report stated
21% of Ohio youth and 18% of U.S.
youth had smoked in the last 30 days.
Additionally, 18% of 17-18 year olds
were current smokers, compared to
8% of 12-13 year olds and 18% of
14-16 year olds.
There is an important link between
tobacco use and alcohol use; more
than 68% of the Lorain County youth
identified as current smokers were also
current drinkers, defined as having had
a drink of alcohol in the past 30 days.
These data construct an interesting profile
of tobacco use within Lorain County
Youth. Clearly smoking is widespread
in Lorain, with between 8.7% and
11.7% (depending on the age group)
higher incidence rate compared to the
national average. Perhaps even more
upsetting is the fact that this disparity
is highest for the youngest children.
However, it is comforting to see that
Lorain is actually doing relatively well
compared to other Ohio counties, with
21% lower incidence of youth trying
tobacco and 7% lower incidence rate
of habitual youth smoking compared
to state averages. Another promising
trend is that reported quitting attempts
are 4% higher than the State averages
and 10% higher that national averages.
1 in 5 people
ages 16-24
lacks health
insurance

ALCOHOL USE
An important health issue among Lorain County Youth
is alcohol consumption. Early exposure to alcohol can
have many negative impacts on the individual, their
family and others. In 2011, the health assessment results
indicated that 53% of Lorain County youth had imbibed
at least one drink of alcohol in their life, increasing to
85% of youth seventeen and older. The CDC states that
amongst youth 12 to 20 years old who drink, about 90%
of their consumption can be characterized as binge
drinking. Of underage drinkers, 42% of those took
their first sip by the age of 12. More than one-quarter
(27%) of Lorain County youth and 52% of those 17-18
years had at least one drink in the past 30 days. Less
than half,47%,of the youth who reported drinking in
the past 30 days had at least one episode of binge
drinking. Even more alarming is that 17% of all youth
drivers had driven a car in the past month after they had
been drinking alcohol. Though certainly concerning,
most of these statistics are equal to or slightly below
the national average.
In addition to direct health consequences for the youth
themselves, underage drinking has had significant
indirect health impacts as well as financial costs to the
state. The price for underage drinking on Ohio residents
was $2.9 billion in 2010, which translates to a cost of
$2,596 per year for each youth in Ohio or $3.19 per
drink consumed underage. In 2009, there were 4,178
youth ages 12-20 who were admitted to an alcohol
treatment program in Ohio, which was 11% of all alcohol
abuse treatment admissions. Approximately 1,253 teen
pregnancies and 36,019 teens engaging in risky sex can
be attributed to underage drinking in 2009. In 2009,
around 31 traffic fatalities and 1,872 nonfatal injuries
were associated with driving after underage drinking.
Lorain County has 38,089 young people ages 12-20. Of this
population,10.5% have a serious alcohol problem or depend-
ency. This percentage of the population is approximately:
• 9.4 times more likely to drink and drive
• 8.5 times more likely to have serious problems with
other drugs
• 5.5 times more likely to be arrested
• 2.25 times more likely to smoke
• 1.5 times more likely to have a C+ average or lower
and are likely to miss twice as much school
• 1.5 times more likely to require hospital ER care
Lorain County youth drinkers reported they got their
alcohol from the following:
47% stated that someone gave it to them
25% stated someone older bought it for them
14% stated a parent gave it to them
11% stated a friend’s parent gave it to them
6% stated they bought it in a liquor store/ convenience
store/gas station
6% bought it with a fake ID
5% said they took it from a family member
2% bought it at a public event (concert/sporting event)
1% bought it at a restaurant/bar/club
19% found it another way
Of youth drinkers reporting, 14% said they had been under
the influence of alcohol on school property at least once
during the last month. During the past month 22% of Lorain
County youth had ridden in a car driven by someone who
had been drinking alcohol (2011 YRBS reports 21% for Ohio
and 24% for the U.S.). While the number of youth drivers who
said they had driven a car while drinking was 17% (2011
YRBS reports 7% for Ohio and 8% for the U.S.).

