This thesis looks at the geographic distribution of antipoverty nonprofit organizations in the 52 neighborhoods that makeup Cincinnati, Ohio in 1990 and 2000. This is done to determine if a disparity in antipoverty nonprofit service provision exists within these communities. In addition, this thesis examined the effects of population decline, demographic changes and redevelopment efforts on the antipoverty nonprofit organizations located in the Over the Rhine community as they relate to service utilization and location reliance. Over the Rhine has the highest concentration of anti-poverty nonprofit organizations in the city. Furthermore, historically the community has suffered from a variety of socioeconomic problems as well as continual population declines. In addition, Over the Rhine is currently experiencing aggressive redevelopment efforts, making it a suitable, if not a prime location to focus this study.
There are four major findings (1) There is an equitable social service distribution in place in Cincinnati, however there was minor improvement in this distribution from 1990 to 2000. (2) Cincinnati communities are both underserved and overburdened by this unbalanced distribution. (3) Location reliance in Over the Rhine is related to factors of accessibility, demand and community commitment. (4) The development and demographic changes are related to a rise in nonresident service utilization. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the findings and recommendations for further research.