10 Things the Houston Faith Community Should Know About Our Children An Overview of Houston’s Children February 20, 2009 A Houston Faith Initiative

CHILDREN AT RISK 20 YEARS AND COUNTING!  Research & Analysis  10 Editions of Growing Up in Houston  High School Rankings  Public Policy & Law Center  Legislation  Education Reform  Children’s Health  Human Trafficking  Juvenile Justice  Child Welfare  Collaboration  Latino Children’s Health Fair  Policy Lunches & Conferences  Public Information  Fox, Univision, KPFT, Chronicle  No Direct Service CHILDREN AT RISK 20 YEARS AND COUNTING!

Houston’s Children: Population & Demographics 1.Who are OUR Children?

70% of the population over the age of 60 are Anglo 75% of the population under the age of 30 is Non-Anglo Demographics

Current Racial Demographics of Harris County Children ages 0-17 (2007 Estimates) The Changing Racial Demographics of Harris County (all ages)

Population , ,475984,55 6 1,007,6 85 1,028,37 1 1,070,31 8 Age Distribution of the Under 17 Population in Harris County, Total Under 17 Population in Harris County, AGEANGLO AFRICAN AMERICANHISPANICOTHERTOTAL <115,95012,18636,9513,99569, ,76811,91336,4133,95568, ,11011,80334,6403,79366, ,41211,72032,7863,60264, ,69111,70430,9223,42362, ,99111,63529,1143,25260, ,33511,02726,9612,79757, ,67711,00125,2872,60454, ,20611,10324,7452,71653, ,19711,18724,7182,90454, ,25311,36224,8663,04054, ,06511,63925,1633,09654, ,31612,33925,5093,22956, ,73813,00925,8593,31557, ,20913,21025,5893,29558, ,82213,49125,3783,29658, ,25913,56524,6553,35458, ,18212,89723,6773,44157,197 TOTAL289,181216,791503,23359,1071,068,312

2. Poverty is a Driving Force 24% of Harris County children live in poverty and a total of 47% live in low income families. Texas is ranked 46th in percentage of children living in poverty, with only Alabama, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Mississippi doing worse

At 24.6%, Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured children in the nation 1.5 million children are uninsured in Texas Nearly 800,000 children are eligible but not enrolled in CHIP 3. TX is #1 in Uninsured Kids

The Infant Mortality Rate in Harris County (the death rate of infants under 1 year per 1,000 live births) 4. Parts of Houston have 3 rd World Infant Mortality Rates TX vs. US vs. the World *The national infant mortality rate declined by 10% between 1995 and 2004; however, since 2000, the trend has reversed for Harris County *The US ranks 29 th in the world on infant mortality – tied with Poland and Slovakia, and behind Cuba

5. Children’s Mental Health - Now a Juvenile Justice Issue Data collection shows that at least 50% of the children in the Harris County Juvenile Justice System have a mental health disorder. Additionally, Texas ranks 49th nationally in funding for children’s outpatient mental health services CHILDREN AT RISK has collaborated with community service providers and the Harris County Juvenile Court System to establish a court docket dedicated to children with mental illnesses so that they receive more individualized attention and rehabilitation in the community

Although the overall number of new commitments to the Texas Youth Commission has decreased, the percentage of those commitments from Harris County has steadily increased from 15.9 percent to 25.5 percent since The number of new youth from Harris County committed to the Texas Youth Commission. Mental Health = Juvenile Justice? Harris County Re-arrest Rate (Recidivism rates to TYC) is 51% (past 5 yrs)

6. Houston is the American Hub of Human Trafficking Human Trafficking involves both international and domestic victims and can include labor and/or sex trafficking. The victims are largely women and children, with runaways being especially vulnerable International The U.S. Department of Justice estimates 14,000 to 17,000 persons are trafficked into the United State each year – Houston is the Hub Of those trafficked into the US yearly, 70% are female and 50% are children Domestic 1 of every 3 Runaways will be lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home In the US the average age of entry into pornography and prostitution is 12; and 75% of minors involved have a pimp

7. Kids without Education will not get out of Poverty High School Graduation Rate  CHILDREN AT RISK’s calculations find that the average freshmen to senior, same school graduation rate for HISD was 48.8% in TEA reported the graduation rate of 67.1% for the same year. College Access  Only 15% of Texas students will complete a four year degree – In Houston that means that out of 58,000 students that are 18, only about 8,700 will finish college within 6 years. (44 state scored higher)

1. Contrary to opinion, most parents are not the problem. 2. Parents in poverty actively seek help in “doing the right thing” 3. In Houston many parents: Have low education attainment Often do not speak English Live below the poverty level Both parents work Do not reach out for government assistance 4. We need to harness their positive energy 5. Parents want their children to be successful 8. Parents WANT to be Part of the Solution

1. Awareness 2. Mentoring 3. Early Child Care 4. Maximize Federal Dollars / Use Our Resources 5. Social Justice 9. Solutions include:

1. e-advocacy 2. Calls to our elected leaders on key children’s issues 3. Create awareness 4. Involve the church community 5. Care for ALL of our children 10. Advocacy Works!!!

 Questions?  Comments?  Concerns? Thank You Dr. Bob Sanborn, President & CEO