MARIJUANA AND OTHER DRUG USE
Illicit drug use is as serious an issue as alcohol or tobacco in Lorain County. During the past 12 months,
15% of Lorain County youth reported that someone had offered, sold, or given them an illegal drug on
school property. This number increases to 18% when considering high school youth. While concerning,
it is worth noting that these numbers are significantly lower than the 24% average incidence rate in Ohio
and 26% rate for the nation.
As in the rest of Ohio, Marijuana is the most abused drug in Lorain. In 2011, 16% of Lorain County youth
had used marijuana at least once the past 30 days, increasing to 28% those over the age of 17 and 24%
of high school youth. One-third of youth who tried marijuana did so by the age of 12. The average of
onset was 12.9 years old
Prescription drug abuse is the second most
common form of illegal drug activity amongst
youth. 14% of Lorain County youth used medica-
tions that were not prescribed for them or took
more than prescribed to feel good or get high
at some time in their lives, increasing to 31% of
those over the age of 17. The most common of
these drugs, benzodiazepines (such as Valium
or Xanax) and alprazolam. Abuse of prescription
drugs can sometimes be a gateway to use of
even harder drugs; according to ODADAS, youth
abusers of OxyContin often begin abusing heroin
once they can no longer obtain or afford their
drug of choice.
One in nine (11%) youth used inhalants, 4% used
cocaine, 3% used steroids, 3% used metham-
phetamines, and 3% used heroin 2% of youth
have used a needle to inject an illegal drug in
their body. This is significantly higher than the
3% incidence rate for all of Ohio and the 2%
rate for the U.S. reported by YRBS in 2011. The
number of treatment center admissions for 2006
for cocaine in Ohio was 11,600 as reported by the
Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction
Services (ODADAS).

Mental health isn’t just a national problem, it’s also a local one. In
our primary research, mental health atypicalities surfaced again
and again as one of the main risk factors that composed local
definitions of OY or at-risk youth. A study focused on youth in
Lorain and Cuyahoga counties found that 16% of the sample had
ADHD and 15% had Depression or Bipolar Disorder. Perhaps the
most feared outcome of these situations is suicide. Suicide is the
2nd leading cause of death among 25-34 year olds and the 3rd
leading cause of death among 15- 24 year olds. 2011 YRBS results
show that 9% of Ohio high school youth actually attempted suicide
in the past 12 months (10% of all females and 8% of all males) and
4% indicated that their suicide attempt required medical attention
by a doctor or nurse.
In 2011, 11% of Lorain County youth reported seriously considering
attempting suicide in the past twelve months compared to the
2011 YRBS rate of 14% for Ohio youth and 16% for U.S. youth. In
the past year, 6% of Lorain County youth had attempted suicide
and 3% had made more than one attempt. The 2011 YRBS reported
a suicide attempt prevalence rate of 9% for Ohio youth and a 8%
rate for U.S. youth. Of those who attempted suicide, 27% of them
resulted in an injury, poisoning, or overdose that had to be treated
by a doctor or nurse.
MENTAL HEALTH
As with physical health, mental health affects every aspect of a young
person’s life. Contrary to popular belief, these issues are faced by a
large number of young people. In the general US population, 5–10%
of youth have a serious emotional disturbance that causes substantial
impairment in functioning at home, school or in their community
while another 4-8% have functional impairments. Half of the students
struggling with these challenges drop out of High School and many
have a hard time accessing mental health services. Additionally,
20% of the US general population experiences depression before
adulthood, 5% of the US youth population experiences depression,
and 2% experience dysthymia. Many of these issues are becoming
more salient with time; a 2007 study revealed a 40-fold increase in
bipolar disorder among youth over the last 10 years.
day for two weeks or more in a row that stopped them from doing some usual activities (2011 YRBS reported 27%
for Ohio and 29% for the U.S.).
When Lorain County youth are dealing with depression or suicide they usually talk to the following: best friend
(29%), parents (14%), no one (13%), girlfriend/boyfriend (13%), brother/sister (9%), teacher (5%), school counselor
(3%), pastor/priest (2%), coach (2%), youth leader (2%), professional counselor (2%), youth minister (1%), Scout
Master/club advisor (1%), neighbor (1%), and someone else (6%).
Lorain County youth reported the following ways of dealing with anxiety, stress, or depression: sleeping (38%),
The HP 2020 Objective is 1.7% suicide attempts by adolescents. More than
one-fifth (22%) of youth reported they felt sad or hopeless almost every
“You know, at their age...
They’re trying to fit in.
They’re trying to be accepted.
And I think that they have
a lot of turmoil within
themselves. They don’t know
how to handle those emotions
and those feelings”

