Demographic sketch:

•Population in zip 95020 (which extends beyond actual city limits) is 57,256 in 2007. Density is 373 people per square mile (Zip Code 95020 People).

•Median age is 32.4, younger than the US median of 37.6. 52.57% of people in Gilroy are married. 8.10% are divorced. The average household size is 3.48 people. About 46 percent report living with children (Zip Code 95020 People).

•Census categories obscure the issue somewhat, but 2000 data reports that 60.12% of people in this zip code are “white”, 1.88% are African-American, 5.08% are Asian, 1.61% are Native American, and 31.94% claim 'Other'. Another measure is that 53.16% claim Hispanic ethnicity, meaning 46.84% are non-Hispanic (Zip Code 95020 People).

•Median income is $72,499 (Zip Code 95020 Economy). This masks the reality that expenses are high, incomes are dropping, and there is a bigger gap between rich and poor, with the middle thinning out. “In the county, real median household income dropped 11 percent from 2000 to 2005 - a $9,011 decline, according to Working Partnerships, a San Jose nonprofit aimed at narrowing the gap between rich and poor. Today, roughly 20 percent of area workers earn less than $12.27 an hour, the San Jose living wage as of July 2006. Poverty has risen, and the middle class is thinning while more and more workers earn less than $10,000 a year” (Getting By).

Occupations are as follows:

Management, Business, and Financial Operations 14.47%

Professional and Related Occupations 15.52%

Service 13.96%

Sales and Office 27.24%

Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 3.50%

Construction, Extraction, and Maintenance 10.65%

Production, Transportation, and Material Moving 14.65%

(Zip Code 95020 Economy.)

•In 2007, the unemployment rate is 4.40 (Zip Code Economy). “Job availability has dropped 15.4 percent countywide from 2000 to 2005, according to Working Partnerships. Manufacturing and business services have declined 30 percent, and electrical assembly jobs, which paid a median hourly wage of $12.86, dropped 70 percent (Getting By ). Retail salespersons are common in Gilroy due to the Outlets and big box stores, and the median hourly wage for such jobs in the county is $10.73,. (Getting By)

•The average cost of childcare has risen 40 percent from 2000 to 2005 in the county. “Parents who earn minimum wage can't pay someone else minimum wage to watch their children” (Getting By). Parents earning minimum wage can easily spend all their funds on housing plus childcare. Many women find it is more viable to stay home than to work (Our work).

•Housing options are costly and limited. Strategies include overpayment, overcrowding, acceptance of substandard housing, relocation to less costly areas and simply paying more in transportation costs (Getting By). Renters constitute 36.2 percent of population that is counted (Zip Code 95020 Housing). There are at least six migrant worker camps run by private parties for profit; the biggest, Campo Rodriguez, is open year-round and abuts the Ochoa Migrant Housing Center.

•There are few environmental groups active in Gilroy, and data is lacking. We do know that Gilroy’s air quality is significantly worse than the national average. On a scale of 100, with a high score associated with good quality, Gilroy’s air scored a very low 9, compared to 48 as the national average in 2007. Water quality was somewhat better, though not excellent, with a score of 40 compared to the national average of 55. Gilroy is also relatively close to a number of Silicon Valley Superfund sites, giving it a low score of 10 on the Superfund scale, compared to 71, the national average. (Zip Code 95020 Health)

•In Gilroy, 43.25% of the people affiliate with a religion. 28.71% are Catholic; 6.51% are Protestant; 1.21% are LDS; 2.40% are another Christian faith; 3.21% in Gilroy are Jewish; 0.07% are an eastern faith; 1.14% affiliate with Islam (Zip Code 95020 Religion).

•There are 148 non profits registered with the state attorney general’s office. (Non profit.) There is a relatively high rate of volunteerism, especially seasonally for the winter holidays and the Garlic Festival, and through churches.

•The city has a relatively high rate of violent crime, compared to the US average. On a scale from 1 (low crime) to 10, Gilroy ranks as a 4 in terms of murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The US average is 3. Property crime in Gilroy is even more prevalent: on the same scale, Gilroy ranks as a 5. Property crime includes burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. Again, the US average is 3 (Zip Code 95020 Crime).

•Assets: Strong faith community with volunteer power when tasks are presented; high pride of place; attractive location and climate; Garlic Festival, unusual Gilroy Gardens theme park; participation in excellent Santa Clara County Library system.

