LOAVES AND FISHES MINISTRIES, INC.

Demographics

Client demographics have remained fairly constant over the last several years. The overwhelming growth population continues to be Latino, both male and female. Both the Caucasian and African-American populations have decreased by about 10% due to movement out of the city. Our female population has also decreased somewhat due to "Welfare to Work" initiatives, although many remain who need our programs. Single mothers and families continue to be a large portion of our population. Homeless figures are notoriously difficult to pin down, for the reason that many clients stay with friends or relatives on a rotating basis but have no permanent home. Officially these individuals are homeless, but they do not identify themselves as such to us. Official and personal classifications obviously vary, and we respect our clients' personal situations. Identification is required for all pro­grams other than the soup kitchen. Our numbers served in the soup kitchen are rising dramatically as a result of the recent economic downturn.

The rise in numbers we are seeing in our soup kitchen means that we are indeed reaching those whom we target - the hungry in Hartford- but it also means a greater strain on our soup kitchen budget.  Our soup kitchen numbers have increased dramatically in the last several months, and we are very busy throughout the month. Many of those affected are single mothers with children.

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