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Seigle Avenue - less than a mile from end to end - runs through a neighborhood of
low-income housing and housing projects where hope is a scarce commodity.
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Low Average household income
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Residents of the Belmont/ Piedmont Courts neighborhood have an annual income
of $16,562 compared to city average of $50,109.
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High School dropout rate
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The rate of high school dropouts is twice the city average.
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Juvenile crime rate
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The juvenile crime rate is three times the city average.
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Children born to teenagers
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Teenage pregnancy rate is four times the city average.
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Unsupervised Children
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Many neighborhood children are unsupervised during afterschool hours. There is
overwhelming evidence that such children are more likely to use alcohol and drugs,
receive poor grades and skip or drop out of school, engage in risky sexual activity,
get arrested, and carry and use weapons.
Unsupervised children are also more likely to become victims of violent crime during
afterschool hours.
Afterschool programs have been shown to decrease juvenile crime, decrease the possibility
that children become victims of crime, decrease participation in risky behaviors such as
drug and alcohol use, improve grades and academic achievement, increase school attendance
and reduce dropout rates.
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