talking to someone (38%), hobbies (26%), exercising (21%),
eating (19%), shopping (11%), breaking something (11%),
writing in a journal (6%), smoking/using tobacco (6%),
using illegal drugs (5%), self-harm (5%), drinking alcohol
(5%), vandalism/violent behavior (5%), using prescribed
medication (2%), using un- prescribed medication (1%),
and gambling (1%).
Lorain youth indicated the following would keep them
from seeking help if they were dealing with anxiety, stress,
depression or thought of suicide: they could handle it
themselves (30%), worried about what others might think
(19%), not knowing where to go (13%), lack of time (9%),
paying for it (8%), their family would not support them in
getting help (7%), and transportation (5%).
“The basic needs are not getting met. Some are hungry.
Some are homeless. Some are not up to par at school.
You have special ed kids, you know, students with
special needs, that can’t make it right now. And then
we want them to go to school and be successful but we
haven’t even helped them yet.” -Mandy

OBESITY
The 2011 CHA indicated that 11% of Lorain County Youth were overweight and 14% were obese based on body
mass index by age. Sixty-five percent (65%) of Lorain County youth participated in at least 60 minutes of physical
activity at least three or more days in the past week, but 15% reported that they did not participate in any physical
activity in the past week.
• United We Sweat collaboration for no-cost physical
activity for residents
• Creating Healthy Communities grant programs
including school gardens and school-based commu-
nity walking paths
• Discounted memberships for various groups at local
fitness centers
• Collaborations with farmer’s markets and community
gardens
• Removal of vending machines at federally qualified
health center (FQHC) in Lorain
• Healthy lifestyle presentations and cooking demon-
strations
• Lorain County Walks program and Lorain County
fitness walks in Amherst and Oberlin
• Worksite wellness programs
• Collaboration with schools to increase access to fresh
fruits and vegetables
• Tobacco-free campuses and tobacco-free hiring
policies at worksites and schools
• Drug-free workplace training available
• Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided with Naloxone)
implemented in the county
• Sub-acute detoxification services and ambulatory
detoxification offered through Hot Spot Collabora-
tive Project funding
• SOLACE (Surviving Our Loss And Continuing Everyday)
Support group for substance abuse with a focus on
prescription medications
• Drug Take-Back days and drop-boxes
• Inpatient addiction counseling services offered at
hospitals
• Worksite wellness programs
• Communities That Care of Lorain County, which is
Lorain County’s Drug Free Community Coalition Current
Programs and Interventions to Improve Mental Health
of Seniors, Adults, and Children
• Lorain County Suicide Prevention Coalition
• Emergency Stabilization services for mental health
• Training and support programs for the community
in general and school staff in particular, including
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
• Online mental health screening available
• Inpatient behavioral health services offered at local
hospitals
• 24-Hour Crisis Hotline coordinated through Lorain
County Mental Health Board
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (N.A.M.I) Lorain
County, a support agency for families, friends, and
those with mental illnesses
• Lorain County Community Health Improvement
Plan (CHIP), an organization that provides guidance
to community partners in order to improve access
to care, expand education and prevention service,
combat obersity, reduce alcohol, tobacco, and drug
abuse, and improve mental health.
CURRENT INITIATIVES IN LORAIN COUNTY