Challenges and needs:

•Accurate data about who’s here and what needs are isn’t easy to put together for funders or others. More local data is needed and more county data should be collected and analysed by zip code. A group within the South County Collaborative is organizing to address this need.

•Gilroy usually has the highest negative risk indicators in the county—highest rate of homelessness, lowest median income, most reports of child abuse, second highest rate of domestic violence (Morgan Hill rate is higher), schools lowest achieving in county, highest rate of juvenile offenders violating their probation agreements because of a lack of services, most recividism, least substance abuse treatment for youth.

•A number of county services to Gilroy, such as public health nursing, have been cut or eliminated. Non-profits struggle to provide services and have no opportunity to do long-range planning, development, or follow-up with clients.

•Vestiges of agricultural heritage remain, but Silicon Valley has not really technologised the community. While Gilroy is a bedroom for Silicon Valley, many bedroom migrants are not connected to community.

•There are too few high paying jobs; the local Office of Economic Development focuses on retail jobs, which are the #1 employment sector in Santa Clara county.

•Even “affordable” housing is not very affordable; heavy subsidies needed for poorest families reliant on public benefits. Much shared housing that is substandard and crowded. Immigrants in particular are vulnerable to exploitative arrangements and do not have access to information about their rights, or to legal aid.

•There is no shelter for single individuals year round, but a surprisingly high number of homeless people. “In 2005, the numbers volunteers tallied stunned county officials, even those who work with the homeless. The 2005 count turned up 7,646 homeless people countywide, 420 of them in Gilroy - more than in cities twice and even triple Gilroy's size. One-third of those surveyed were chronically homeless, lacking shelter for more than a year, or more than four times in less than three years.” (Alpert.)

•Public transportation cuts have made that a difficult option for South County residents. Many elderly and poor people depend on costly taxi service.

•There is a great need for more Spanish- and indigenous-speaking service providers

•High demand for food aid. 1800 people served monthly with nutritional supplemental food, 10,000 bagged lunches a year, 10,000 hot meals including on holidays each year for homeless, unhoused individuals and very low-income members; 2,700 hot meals to seniors with limited incomes, serves 50 seniors with weekly shuttle.

•Ethnic divides exists in the community.

•Literacy needs of immigrant and native-born populations are diverse and significant.

•Hate incidents and crimes may go unreported or under-reported. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered youth are at particularly high risk. GLTB people are often closeted in Gilroy though they may be out at schools or jobs elsewhere.

•Basic health needs are not met for people in the community. Local services are not comprehensive enough, and may be too costly for those who need them. HIV/AIDS mobile units have trouble establishing services here because of stigma and invisibility. Obesity rates are reportedly the highest in county, at 31 percent.

•There is a big need for mental health services. Mental health and behavioral issues of children in school are particularly underaddressed. “An estimated 10 percent of Gilroy students need counseling for various mental and emotional health issues, said Eleanor Villarreal, director of funding and development for Rebekah Children’s Services. Those students will be referred by Rebekah’s health center housed on the Eliot Elementary School campus as well as counselors elsewhere in the school district. “(Leins.)

•Gilroy schools expend $4,666 per student, lower than the California average of $7942 in 2005 (State of). Schools don’t score well on standardized tests compared to statewide rates. There are plans for a second high school. Elementary schools are under-enrolled and one has recently closed.

•Students report differential treatment based on ethnicity in schools( Community).

•There are not enough attractive after-school identity-building and activity youth programs. Sports programs at the schools require family expenditures that many families cannot afford.

•The gang problem is treated after the fact rather than preventatively in the police department; schools crack down on colors but sometimes punish the wrong students and create a negative learning environment in their quest for safety.

•Graffiti on buildings is commonly mentioned by residents as a neighborhood problem.

•Meth use is high in 19-25 year old population.

•Gilroy has the most teen pregnancies in the county. Pregnancies are seen as Latina problem because live births, rather than total pregnancies (some may be terminated) are counted.

•A social host ordinance exists but is not yet well known or enforced.

•Mainstream and fundamentalist faith communities each have their own ecclesiastical councils, which don’t collaborate with one another; there is a clear division in the religious community between mainstream and fundamentalist congregations.

•Gilroy has both a Chamber of Commerce and, due to a legacy of historical divisions, a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

•Little coordination with Morgan Hill and San Benito county on transportation, data collection, or other needs

•Spanish language media are needed to reach many people in need of information.