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Philadelphia is a city rich in history, and the Kensington section is a huge part of that.

The lines drawn between different sections of Philly are blurred and "our neighborhood" stretches outside the Kensington lines.

So, what follows are statistics gathered specifically for the Kensington area, but the struggles extend past the lines drawn by the city.

What we want you to see in this section is the deep need in our area...but its not a need for just anything...its a need for Christ. If nothing else, these statistics and pictures show that there is no simple or quick fix. Instead, we live in a neighborhood ready and desperate for some great moves of God. The pictures and statistics paint a pretty bleak picture of the neighborhood, and the truth is, without Christ, the future is very bleak for our neighborhood. However, God has not abandoned this city or its people. As the rest of this site shows, God is doing AMAZING things in this neighborhood...and we look forward to the day when this section isn't about the need, but about God's amazing transformation of hearts, lives, and neighborhoods. There is a lot of work to be done....

Kensington started as an area rich in culture industry. For years the people in this area worked hard and prospered. But as industry moved out of the area, people were left jobless and impoverished. What were once vibrant, productive neighborhoods are now full of abandoned homes, burnt out buildings, and bankrupt businesses due to all the low-skill jobs moving overseas or to the suburbs.

Kensington now boasts high rates of single-parent homes, resulting in higher delinquency and school drop-out rates. In homes with parents earning minimum wage jobs, all energy is put into earning enough to survive and without the support of a caring community, life can become unbearable.

In Kensington, the drug trade is alive and thriving and the overall crime rate continues to climb (at an even faster rate that the headline production crime rate in the city in general).

Another phenomenon facing the people of Kensington is the gentrification of surrounding neighborhoods. Gentrification is a phenomenon in which low-cost, physically deteriorated neighborhoods undergo physical renovation and an increase in property values, along with an influx of wealthier residents who may displace the prior residents. Those poorer residents are now relocating to Kensington, increasing the population density and crime rate.

Philadelphia has been in the news for its high crime rate recently. What isn’t in the news is that the majority of the crime can be found in specific sections of the city; generally the poor parts. Kensington is one of those sections.

Philadelphia:

Citywide, a stunning 1,030 people ages 7 to 24 were shot in 2006, and 179 were murdered.

406 murders in Philadelphia in 2006, 392 in 2007. While there is a small decrease, we are still well over 1 murder a day in the city. (25 people have already been murdered in 2008).

In October if 2007, our city became affectionately known as "Killadelphia"

Kensington

Incidents of child abuse and neglect in Kensington are TRIPLE the rate of incidents in the rest of the city

Kensington has the highest rate of young gunshot victims and homicides in the city…6 times the average for the rest of the city.

Kensington also has the highest number of juvenile drug arrests in the city

The chart below represents crime in Kensington in comparison to the rest of the country. The number 100 equals whatever the average is for the nation in that category. So, for example, the risk for robbery in Kensington is almost 6 times the national average. The risk for murder, 3.5 times the national average. And so on...

I don’t know where Philadelphia stands on the national scale of education, but I am perfectly comfortable stating that Philadelphia has one of the worst public school systems that I have ever seen. And again, as bad as the city is, its even worse in Kensington. Having been a teacher in the public school system in Charlotte, NC I can whole heartedly say that NC has a great school system! Of course there are many teachers trying to make a difference here, but sadly, not enough.

Kensington has the second highest birth rate in Philly for teens age 15-17, with an average of 83 births per 1000 girls. (This does not include abortions or miscarriages). The average for the rest of Philadelphia, is 60 per 1000 girls.

The average drop out rate in the city of Philadelphia is about 26%...the rate in Kensington is 46%.

The two largest high schools in the area (and the ones that the majority of our teens attend) boast a less than 20% graduation rate. The numbers are even smaller for those pursuing post high school educations.

The national average is: 80%

In the most recent community report cards released by the city, Kensington ranked highest in crime and poor education in 4 out of 6 major categories…and ranked above the city wide and national average in ALL areas.

High crime and poor education aren't the only obstacles facing the people in my neighborhood. Re-read this statistic: Incidents of child abuse and neglect in Kensington are TRIPLE the rate of incidents in the rest of the city...and those are just the incidents that are reported and investigated.

Things are bad outside the home...and they aren't much better inside.

In the year 2000, over 8,000 kids were in foster care in Philadelphia. There were 20,000 kids in foster care in the state of Pennsylvania, which means that Philadelphia alone contains 40% of all foster care children.

From our personal experience with the Department of Human Services, we know that they are extremely overwhelmed and that things have to get VERY bad before foster care is introduced as an option. So, while 8,000 kids are in foster care, I am sure there are thousands whose home life would appall and disturb any of us, but aren't considered "bad enough" to enter the system.

The city of Philadelphia will let these kids down, but God NEVER will!