6A | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2021 | SIUSLAW NEWS
JUMP from page 1A
“In April, we released the
apportionment results from
the 2020 Census, which
showed that the total popu-
lation in the U.S. was 331.4
million and determined
each state’s share of the 435
seats in the U.S. House of
Representatives. Since then,
we’ve had teams working
nonstop on the next set of
2020 Census data — the re-
districting data. These data
may play an important role
in our democracy and also
begin to illuminate how
the local and demograph-
ic makeup of our nation
has changed over the last
decade,” Jarmin said. “As
we have discussed before,
the COVID-19 pandemic
significantly delayed our
schedule for collecting and
processing the data for the
2020 Census. We have un-
derstood the urgency to
provide the redistricting
data to the states, some of
which have tight deadlines.”
Jarmin stated that in or-
der to provide these critical
data to all 50 states, the Dis-
trict of Columbia and Puer-
to Rico as soon as possible,
the bureau was providing
the exact same data in two
releases. The first release
happened on Thursday and
there will be a second re-
lease in September which
will be easier to access and
more user friendly.
Jarmin also spoke to
the concerns of those who
question the accuracy of the
2020 count.
“I’d like to say a few words
about data quality — some-
thing in which we know
there is keen interest given
the challenges presented in
2020. We have produced
the reliable and usable sta-
tistics that we and the pub-
lic expect. While no census
is perfect, we are confident
that today’s redistrict-
ing results meet our high
data-quality
standards,”
he said. “It is too early to
speculate on undercounts
or overcounts for any spe-
cific demographic group.
Throughout data process-
ing, we’ve been comparing
the counts to benchmarks
as part of our quality checks
on the data — and we have
conducted one of the most
comprehensive reviews in
recent census history. The
data we are releasing today
meet our high data quality
standards.”
Florence data has not
been completely tabulated
and shared yet, but there
are some interesting early
figures available which can
be used to interpret future
needs and current trends.
Sample data has been
used to predict the final tal-
lies for the area, but there
are preliminary numbers
which show that 9,396
people live in Florence and
92.2 percent identify as
white only. An additional
2.9 & consider themselves
multi-racial.
The average rent in Flor-
ence is $885. The medi-
an household income is
$42,356.
Locally, 44.3 percent of
residents are older than
65. Females make up 53.8
percent of the population.
Those who are disabled
make up 18.6 percent of the
population and
In addition, 86 percent
of respondents have com-
puters and 82 percent have
internet access.
The data collected from
Lane County not only
counts the number of peo-
ple residing in the county,
but also collects data related
to housing, education, na-
tionality and education and
income levels.
The population data
gathered shows there has
been an increase in the to-
tal population of the county
from 351,715 to 382,971, a
rise of 8.6 percent. Those
that identified themselves
as white alone make up 89
percent of Oregonians and
there are 27,587 veterans in
Lane County.
One of the most difficult
challenges facing local resi-
dents and those attempting
to find housing across the
state is the growing short-
age in the number of homes
available for those seeking
to move or change resi-
dences.
The new Census data
states there are 164,847
housing units in Lane
County and 59 percent are
owner occupied. There are
2.4 persons per household.
The median price of a home
in the county is $263,200
and the median rental cost
is $989.
The per capita income
for residents is $29,705 and
13.95 percent of Orego-
nians live below the poverty
line.
Education levels in the
county show that 92 per-
cent of Oregonians have a
high school diploma and
30.5 percent have a bach-
elor’s degree, or higher. 93
percent of homes have a
computer and 85 percent
have internet access.
In addition, females make
up the majority of the state’s
workforce, with 56.3 per-
cent fully employed. 10,998
businesses are owned by
women.
Jarmin also addressed the
issue of increased refusal of
respondents to answer all
or part of the survey’s ques-
tions a situation which was
more prevalent than in pre-
vious years.
“Throughout data pro-
cessing, we’ve been com-
paring the counts to bench-
marks as part of our quality
checks on the data. We have
conducted one of the most
comprehensive reviews in
recent census history,” he
said. “As part of our review,
we’ve had to contend with
higher item nonresponse
rates for characteristics
than we’ve experienced in
past censuses. This means
while people were count-
ed, some people left one or
more questions blank, even
if they completed most of
the census questionnaire.”
The Census Bureau is
still working on finalizing
the redistricting and pop-
ulation totals for the coun-
try and will hold another
nationwide virtual meeting
in September to review and
discuss the final changes in
the membership numbers
for each state in the House
of Representatives.
The complete 2020 Cen-
sus report can be viewed at
census.gov.
CONT. from page 5A
Dana Barbato, Director of
Human Resources at Three
Rivers Casino Resort, agrees
with Johnson on the impor-
tance of community effort
and she raised alternatives
in addressing the housing
crises.