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
There are many programs and organiza-
tions currently trying to improve access
to health care, decrease obesity, stop
smoking, etc. in Lorain County. However
not all areas of health are funded and
many need more money in order to
create a large positive change for
the county. The CHIP report lays out
a multitude of current programs to
address the variety of health related
concerns for Lorain county and outlines
possible future programs that can/will
be implemented within the next few
years. All of these projects share a few
commonalities. These include: easy
access, entry for all and a multitude of
different interventions for the distinct
obstacles that arises when dealing with
mental health, quitting cigarettes, and
tackling infant mortality.
Jobs for the Future offered some
ways in which opportunity youth can
be encouraged and assisted through
the process of becoming health care
professionals themselves. Their conclu-
sions are as follows:
• At any one time, 1 in 6 young people
is disconnected from education
and employment in the US.
• Approximately half of opportunity
youth leave school at 16 without
diplomas, excluding former dropouts
who return to high school or get
their GEDs later.
• “By age 28, only 1 percent of
opportunity youth complete at least
an Associate’s degree, compared
with 36 percent for the rest of
the population (Belfield, Levin, &
Rosen 2012).”
Changing the health career pathways
to make it applicable for at risk youths
by making:
1. Work-friendly education
2. Learning friendly workplaces
• Placing the students at the center
• Making college possible
• Support along the pathways
3. Community collaboration and
partnership between stakeholders
As such, any solutions that are proposed
must be aware of the extenuating
circumstances that feed into health
related problems. In order to success-
fully reduce these issues Lorain county
citizens must be able to visit the programs
easily, the programs must then be able
to assist in the many areas people have
trouble with. If, on the other hand,
these programs are designed to stop
infant mortality, or tobacco concerns,
they should be targeted towards the
population with the higher statistics
of suffering from those situations. A
diverse population such as Lorain
County need programs that adhere
to their needs and acknowledges this
factor when addressing their patients.
Programs that deal with mental health,
child care, and obesity must be created
around a long-term goal that ensures
every child continues to benefit from
their program long after they have
stopped attending or using them. This
burden cannot be solely placed on the
county itself; federal funding would
help expand existing programs, create
new ones and allow for programs to
reorganize in order to give the children
as many benefits as possible.

