What are the positive factors that are contributing to you reaching your desired result?

• Educational attainment: high levels in the community
• Local resources for families in need: Voice, United Way, Salvation Army, Compassion Corsicana
• Job opportunities: specifically in the industrial field

What are the negative factors that are restricting you from reaching your desired result?

• Communication barriers: Spanish speaking families looking for resources and jobs
• Lack of public transportation: Rural areas hard to reach
• Lack of job opportunities: COVID-19 has exasperated already bad job market 
• Limited affordable housing

What populations are the most disadvantaged and what causes these disparities?

• Undocumented residents: language barriers
• Single parent families: lack of childcare (affordable, hours), single income 
• Teen parents:  lack of education, lack of support, lack of income, cycle hard to break out of
• Grandparents raising grandchildren: unable to save for retirement, no support from CPS/Food Stamps, health issues cause lack of activity
• Single Dads: fewer resources than for moms
• GED/HS Dropouts:  hard to find adequate jobs
• Individuals with prior incarcerations: hard to find adequate jobs/housing/assistance/transportation
• Disabled Persons and Families with Children with Disabilities: hard to find adequate jobs/housing/assistance/transportation

Are there foreseeable factors that will affect your work over the next few months to a year?

• Covid-19: Loss of income
• Unemployment: Loss of employment due to shutdown
• Mental health: Loss of connection and mental health, face to face interaction with people limited
• Home school / school: Loss of childcare and strain on returning to work
• Changes in economy: Continued recession and uncertainty 

What additional research is needed to better understand the factors that influence the slope of the curve and related disparities? 

• How can more public transit be implemented?
• Would it be possible to utilize a non-profit to assist with purchase of transportation / repair / provide fuel, etc.?
• Are there other agency models for assiting families with repairs, fuel costs, etc. to boost transporation options for residents?
• How will COVID-19 effect rates of poverty long-term in our community?

Who are the partners who can help you reach your desired outcome? List partners and their roles.

• Community Resources: Voice, United Way, Salvation Army, Compassion Corsicana 
• City and State officials
• Local Businesses
• Chamber of Commerce 
• Schools
• The Navarro County Early Childhood Coalition

Research/Evidence-Based Practices:

• Roundtable: Mentorship program for families in poverty who walk alongside families to self-sufficiency. 
•  Universal basic income, i.e. stimulus checks.
•  Increasing funding for public assistance programs including SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, etc. 

Low Cost/No Cost Solutions:

• Providing Information on Resources already Available, partnering with schools and via social media. For example: COVID-19 Local Crisis Resource Guidebook.
•  Job training programs: targeted to families and held at schools
•  Help Me Grow: Centralized access point for families to call similar to 211 but with help on issues related to children. Can include helping to sign up for public assistance for children. 

Innovative/Out-the-Box Solutions: 

• Roundtable: Mentorship program for families in poverty who walk alongside families to self-sufficiency. 
•  Providing free services for families: free lunch and breakfasts at school, free uniforms, free diapers, etc. 
•  Expanding scholarships to local community college to help families go back to school and advance their careers and earning potential
• Support groups for single parents who have kids under the age of 6.
• Fun activities for single parents and their children: art classes, dance classes, karate, etc. 
• An audio or video version of parenting classes for parents to listen to at their leisure. It could be a podcast?

Additional Research:

•  How will levels of poverty be effected by COVID-19?
•  Will non-profits keep their levels of funding through pandemic or will their funding decrease to meet greater needs in the community?
•  What local solutions exist for helping families out of poverty that are not related to things like SNAP, Medicaid, etc.?