Community Assessment: Analyzing the Aggregate and Its Environment

Community Assessment: Analyzing the Aggregate and Its Environment

Aggregate Community Windshield Survey

Part One

The aggregate community for this project is youth in Middle and High School. The focus of the project is on risky sexual behavior among the target population. The project will be carried out in Miami Gardens in Dade County, Florida. On the 13^th of May, 2003, Miami City Gardens was incorporated as the 33^rd city of Dade County. It is the third-largest city in the county and is located in the county’s North-Central region, midway between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The city covers approximately 20 square miles. The city’s boundaries are Countyline Road to the North; 151st Street to the South; North/North West 47th Avenue and North West 57th Avenue to the West; and Miami Avenue/North East 2nd Avenue to the East. City leaders had a vision of a bustling metropolis where professionals from the African-American race would find a home and settle there. That is how it was in the 1970s and 1980s when North Dade was called the Carol City prior to an upsurge of poverty and violence. The city was a place where people went to escape from Overtown and Liberty City. The idea was to make Miami Gardens another version of Aventura or Miami Lakes for the Black community. However, the media has continued to portray Miami Gardens as the worst place and un-safest place in Miami.

The infant mortality rate is as shown below:

Source: miamidadematters.org

The life expectancy is as shown below:

Source: miamidadematters.org

The leading causes of death are as shown in the table below:

Source: flhealthcharts.com

According to Census.gov, the total population of Miami Gardens City as of July 2019 was 110,001, of whom those that are 18 years and below are 24.4%. The most common race of student ethnicity according to Data USA (n.d) is Hispanic and Latino, followed by Black/African American. Whites were listed as fourth, while Mixed races, Asians, and American Indians were 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th place, respectively. 53.9% of the population is female. The teenage birth rate is 2%—those who are unwed and on public assistance form 15.8% of the population. The unwed mothers living below the poverty level are 40.2%. 41.2 % of unwed mothers have a high school diploma as the highest level of education. The life expectancy in Miami Dade County, in general, is 82.2 years; Hispanics have an average life expectancy of 84; Blacks at 76.7 years, and Whites at 80.3 years. The birth rate in Dade County as of 2019 per 1,000 females aged 15-19 was Blacks at 15.1%, Hispanics at 11.7%, and Whites at 10.6%. The percentage of teens who are sexually active in Miami Dade County is 37.7% females and 43.0% males. Black teens are the most sexually active teens at 44.1%, Hispanic Latinos at 40.7%, and Whites at 33.3%.

The above information is critical for the success of the proposed project. For example, because the statistics show that the highest number of the student population is Hispanic, the project will need to be culturally relevant to meet this population’s needs and for easy acceptability. Additionally, female students will also be an area of focus because the statistics show that despite graduating from high school, women tend to be poor and become unwed mothers. 37.7% of teens are sexually active, and they are likely to become single, unwed, and live below the poverty line. This information presents something amiss because the birth rate is at 2%, which could probably mean that the abortion rate is higher or another factor unknown brings about this disparity. The project seeks to discover why this disparity exists.

The aggregate group was selected because, according to the CDC (2019), risky behaviors among high school students in the state of Florida scored higher than the national scores in the following categories, where youth reported that they:  did not use birth control pills prior to engaging in sexual intercourse; did not use an IUD, birth control pills, implant, or shot, patch or ring prior to their last intercourse; did not use a condom during the last sexual intercourse. Unprotected Sex has a myriad of possible consequences, including unwanted pregnancies, STDs, and long-term illnesses such as HIV/AIDS. This project will discuss and hope to implement a way to decrease risky sexual behavior among Middle and High School students.