Lorain County Rape Crisis
Center
Lorain County Jobs and
Family Services
Battered Women’s Shelter
Bellflower Center for the
Prevention of Child Abuse
United Way’s 211/First Call
for Help
Emergency Crisis 24-Hour
Hotline
YWCA Women’s Center:
Information access and
essential support services
for women and families.
Proyecto Luz: HIV Case
Management
AIDS Taskforce of Lorain
County: anonymous and
confidential HIV/AIDS
testing
Birthright Inc.: emergency
pregnancy service
Catholic Charities Services
of LC: offers counseling
to pregnant women and
their families, can help with
adoption services
Cornerstone Among
Women: pregnancy testing,
counseling
Family Planning Services of
Lorain County
Lorain Clinic, North
Ridgeville Clinic, Oberlin
Clinic
Lorain City Health Depart-
ment
Lorain County Free Clinic,
Inc.
Lorain County Health and
Dentistry
Lorain County Children
Services/Child Abuse
Hotline
Lorain County Help Me
Grow
Community Services for
Deaf & Hard of Hearing
Elyria City Health District
Neighborhood House
Association Administrative
Offices
NorthCoast Health
Ministry: Free healthcare
for uninsured low-income
families
Women, Infants, Children
(W.I.C)
National Eating Disorders
Association
Birthright Inc.: Emergency
pregnancy services
Dental Hygiene Clinic
Elyria City Health District
Lorain County Free Clinic,
Inc.
Lorain County General
Health District
Lorain County Health and
Dentistry
Lorain County Help Me
Grow
American Red Cross Lorain
County Chapter
Lucy Idol Center: Support
services for disabled adults
NorthCoast Health Ministry:
Free health care
EXISTING HEALTH & MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE PROVIDERS
Alcohol and Drug Addiction
ServicesBoardofLorainCounty
Big Brothers Big Sisters of
Lorain County
Catholic Charities Services
of Lorain County: Provides
programming for 10-14 and
15-17 and families to mitigate
substance abuse and other
problematic behaviours
Compass House,Inc.: Depend-
ency treatment agency for 18+
Families Anonymous of Ohio
Food Addicts Anonymous
Lorain County Alcohol & Drug
Abuse Services Inc.
Lorain County UMADAOP:
Youth mentoring to prevent
substance abuse
Narcotics Anonymous Hotline
Safe School Helpline
Stand Team: Youth advocacy
against tobacco
Problem Gamblers’ Helpline
CommunitiesThatCareofLorain
County: Drug use prevention
Applewood Centers: Outpa-
tient mental health services
for ages 4-18
BellefaireJ.C.B.:Providesmental
services for youth who face
seriousemotionaldisturbances
BeechBrook:Outpatientmental
heath services for ages 3-18
and their families
Lorain County Board of Mental
Health
Joining Forces
BellflowercenterforthePreven-
tionofChildAbuse:somedirect
support and also referrals
Catholic Charities Services of
Lorain County: Mental health
support for adults
ElCentroDeServiciosSociales:
Services and referrals for at-risk
youth 12-18 and their families.
Specializes in supporting
hispanic families.
Far West Center: Outpatient
mental health services for
adults and families
Gathering Hope House: social-
based mental health recovery
center for 18+
Pathways Counseling and
Growth Center
NationalAlliancefortheMentally
Ill (NAMI) Lorain County: Self
help and support groups
Nord Center: Crisis Stabiliza-
tion, mental health support,
and referrals.
Survivors of Suicide Support
YWCA Women’s Center: Infor-
mation access and essential
support services. Hosts Belle-
Faire J.C.V., Beech Brook,
Proyecto Luz, and Nord
National Eating Disorders
Association
Overeaters Anonymous
Conflict Resolution Center

OVERVIEW
Opportunity Youth in Lorain County face many issues,
but a lack of efficient public transportation in the county
is one of the major hurdles they must face daily. The link
between enhanced public transit and economic develop-
ment is one that must be recognized before meaningful
changes in the transit infrastructure can occur, as youth in
Lorain County cannot access potential employment and
educational opportunities if they do not have access to
necessary transportation. The Lorain County Transit (LCT)
fixed route system was restructured in August of 2000 and
the 12 routes that exist today are running on an outdated
model made over 30 years ago.1
While LCT ridership has
declined since 2006, a need for public transportation for
youth in Lorain is as present as ever.
ISSUES WITH STUDENT TRANSIT
According to Transit Cooperative Research Program calcula-
tions, as of 20142
• 54,800 people in Lorain County had a need for transporta-
tion services
• 7,712 households in Lorain County did not have access
to a vehicle.
These households are at a significant disadvantage in the
job market because of a lack of access to a private vehicle.
The cycle of poverty is perpetuated by an insubstantial civil
infrastructure that restricts the capacity for self-improvement
of people currently living below the poverty line.
Transit and Movement
“A lot of times, families
lose their benefits just
because they can’t get to
Jobs and Family Services
for their appointment”
- Case manager of family
homeless shelter in Lorain County

