Community Facts
NATHA serves the low-income, largely minority Lincoln Corridor of Northwest Pasadena. A true grassroots organization, all but one of its board members lives in the service area. An ethnically and racially diverse area, the 2000 census enumerated residents as 48.4% Latino, 39.4% non-Latino African American and 3.7% Asian. The area exhibits most of the problems associated with poor urban areas – high population density; poor educational outcomes; high rates of gang activity, crime, drug use and teen pregnancy; lack of resources for healthful activity; and lack of opportunities for youth. The 2000 census found 16.4% of residents living under the poverty line; more than 34% of adults over age 25 with less than a high school education; and 22% of families headed by a single parent
Community incomes levels are low. Though this is a high-density area, with nearly 17% of households housing six or more people, 30% of households reported family incomes of less than $25,000 according to the census. Childhood poverty is high – 15.5% of all households that include children under age 18 lived under the poverty level in 1999. The per capita income for Census Tract 4609 was $14,021 versus $28,186 for the entire city. The graph below compares median income for the NATHA Neighborhood to the metropolitan area and the state as a whole. The median household income in this area in 1999 was $37,350. For the City of Pasadena, it was $46,012.
Educational attainment is low as well. Some 34% of the adult population has less than a high school education. Language barriers intensify educational difficulties. Half of all residents speak a language other than English and 30.4% of residents over age 5 speak English “not well” or “not at all.”
Because NATHA is a grassroots community improvement organization, it serves residents of all ages; races and ethnicities; and abilities. It places great emphasis on its services to children as a means of helping them beat the cycle of poverty and lack of opportunity in which they live. Its programs are designed to increase their educational success, self-esteem and knowledge of the world about them. NATHA is committed to creating well-rounded, educated, activist community members who can improve their lives and to helping youngsters succeed in school, in their families and in their community.