NEWS RELEASE

April 11, 2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
John Gustafson
Phone: 425-261-5844
E-mail: john.gustafson@verizon.com
Web: sccounts@uwsc.org

'Snohomish County Counts' offers wide-angle snapshot

SNOHOMISH COUNTY - How do we look? A team of community partners has completed an assessment of Snohomish County that offers a wide-angle snapshot of the county, including its strengths and areas of concern.

Called Snohomish County Counts, the project builds on past assessments and provides a baseline for future studies.

"We have collected a wealth of information about Snohomish County, which county leaders, local agencies and others can use for planning purposes and to develop appropriate action plans to address community priorities," said John Gustafson, a community partner and External Affairs director for Verizon Communications. "We encourage people to review the data and provide ideas for next steps."

Prior community assessments identified community needs, leading to the creation of family support centers, affordable housing, parenting programs and wellness clinics. Issues of concern identified in the current assessment include traffic, development, jobs, health and social issues.

Four local agencies sponsored the community assessment: Snohomish County Health Services, United Way of Snohomish County, Snohomish Health District and Healthy Communities for Snohomish County. Many other organizations provided financial and in-kind support for the project.

Over the past year and a half, a team of community volunteers has completed the following activities as part of Snohomish County Counts:

· Contracted with Gilmore Research Group to conduct a random-sample telephone survey of county residents and surveys of community leaders and non-English speaking residents.

· Developed a database of community assets including associations, private businesses, labor unions, public institutions and non-profit agencies.

· Collected data in eight categories: demographic, economic, education, health, leisure activities, safety, transportation and housing.

· Held 27 focus groups of special populations that might not have participated in the general population survey. These groups include senior citizens, youth, shelter residents and intravenous drug users.

The survey information reveals the following highlights:

· Environment - The general population has a fairly high opinion of their community's environment with more than 60% of respondents strongly agreeing that water is clean and safe, air quality is acceptable, and there are no issues with sewage or septic systems.

· Economic Development - Less than one-fourth (23%) of household respondents felt strongly about supporting expansion of commercial and industrial business in their community. On the other hand, 39% felt strongly that they would not support it.

· Transportation - Respondents would welcome more options for commuting such as carpools, vanpools and HOV lanes. Results showed that 32% think the county's general transportation system is adequate, while 23% think it's inadequate. However, 23% strongly disagreed that local roads are adequate and well maintained, and 19% strongly disagreed public transportation served the community well.

· Taxes - Survey respondents are most willing to pay more taxes if the money will fund public safety (police and fire protection). They also are willing to increase taxes to support public health, schools, libraries, parks, roads and public transportation.

· Safety - Survey opinions around safety split down the middle with one-fourth of the respondents stating that crime is a concern in the community and one-fourth feeling it's not. About half of respondents said they had no strong feeling about crime.

Opinions of participants in the focus groups and the non-English speaking survey differ from the general population survey in many areas, including views on discrimination, racial tension and communication. Results from the non-English speaking survey and focus groups, however, cannot be interpreted as representative of any specific group due to the low number of respondents.

To learn more about Snohomish County Counts, visit the following Web site www.uwsc.org/assessment or attend a public meeting:

· May 6, 3:30 p.m. Marysville Jr. High School Library, 1605 7TH ST, Marysville, Wash., (meeting of the North Affiliate of Public Health and Safety Network).

· May 14, 11:45 a.m. The Monroe Chamber of Commerce. Vineyard Church, 317 Butler Street, Monroe. Call in advance for lunch reservation, 360-794-5488.

· May 23, 11 a.m., Networking Luncheon sponsored by Human Services Council of Snohomish County. WSU Extension office, S.E.128th Street (behind McCollum Park in south Everett).

Information collected by Snohomish County Counts is also available on compact disk. To order a CD, contact Becci Oxner at 425-921-3455.