CONSOLIDATED PLAN & STRATEGY 5-YEAR ... - City of Lakeland

about 18,000 residents of Lakeland was over 65. Almost 89,000 residents of Polk
County were 65 or older. Thus, the senior component of the housing market is
significant. Most elderly persons are on fixed income from sources such as pensions,
Social Security and savings. As stated in previous section, “Housing Needs”, the
elderly population in the renters’ category experiences a more of a cost burden than
elderly home owners.
Age of
Population
#of Population
65-74 8,752
75 or older 11,119
19,871
Housing and supportive services for this population are limited. Rental housing is
provided through Section 202 Housing projects; Lakeland Housing Authority, and
other non-profit senior developments.
Persons with Disabilities
The Census Bureau reports disability status for non-institutionalized persons age 5
and over. As defined by the Census Bureau, a disability is a long-lasting physical,
mental or emotional condition. This condition can make it difficult for a person to
perform activities such as walking, climbing stairs, dressing, bathing, learning or
remembering. This condition can also impede a person’s ability to go outside the
home or to work at a job or business.
According to the 2008 American Community Survey estimates, there are 15,365 of
the approximately 93,000 individuals with disability status in Lakeland that are noninstitutionalized
population. The following shows the population of persons with
disabilities as 1) hearing difficulty; 2) vision difficulty; 3) cognitive difficulty; 4)
ambulatory difficulty; 5) self care difficulty and 6) independent living difficulty. The
percentage of females with disabilities is 18.3% compared to 14.5% of the male
population.
Age of Population # of Population % of Population
5-17 Years 1,132 8.8%
18-64 Years 6,682 11.9%
65 and Older 7,551 39.6%
Total 15,365
American Community Survey, 2008
Peace River Center is a private, not for profit, community mental health
organization. Peace River provides Polk, Hardee and Highlands Counties with quality
mental and behavioral health care. With facilities across Polk County, Peace River is
equipped to offer a variety of treatment options to children and adults in many
different settings. Services offered by Peace River Center include Crisis Stabilization
Unit, Outpatient Counseling, Psychiatric/medical, Adult Residential Treatment, Case
management, Domestic Violence and Sexual assault programs, Youthline and 24
hour Crisis Hotline services.
The mission of Peace River is to improve the mental health of individuals in our
community. Funding for Peace River services and programs come from various
sources including: Florida Department of Children and Families, United Way of
3-5 Year Strategic Plan 63