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Data and Sources:

ESSENTIAL NEEDS

1,146 central Iowa Students started the school year experiencing homelessness.
- Source: Iowa Department of Education
Of those students experiencing homelessness, 66% are students of color.
- Source: Iowa Department of Education
90% of these students attend schools in Polk County.
- Source: Iowa Department of Education
Evictions in central Iowa increased by 35% from 2021 to 2022.
- Source: Iowa Legal Aid
8,000 central Iowa households are behind in rent.
- Source: National Equity Atlas

Polk County has lost more than 1,000 licensed childcare opening since mid-2022.
- Source: Iowa Childcare Resource and Referral
More than 60% of children under age 6 are living in poverty in some neighborhoods in central Iowa.
- Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates, 2017-2021
Nearly 75% of central Iowa children under the age of 6 have all parents and/or caregivers in the workforce.
- Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates, 2017-2021
There are only 3 licensed childcare slots for every 5 children in Polk County.
- Source: Iowa Childcare Resource and Referral
Childcare is the most expensive item in a typical household budget... more than housing, food, tuition, or transportation.
- Source: Economic Policy Institute

26% of central Iowa high school graduates do not have a plan for the future.
- Source: Iowa Department of Education
This number increases to 33% for Black graduates, and 38% for Latino graduates.
- Source: Iowa Department of Education
42% of central Iowa graduates from low-income households do not have a plan for the future.
- Source: Iowa Department of Education
88% of jobs in Iowa require some training beyond high school.
- Source: Iowa Workforce Development

20% of central Iowa households could not survive a short-term loss of income, meaning they could not subsist, even at the poverty level, if they experience a job loss, medical emergency, or other financial crisis leading to a loss of stable income.
- Source: Prosperity Now: U.S. Census Bureau: Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), American Community Survey (ACS); U.S. Department of Commerce

For Black and Latino households in central Iowa, more than 56% could not survive a short-term loss of income.
- Source: Prosperity Now: U.S. Census Bureau: Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), American Community Survey (ACS); U.S. Department of Commerce
36% of Black and 19% of Latino households have $0 net worth.
- Source: Prosperity Now: U.S. Census Bureau: Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), American Community Survey (ACS); U.S. Department of Commerce

33% of Iowa adults were not able to receive the mental health treatment they needed.
- Source: Mental Health America
Those living in poverty are 3x more likely to report poor mental health
- Source: United Health Foundation: America’s Health Rankings
44% of Iowa adults with mental illness receive no treatment at all.
- Source: Mental Health America
Children relying on Medicaid wait an average of 12 weeks for an appointment with a new mental healthcare provider.
- Source: Blank Children’s Hospital, UnityPoint