Part Two

The city has a number of retail establishments that serve the population and which improve the community’s economic status. Miami Gardens has more than 4.000 businesses. As of 2019, the leading industries in the city were Healthcare and Social Services, Entertainment and Recreation, Sports, Arts, Education, and Retail. The top industries in the city are depicted in the image below:

Source: Beacon Council (n.d)

The number and types of homes and the age of the same is as shown below:

Source: Neighborhood Scout (n.d)

With the incorporation of Miami Gardens into the county, the city inherited 16 parks. The parks’ conditions ranged from fair to poor, with a few meeting the surrounding residents’ needs and wants. The city offered an opportunity for the development of non-traditional parks, linear parks, and the ‘blue way trails.’ Blueway trails are water-based trails for canoes and are linked to the Blueway as a water resource that is land-based.

Many playgrounds are available for children residing in the city. The Bennett Lifter Park and the Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex are examples. The businesses and homes are clearly demarcated, with homes located in specific areas and businesses in other specific areas. Also, some addresses are zeroed in as unsafe and even ghettos.

As regards transportation, most people use private transport.

Source: Bestplaces.net

The city is generally clean, with residents expected to play their part in keeping it that way. Miami Gardens has a free sidewalk pressure cleaning program. Residents who are 55 years and above can apply for the free pressure cleaner, while all other residents can access the same on a loan basis.

The people out in the community and the race ethnicity table is shown below:

Source: Statistical Atlas

Churches in Miami Gardens are more diverse compared to other religious places. The other religions are represented by 1.2% Judaism, 0.2% Eastern faith, and 0.9% affiliate with Islam and have 1-2 places of worship in the area.

As regards media and billboards, the city of Miami Gardens allows for billboards to be put up though the number is restricted. The billboards are large, colorful, and easily visible to pedestrians and drivers. They are mostly illuminated and are seen 24/7.

Miami Gardens boasts of several clinics as well as private practices. There are also large hospitals and psychiatric hospitals. However, the high poverty rates and low-income status in some parts of the city suppress the demand for healthcare services because a significant number of the populace is underinsured or uninsured.

References

Beacon Council (n.d). Miami Gardens. https://www.beaconcouncil.com/why-miami-dade/cities/miami-gardens/

Best Places (n.d). Commuting in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Census, Gov (n.d), QuickFacts. Miami Gardens city, Florida https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/miamigardenscityflorida/PST045219

DataUSA (n.d) Miami Gardens Fl. https://datausa.io/profile/geo/miami-gardens-fl/

Flhealthcharts.com. Leading Causes of Death – 2019. http://www.flhealthcharts.com/ChartsReports/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=ChartsProfiles.LeadingCausesOfDeathProfile

https://www.bestplaces.net/transportation/city/florida/miami_gardens

Miamidadematter.org (2020). http://www.miamidadematters.org/indicators/index/view?indicatorId=289&localeId=414

Miamidadematter.org (2020). http://www.miamidadematters.org/indicators/index/view?indicatorId=8195&localeId=414

Neighborhood Scout (n.d). Mami Gardens Appreciation Rate Trends and Housing Market Data. https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/fl/miami-gardens/real-estate

Statistical Atlas (2020). Race and Ethnicity in Miami Gardens, Florida (City). https://statisticalatlas.com/place/Florida/Miami-Gardens/Race-and-Ethnicity

Towncharts (n.d). Miami Gardens, Florida Demographics Data https://www.towncharts.com/Florida/Demographics/Miami-Gardens-city-FL-Demographics-data.html

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

Describing the Aggregate

In a Microsoft Word document of 3-4 pages formatted in APA style, you will submit your final description of the aggregate and community in which the aggregate is located, based on feedback from your instructor on your Week 1 paper and your continued work. Please note that the title and reference pages should not be included in the total page count of your paper.

Describe the Aggregate

Describe the Aggregate
Begin the assignment by describing your aggregate. Include the following information:

1. Name of the aggregate
2. Geographical location and size
3. Population
4. A brief history
5. Basic vital statistics
6. Crude birth rate, infant mortality rate, life expectancy, leading causes of death, and any other relevant statistical information related to the health of the aggregate from the windshield survey.
7. Explain, giving at least two reasons, why you selected this particular aggregate for your Capstone project.