Part time 3

Parks (2)

Lakes (3) – though not enough public accesses that allow swimming (1)

Cleanliness; the regulations of the town are good

Variety of housing

Growing community

Good size community

Employment opportunities (2)

Still has the small town atmosphere, but is getting better as far as shopping

Shopping

Services are increasing to understand parents’ needs:

Small groups like ‘Parent Support Group’

Birth to Six

Early-on Program

Maple Lawn Home

Good Library

School system

Evaluation of children for school placement

The charter school is good, better than the public school

Special education opportunities

Growing Schools

County Fair

Variety of interests and people

Friendly community

Large Christian community, good churches

Safe

It’s okay

Landlords are not maintaining the rental properties

Lack of affordable housing – both to rent and to own

Need creative play area and programs that go year round

More programs/recreation for kids

Pool is only open a few months

Many activities require payment: Miniputt, Discovery Zone, Laser Tag, Full Blast in Battle Creek.

Basketball, volleyball, flag football have short seasons

Teens do not have a lot to do

High Costs of living and housing

Lots of jobs, but not high paying; need higher paying jobs (5)

A living wage is important and many aren’t making it as far as money

Many jobs don’t offer security; there are no unions.

Gas prices are too high for both autos and home heating

Small businesses are folding from new large businesses

More and affordable daycare (2^nd shift – in-home or center based, but affordable)

Employers could work with employees in customs and language or give employees incentives to go to classes

It is difficult to progress in employment with a language barrier

Employers take advantage of Hispanic workers

Getting information about services is difficult (2) especially for newcomers, you have to dig to get information

Agencies need more interconnectedness

More services to help with medical, mental and physical needs

Special needs housing

No help for kids who are violent, must take violent children out of the county in order to help her; specifically Pines won’t take her, parents are not allowed to beat on her

Mental health is lacking for children, no mental health doctors for children

Crisis intervention is lacking

Medicaid: trouble with providers in this area, no dentists

Elderly programs and services

BATA is unreliable

Public Schools need a lot more work

Poor education level

Low standards

Phonics is not taught

Conformity to standards: can’t help the slower or accelerated students

Rules should be local decisions rather than state decisions

The schools don’t teach

Community seems unwilling to try new things

Influx of ethnic groups and community is not handling it well

There is a lack of understanding about Hispanic cultural ways of doing things

Lack of Spanish speaking people in management and in the schools

Culture perception may be difficult between nationalities

Learn other cultures

Realtors know which side of town to place a person due to skin color

Zoning regulations: what limits are there to # of persons or # of families per dwelling?

Women cannot assist easily in the Arabic community because of Arabic beliefs

The immigration laws adversely affect the Hispanic community

Road construction – too long to complete and too many roads at once

Traffic – difficult to cross US 12 between Willowbrook and Michigan and between Michigan and Sprague. On Sprague, the right turn area light makes it difficult.

Drug abuse – can’t cover all the places

Don’t recommend people come here [from Mexico] because the police and judicial system don’t understand, respect or treat us fairly

The system of law, judges, probation is corrupt

A lot of crimes are committed by non-US citizens who are not getting time for the crimes; Our judges should send them back.

Terrorism

Special-needs community

Low-income community (2)

Teenagers – need things to do

Newcomers in the community

Home schoolers - seem unaccepted by the people in charge

Minorities, especially Hispanic and Arabic (6), we more understanding/better communication/cultural diversity training (4)

Families of prisoners – this group will grow as the population at the prison is changed from women and men to all men. Families of male prisoners will move to the area

Branch County has a higher amount of sexual offenders and sexual abuse because of the high standard of welfare in the 70’s. People would come up I69 and Coldwater was the first stop and they would settle here.

Those without housing

Crime in minorities are not being punished

Children with violence issues

There are a lot of battered women and children and not enough places for them to go.

There need to be places for emotional spousal abuse

Investigating the YMCA (2)

4-H

Some of the churches are trying to address the need for kids to have things to do and people in need

Teen nights at First Baptist Church

Youth for Christ

Expanding Heritage Park

Public Health (2)

FIA (2)

0 to 6 program (2) but the play groups aren’t in the evening

Early on program

Building Strong Families

Wrap-around services are helpful for mostly under 18 to keep the children in the home

Shelterhouse

Teen shelter

Extension office is useful

Bronson has an after school program

Union City after school

Churches (2)

Churches are taking in the homeless

As a community, Hispanics rely on each other and upon family members. Government is not trusted

Adult Ed – English as a Second Language classes

Woman Fest and it had day care provided

Police/fire departments are trying to become more the "good guys"

There is a huge gap between the higher paid workers and the basic workers; therefore, the workers are not able to support their families

More assistance in learning English at employment sites

Advertising for the things that are going on (calendar of events in the Shopper’s Guide)

If there was a place in the shopper’s guide to write in and give recommendations of good services done that was free to suggest a service was well done. To possibly raise the standards of other services.

Service providers get together and let families know what services are out there and what kinds of help is available

Resource directory

Respite that could handle special needs adults/children

Services for adult children caring for parents

No place for special needs teens for daycare

Teen programs and teen counseling

A way to share information on child abuse. (You cannot discipline your children.)

Teachers need more compensation and entice more teachers in the area. They don’t get recognized and good benefits

There needs to be a work ethic from somewhere instilled in children. There must be morals taught. Parents don’t seem to raise their children, they provide food, shelter and entertainment (TV, video, games, computer)

Youth mentors

Alzheimer’s support groups

Volunteers to try and start support groups

Parent Co-op

Maybe raise the work ethic and morals

More education to community about Hispanic community and culture

Overpasses/underpasses to help with crossing US 12

Get rid of Judge Cherry because he turns loose the abusers of drugs and sex offenders

because of his decisions

Start community service requirements for these kids and adults who are using drugs and other crimes

Punishment for crimes committed

The legal system needs change

People can not apply for needed services because of unjust immigration laws.

Change laws at state and federal level

Funding for programs, unavailability of services; there aren’t any programs

Information and referral services—people don’t know what services are available (4) They could tell these through the schools; The service providers are not well networked to share services or to know what other services can do

Income eligibility: the line cuts people off who need help when they get a low paying job. There is a group being ignored who are "between income"

Some month have 5 paychecks instead of 4, 3 paychecks instead of 2, and that may cause someone to be disqualified Money – the limits and cut-offs limit many people.

If you don’t have children, you aren’t qualified for a lot of programs

Inconsistencies about insurance and services

Feels the Arabic community gets special treatment

Very difficult to apply for services; it’s messy, paperwork for schools, FIA;

FIA works on their own schedule and not the clients’ schedules. Can’t get ahold of the social workers at FIA. Services are always open 9-5, hard to go to doctor’s appointments and other services, such as the Health Department

Day care prices make people spend most of their income for childcare (2)

Coldwater pediatrics has threatened to turn a parent into Child Protective Services from another child biting

The Coldwater emergency room does not treat Medicaid recipients the same as other people with insurance. Medicaid recipients are lesser priority and treat the parent as brainless

Transportation not advertised.

The immigration law (2)

Language and ethnic barriers(3)

Affordable housing

People cannot make a go of life anymore with income.

Support groups

Volunteer (2) like at FIA

Help others in same situation (2)

Trying to be good neighbors

Willing to vote against Judge Cherry

Letting councilmen know about issues in the community

Willing to call and voice opinions (2)

More information about any of the needs addressed to be run in the shopper paper

Landlords to lower housing

Liaison for parents/workers, parents/agencies, interpreters for language barriers because people assume they know what you want or you have trouble explaining what you want.

Second shift day care providers