Lack of access to transportation severely limits oppor-
tunities for career independence for young people who
are or are at risk of being considered opportunity youth.
County Commissioner Matt Lundy has asserted that “The
most important focus is getting people to work,” Lundy
said. “Everybody has a vested interest in getting Ohioans
to work to support their families and to pay their taxes.
The more people we have working, the more vibrant our
economy will be.”3
Students and the youth population in
Lorain are particularly hard-hit due to inaccessibility. Lorain
Mayor Ritenauer cites one of the most important uses of
public transit as helping people in “getting to the job.”
In 2009, before Lorain County Transit cut the main routes that
Lorain County Community College students used, 1,000 of the
11,000 LCCC students used public transit.4
Since then, the most
effective solution to the issue proposed has been the Lorain
County Community College Student Ride Share program, which
aims to match possible riders and drivers.
The LCCC website itself lists “Riders can get to campus without
having to use public transportation” as a reason to sign up for
the program.5
The director of an adult career center in Lorain County explains,
“Transportation is the biggest barrier because just realizing
how much it costs to keep a car running, people don’t have
any idea how much that is…I would say probably the biggest
number of dropouts, or the biggest number of administrative
withdrawals because of lack of attendance have to do with
transportation.”
The need for effective public transportation is evident in order
to better the lives of youth in the community is evident, but the
county’s financial woes are an obstacle yet to be conquered.
The case manager of a homeless shelter specializing in caring
for families with children says, “The big issue is transportation
in this county... There’s no public transportation. Even to get
to Jobs and Family Services, so you can get your benefits, a lot
of times families lose their benefits just because they can’t get
to Jobs and Family Services for their appointment.”

PUBLIC TRANSIT DEBT
The New York Times wrote in March of this year that Lorain,
which has 64,000 residents and was found by the analysis to
have lost more than $2.9 million, raised its income tax and
has left positions unfilled. The lack of local resources demand
supplementation by state and federal funds, as well as hikes
in passenger fares.6
Unlike many other public transit systems,
the Lorain County Public Transit system does not operate on a
tax revenue stream, and therefore must rely on funding from
the county’s general fund. The general fund is diminishing, and
less and less revenue is available for the use of transit.
January 1, 2016 ushered in an increase in bus transit fares
to cope with the existing situation. The Greater Cleveland
Regional Transit Authority intends to raise prices further
and plans to fully or partially cut routs to fill a $7 million
gap in its 2016 budget.7
These fare increases will ripple
through the community of the underserved, further
burdening those trying to travel on a budget.
Opportunity Youth and the elderly in the community will
be the first to feel the weight of these changes, as they
are the least likely to own a vehicle. This vicious cycle can
only be closed with an overhaul of the transit system and
a sustainable funding method. In recent years, the county
has been forced to return millions of dollars to the Ohio
Department of Transportation because it could not raise
matching funds.8
This has been economically detrimental
in the short-term, and has stagnated the viability of signifi-
cant reform due to lack of funding.
The absence of a comprehensive transit system is detrimental
to the chances of OY improving their station. The Ohio Depart-
ment of Job and Family Services released unemployment rates
by county in March of this year, and named Lorain as number
39 in the state, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics citing a 14.7
percent unemployment rate.9
These figures may not return to
trend level until Lorain County’s transit infrastructure improves.
CASE STUDIES
There are several counties in Ohio have been able to imple-
ment effective transportation reform, including Erie County
and, adjacent to Lorain, and Stark County, situated in the
northeastern quadrant of the state.
Sandusky, the county seat of Erie, is home to tourist attractions
such as Cedar Point and the Kalahari Resort. The Sandusky
Transportation System is a demand-response transportation
that has seen an increasing ridership since its conception in
1992. Between 2011 and 2014, there was a 14% increase use
and fares are priced from $2 to $3; two to three times less than
the Lorain system fares. The Oberlin Research Group’s 2014
report explains,
“The fixed-route system,SPARC,provides transportation between
the low-income neighborhoods of Sandusky and the area
between Perkins and Route 2 along Route 250. This corridor
is said to have around 2,600 jobs. SPARC is intended to foster
economic vitality by providing affordable transportation to the
multitude of retail establishments along the routes including
6 shopping centers and a mall. Original funding through the
Federal Transit Administration’s Job Access Reverse Commute
fund for SPARC was secured because it caters to the employ-
ment needs of low-income residents.” 10
While this particular grant no longer exists, the proper
framing of the situation is necessary in order to secure
funding for transit projects. There are significant economic
impacts of the enhanced transportation system along with
increased youth access to education and employment.
A mixed-funding strategy is the most viable option,
although a sometimes difficult one to coordinate. ORG
reports that while in 2010, SPARC was funded 80 per
cent by the Federal Transit Assistance Grant, it also
combined 12 percent, totalling one hundred thousand
dollars in JARC (Job Access and Reverse Commute
Program) funding. SPARC also relied on 7% funding
from the Local Match of JARC funding and 1% from the
State Urban Transit Grant.
“I would say probably the biggest number of dropouts, or the biggest
number of administrative withdrawals because of lack of attendance
have to do with transportation.”

