MPH 5506 U07D2
As the economy worsens so does the state of the middle class family! With the downturn in the economy more families have slipped through the cracks.
Based on the State of Washington, if a person makes more than $700 a month they cannot qualify for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); based on the dollar amount most working single mothers such as I do not qualify for this program (Williams, 2012).
Near or around the Seattle area are located some of the largest corporations, employing hundreds of thousands of individuals world-wide. Starbucks employs approximately 149,000 (Hoovers, 2011), followed by Boeing, Microsoft, University of Washington, and Amazon, all together employment totals approximately 283,000 people world-wide (Hoovers, 2011). With strong corporate base, job availability world-wide within the Starbucks Corporation, as well as other local international corporations far exceed the current disparities within the minority communities. Communities Count reported as of 2008, African Americans comprised 5.3% of the total population of King County Washington, of which 23.0% reside in Seattle, 13.0% reside in the northern part of the county, 8.5% reside on the east side, and 18.1% reside in the South (Public Health - Seattle & King County, 2008. pg. 24). As of 2007, Community Count reported that 29.1% of African Americans lived 100% below the Federal Poverty level and 19.2% of Hispanic/Latino’s. Latino population distribution was basically evenly disbursed throughout the different regions of King County (pg. 24). The median income by race between 2000 and 2007 fell by 13% from 63% to 51% for African Americans compared to White household income (pg. 26). However, King County made up 35% of all firms and 40% of all employment in Washington State in 2006 (pg. 35). With statistic such as these, which shows Seattle-King County has inordinate employment opportunities. Based on personal job seeking experience, it was noted that secondary education as an entry level job requirement is a factor when seeking work in a global economy where technology and engineering skills are in high demand. With multi-national corporations housed in King County the available world-wide job opportunities should be great for all those that are prepared. Some had said that success is defined as: Preparation and opportunity meeting at the same time. It is this lack of preparation that has caused the African American community to fall behind when education is a requirement
