The City Council on Feb. 6 reviewed findings from the 2011-2012 Human Services Needs Update, produced by city staff every two years and used to help prioritize human service projects.

The draft survey shows the recession continued to impact Bellevue residents over the past two years. Among the ongoing and emerging issues identified in the survey:

Affordable housing: In a telephone/online survey of 400 Bellevue residents in 2011, respondents rated the lack of affordable housing as the number one community problem.

Unemployment: The telephone/online survey indicated that 64 percent of Bellevue residents had been negatively impacted by the economy and 13 percent were unemployed (not by choice) during the 12 months prior to the survey.

Health insurance: An increasing number of people age 19-65 lack health insurance. Between 2005 and 2009, an average of 8.4 percent of Bellevue residents reported that they were uninsured, up from 5 percent in 2001.

Foreclosures: Housing foreclosures in Bellevue rose steadily, from 50 in 2006 to 569 in 2010, a 1,138 percent increase. However, the number of foreclosures through the first half of 2011 was lower than the same period in 2010.

Transportation: Inadequate public transportation was the top household problem reported by respondents to the phone/online, cited by 20 percent of respondents.

The Needs Update is derived from data gathering, including telephone and online surveys, focus groups and interviews, to identify the key human services needs of Bellevue residents. The Bellevue Human Services Commission will use the document to guide funding recommendations for the city’s 2013-2014 budget.