Interview with
County Judge
What are some of the factors to identifying
risky situations that lead to youths negatively
interacting with the legal system?
If you were to bring me some of these youths before
they get into legal trouble, some of the common-
alities are a lack of relationships and meaningful
relationships. If you could pair them up somehow
with someone who could fill that need, because
there’s definitely that need. Everyone needs to be
loved... Young people are seeking that relationship.
So you see lack of stability, lack of relation-
ships in these kids’ lives as the primary
reasons why they don’t achieve the success
they have the potential for?
Yes. And I think that goes hand-in-hand with the
confidence issue. Every once in a while you find an
exceptional person who hasn’t had a really good
family relationship, but they maybe were intro-
duced to their next door neighbor, their neighbor
down the street. They’ve seen what a real family is
like, they’ve seen what real love is like. At least to
expose them to that, and they say “I want that.” And
sometimes that’s enough to draw them into that...
What does the court do to try and
guide OY towards success in the future?
Someone to give them positive reenforcement,
someone to give them confidence. A lot of times
I see people and you can see great potential in
them, but they’re not confident because there’s no
one there telling them- whether it be a parent or
someone else saying - You can do this.
What do you think is the biggest obstacle
for OY in education and the work place?
They’re just not confident. Maybe they weren’t
good in school. Not because they don’t have the
talent, but because they were disinterested, or
whatever the case may be. And now they get into
the world and they are competing against people
who had this really good support group, who have
this confidence level.
How does the court try and guide OY
towards success in the future?
In a court setting, if we find someone who comes
before us and has committed some type of a crime,
we have the opportunity to place them on proba-
tion. [In that case,] we have lots of options.
ORG sat down with a Lorain county judge and got to know some of the
challenges facing OY in the area through the eyes of the legal system.

What are some ways in which you can
steer them towards a more positive path?
We can require them to do research, write papers,
community service. If we wanted to, we could
have them obtain their GED, we could have them
look for employment. We can order them to not
consume alcohol or illegal drugs- many times that’s
the reason we see these people because their
mistakes are related to a substance abuse issue.
What is the dynamic between youths and
law-enforcement in their every day lives?
Much of what we see here is driven by discretion
used out in the field... Let’s say X Police depart-
ment decides that when they go to an underage
drinking party, they have a couple of options.
a) They can cite them all to court, b) they can give
all of them warnings, c) they can take the ones
that they think are stoned, drunk, and might have
a problem and cite them, and give the rest of
them warnings.
Have you seen a trend in OY’S in court?
I have to tell you, when I first got here, we had all
sorts of underage drinking parties. The educational
process that is going on in our high schools, I think
that’s what it’s all about. On the other hand, we
have seen an increase in the worst. We’ve seen it
in the heroin and the higher level drugs, and those
people come from all walks of life, unfortunately.
There are so many people floating around in life.
They don’t have these relationships that keep you
on the right path.
“I see a lot of people and
you can see great potential
in them, but they’re not
confident because there’s no
one there telling them:
You can do this.”

FinalInDesignMay17

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to FinalInDesignMay17

Similar to FinalInDesignMay17 (20)

FinalInDesignMay17