The Valentine neighborhood occupies several blocks in West Midtown. From the North it starts at 31st st, to the East is Broadway Boulevard, to the West it is Summit/ Southwest Traffic way and to the South it is bordered by 40th street.

Within this area, we studied the different demographics of people and many things about them to understand where they were coming from and what they were working with.

It was my responsibility to gauge the amount of people in the area who were experiencing poverty in ages 65 +, poverty in Children and people who are requiring public assistance to live compared to the surrounding areas of Midtown and Kansas City, MO as a whole.

The data above shows a dip in poverty for people over 65 in the 1990’s, but it consistently shows rates of poverty in people over 65 in Valentine as being in poverty compared to people in the other comparable areas, if only by a small amount.

Surprisingly, children in the area (which according to some of my colleagues studies, there are not many) show that many kids in the area, especially currently, are living in poverty. This includes all children 17 and under living at home.

The households receiving public assistance total have shown quite a bit of movement over time, but show a rapid increase after the dip in the aughts.

Overall, there is enough evidence to support that these demographics of the area are in need of assistance. It is my hope that through this work, we can figure out exactly why these groups are needing so much more support to live in Valentine.