The Center for Community Solutions, a local think tank, celebrated  their 100 year anniversary in 2013 serving Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Here are some excerpts from their website….http://www.communitysolutions.com/history

What We Do
Applied demographic and socioeconomic research at Community Solutions seeks to provide those working to improve health, social, and economic conditions with the data they need to make informed decisions and training on how to use such information most effectively. Our work is trusted by nonprofit executives, public officials, and community leaders.

NEORIO
Long engaged in providing community and neighborhood quality of life indicators, in 2012, Community Solutions launched the Northeast Ohio Regional Impact and Outcomes (NEORIO) initiative. Updated in 2014, NEORIO provides consistent, reliable data on community conditions, a common barometer on which to base success, and forums to discuss critical issues and explore new ways of working together.

Here is their 2014 report that raises awareness of the plight of seniors in Lake County:   Seniors in Lake County 2014 report

Some interesting statistics from the report:

As of 2013, over 54,456 people aged 60 or over currently call Lake County home.
46.9% have an average of $49,690 annual income
49.3% have retirement income
77.5% receive Social Security payments averaging $18,488
6.1% of residents live in poverty  [2013 (family of 2) $15,510 / 2018 $16,460]
7.6%  of residents live near poverty
[54,456 x 13.7% = 7,460 —  ~7,500 of our Lake County citizens live at or near the poverty line]
6% of seniors receive food stamps through SNAP
27.1% of seniors owning a home pay more than 30% of income for housing
53.5% of of renters pay more than 30% of income for housing
Median rent payment of $754 /month needs $30,160 in annual income or $11,672 more than the average Social Security payment of $18,488

(Comment: The population is aging; we think seniors should be a “protected class”
Please remember….we are all playing the “back nine of life”, we just do not know what hole we are playing….there are worse things than being “over the hill”, looking back and seeing no hill at all….)

Categories: Lake, Lake County Cities & Townships, Real Estate Taxes

Tags: FT