Income: Help adults get good jobs, manage their money, and become financially independent
Whether we research semiconductors, listen to heartbeats, build trucks, or greet customers with a smile, every one of us is proud of a hard day's work. Our community is ready to work, eager to discover and develop and assemble, and we're only satisfied when the job is done well. In the last couple of years, though, it has become especially hard. Some people lost their jobs. Some had to take pay cuts. Some people even gave up trying to find work.
- Only 23% of Indiana workers have a college degree or higher.
- The poverty rate in St. Joseph County ranges between 10-12%. In South Bend alone, the rate hovers around 17%.
- The St. Joseph County’s projected population growth is 12% for the years 2005-2025. The fastest growing ethnic groups are Hispanic, African American, and multiple-race groups. More effort will be required to accommodate the needs of Hispanic and multicultural populations.
- The number of prime working-age workers (age 25-54) is projected to decrease by nearly 3,800 people.
We can adapt. We can change. Together, we will succeed by investing in people and programs to take care of this crisis and make sure that families have the basics: food, shelter, and clothing. We will educate and retrain people for the jobs that St. Joseph County is attracting now and five years from now. That includes teaching English to non-native speakers who have skills and talents to bring to the workplace. We will teach people how to build savings and manage their finances so that we can be proud of our work and our children will inherit our wealth and our work ethic.