“I believe the only way to
find a solution to the hous-
ing challenges is to work
together as a community to
incentivize builders to invest
in the entry-level homeown-
er market and encourage
vacation homeowners to of-
fer long-term leases to local
workers,” she said.
Barbato believes Florence
is a great place to work and
live, but she adds how ex-
periencing long waits and a
lack of product availability
in the places the communi-
ty enjoys will persist. While
residents are hopeful the
housing market will open
back up, she sympathizes on
how “there is no easy solu-
tion.”
In the meantime, Three
Rivers is invested in sup-
porting its employees who
are facing housing barri-
ers, which includes offering
emergency assistance and
designating someone to
watch the market and post
listings that come up on the
Team Member Community
Board.
Furthermore, the staff
delivers strong communica-
tion with one another and
connects on ways to be re-
sourceful in seeking alterna-
tives to affordable housing.
“We ask those who have
an extra room, trailer or
space to rent to other team
members in need,” Barbato
adds. “We have been work-
ing diligently researching
options such as mobile
housing units, partnering
with vacation rental owners
and providing camping or
RV space to team members.”
As for challenges, Three
Rivers is faced with a similar
burden to many businesses
in the area — a staff shortage
due to limited housing in the
area. The challenges in hir-
ing enough team members
to fill open positions persist
for local school districts,
hospitals, senior homes,
restaurants and more.
“The natural solution is
hiring from out of the area,
but with no housing avail-
able we are losing some very
good candidates,” Barbato
said.
Meanwhile, housing proj-
ects like the Three Mile Prai-
rie, Our Coastal Village and
DevNW are working to ex-
pand space for housing. The
City of Florence completed
its Housing and Econom-
ic Opportunities Project in
2018 and has amended city
code to remove some barri-
ers to development.
It will take all these proj-
ects, and input from the
community, to truly solve
Florence’s housing situation.
“It’s a very holistic ap-
proach,” Morgan said. “If
you don’t have housing, if
you don’t have food, if it
weren’t for folks … working
on these projects and people
out in the community, plac-
es like food share don’t exist.
Our entire economy relies
on the support structures to
keep going. Without good
housing, you can’t get work-
ers in.”
n NOW!
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Tuesday Night - Open League
Wednesday Aft ernoon - Seniors
Wednesday Night - Mixed Social
Th ursday Night - Men’s League
Friday Aft ernoon - Seniors
Saturday Aft ernoon - Junior League
We also have
open bowling,
fun for the
whole family!
Holiday Bowl
Everyone
is
Welcome
at
Holiday
Bowl
27th and Highway 101. Florence
541-997-3332
This message is sponsored by Siuslaw Valley Fire & Rescue.
FIRE PREVENTION GUIDE | AT HOME
Wildfire Preparedness Tips
When you think
of dangerous fi res, your mind
likely associates them with your
home, offi ce or other structures.
But wildfi res have become a dev-
astating force of nature leaving
millions of people displaced
or evacuated from their homes.
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Nearly 45 million homes abut
or intermingle with wildlands and
more than 72,000 U.S. communi-
ties are now at risk of wildfires,
according to the National Fire
Protection Association. But how
do you know if you fall into this
category?
One way to know is to contact
your local planning and zoning
office to find out if your home is in
a wildfire risk area, and if there are
specific local or county ordinances
you should be following.
If you are part of a homeown-
ers association, work collabora-
tively to identify regulations that
incorporate preparedness land-
scaping, home design and build-
ing material use.
You can also talk to your local
fire department about how to pre-
pare and when to evacuate in the
event of a wildfire. The more pre-
pared you and your neighbors are,
the better chance you’ll have of
avoiding injury during a wildfire.
SAFETY TIPS
Here are some preparedness
tips from the NFPA:
To prevent embers from ignit-
ing your home, clear leaves and
other debris from gutters, eaves,
porches and decks.
Remove dead vegetation and
other items from under your deck
or porch, and within 10 feet of the
house.
Remove flammable materials
within 30 feet of
your home’s founda-
tion and outbuild-
ings.
Wildfires can
spread to tree tops,
so prune your trees
so the lowest
branches are 6 to 10
feet from the
ground.
Keep your lawn
hydrated and main-
tained, as dry grass
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and shrubs are fuel for wildfire.
STAY ALERT
Wildfires generate media atten-
tion, so stay tuned to your local
news stations for the latest
updates on wildfire activity. If your
neighborhood or region is under
an evacuation order, be sure to
follow the guidance of your local
officials. The NFPA recommends
leaving as early as possible, even
before you’re told to evacuate.
Promptly leaving your home and
neighborhood clears roads for
firefighters to get equipment in
place to fight the fire.