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Salisbury Rowan Community Action Agency Board, Executive Director and Program Director are working with staff to increase recruitment to the Hispanic community. A. Unemployment /Underemployment In the last year, no significant job growth has occurred in either Rowan or Cabarrus counties. This continues to impact our service area tremendously and high unemployment rates keep our waiting lists above 50 in each county at all times. There are some distinguishable differences anecdotally, between the counties and the services requested. In Rowan more of the applicants need additional training and jobs. In Cabarrus, people have had jobs, lost them due to a variety of factors and are seeking re- employment. On some levels, Cabarrus residents have had higher educational attainment prior to applying. However people still come to SRCAA affected by mill closings, Phillip Morris closing and in Rowan a possible outsourcing by Westinghouse will add to more job elimination. As of November 30, 2012 the current unemployment rate for Rowan County is 9.9% or seven thousand three hundred (7,300. People that are receiving benefits in Cabarrus County is lower at 8.1 % or seven thousand five hundred and nine (7,509). Cabarrus has more opportunities for growth and is adjacent to Mecklenberg County (Charlotte). Although Charlotte is about 45 miles from Rowan, more participants are choosing to look for job there. For lower paying jobs, transportation costs are cost prohibitive and severely impact the participants' personal budgets. B. Education /Vocation The 2012 Closing the Gap, 2012 Skills Survey of NC conducted by the Centralina Workforce Development Board Report states that "National trends continue to indicate that communities throughout the country are facing current or imminent shortage of skilled workers to meet the demands of local employers ". This fact adds to the continued high unemployment rate and requires service providers to discuss alternative education /vocation options to attain the skills that employers want. Families are at risk due to the lack of jobs, not enough or the right education and skills for the jobs available. According to the census bureau North Carolina's High school graduation rate for persons over 25 is 84.1 %. In Cabarrus County, the graduation rate for this same group is 85.5% and persons with Bachelor's Degrees or higher is 24.1% compared to the states 26.5 %. In Rowan County, there is a marked difference. High school graduates over 25 years of age, is only 80.4 % and those with Bachelor's degrees or higher dips to 17.4°/x. This explains why more requests in Rowan are for education /skills training. Persons who are unemployed or underemployed are at risk for related social factors like mental health disorders like depression, drug and alcohol use, and anxiety and can experience compromised decision making regarding meeting the basic needs for their family. SRCAA provides more support for educational /vocational attainment then any other service request. C. Housing /Homelessness Homeownership rates in NC are approximately 68% of the population; in Rowan nearly 71% of the population are homeowners and nearly 74% of the population in Cabarrus are homeowners. Most of the persons served in the Self- Sufficiency program are not homeowners and are not eligible for homeownership due to low incomes and poor credit ratings. Services related to improving credit stability and financial literacy are offered every year. Reduced subsidized housing stock and long waitlists for city and county housing authorities in both counties contribute to program participants making choices to live in substandard housing or in crowded conditions with family members. CSBG funds are utilized to relocate participants and Fiscal Year 2013 -14 Community Services Block Grant Application Page 16 of 42 Attachment number 2 F -6 Page 80