United Way Study Reveals Shortfall in Social Services : Assistance: About 12% of valley residents live at or below the poverty line. An increasing number of new arrivals with different cultural backgrounds creates challenges.

A United Way study released Wednesday indicates that the availability of social services has failed to keep pace with the increasingly diverse needs of San Gabriel Valley residents.

About 12% of San Gabriel Valley residents live at or below the poverty line, and increasing unemployment has exacerbated the problem, the 18-month study found.

Citing the dramatic changes that have occurred in the social, economic and racial makeup of the region, United Way officials are encouraging residents to look at the problems detailed in the report and become actively engaged in “generating solutions, plans and programs.”

“I think the study makes clear that the social problems we read about in the inner cities are here in the San Gabriel Valley as well,” United Way of Los Angeles President Herbert L. Carter said.

Kristine Morris, a United Way volunteer who assisted with the study, said the findings, which are based on interviews and the latest census data, will be shared with county and municipal governments, as well as community service organizations. The hope is that the various groups will be able to use the data to work together more effectively.

“Dramatic changes require different responses and we are looking for input from everyone,” Morris said.

One of the most dramatic changes, the study found, is the large influx of Asian/Pacific Islanders, many of whom are new immigrants. According to the 1990 U.S. Census, the Asian/Pacific Islander population in the San Gabriel Valley increased threefold from 1980 to 1990. The struggles that communities have undergone as they cope with the multifaceted needs of these new arrivals demonstrates that services must be provided.

“Part of the problem is the communication issue,” Morris said. “When you have a family whose primary language is not English, it’s difficult to find out how effective we have been at providing services.”

The study found that ethnic groups have a great need for services, but are often hampered by language and cultural barriers.

Carter said United Way is working closely with a number of community groups, including Asian Pacific Advocates, African American Business Initiative and the Hispanic Leadership and Advocacy Council, to better understand and address the needs of ethnic communities.

Some problems revealed in the study, however, cut across all ethnic lines. All groups represented in the study indicated that unemployment is a key concern.

Increasing unemployment has affected almost all San Gabriel Valley residents, but ethnic minorities have been hit particularly hard by the troubled economy. As unemployment has grown, social services agencies have seen an enormous rise in the number of people requesting assistance. Many are asking for services such as job training, which the United Way has not traditionally provided.

“We don’t currently have much in the way of job search and development programs, but it is a major concern in the communities we serve and we are looking at what we can do to help,” Carter said.

Caught between declining contributions and an increasing need for services, the study--conducted by volunteers and funded by grants from Kaiser Permanente and the Mountain View Foundation--is the latest move by United Way to focus resources on the most pressing problems.

“The rapidly changing needs of San Gabriel Valley communities have demonstrated to us that we need to be much more flexible in the way we distribute funds,” Morris said.

United Way took its first step several years ago when it began creating a long-term strategic plan for its operations in the San Gabriel Valley, a 200-square-mile area of 32 communities and home to more than 1.2 million people.

A key component of the plan was a re-evaluation of the way in which the charity allocates funds to its member organizations. Traditionally, United Way has funneled its money and resources through about 70 agencies in the San Gabriel Valley.

But faced with a rapidly changing set of needs, United Way has decided to allocate more of its funds to discretionary accounts so that money can be made available more quickly as needs in the communities are identified.

In the end, Carter said, the changes that United Way makes will only be effective if citizens are willing to lend a hand.

“We need to encourage people to get involved, to collaborate and cooperate in solving the problems of their communities,” Carter said.