Poverty Topic News

Candidates Weigh in on Solutions to Poverty (The Register Citizen, November 2, 2009):  With new U.S. Census Bureau numbers revealing a sharp rise in poverty in Torrington, and Election Day just around the corner, the three candidates for the city's top office seemed to mostly agree on why: the down economy making job creation difficult and Torrington's becoming a magnet for people seeking government support.

Health Care Bill Would Expand Medicaid Eligibility (Kaiser Health News, October 6, 2009): Both the House and the Senate proposals, as they now are drafted, would expand Medicaid eligibility to about 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

Immunize the Productive First, Not the Homeless (Baltimore Sun, October 6, 2009): Baltimore County announced Monday that H1N1 (swine) flu vaccinations would be delivered on a priority basis first to heath care workers and next to the homeless.

Record Teem Unemployment: Only WSJ Looks at Minimum Wage Hikes as Cause (Newsbusters, October 5, 2009): Earlier this year, economist David Neumark of the University of California, Irvine, wrote on these pages that the 70-cent-an-hour increase in the minimum wage would cost some 300,000 jobs. Sure enough, the mandated increase to $7.25 took effect in July, and right on cue the August and September jobless numbers confirm the rapid disappearance of jobs for teenagers.

States Resist Medicaid Growth (Washignton Post, October 5, 2009): The nation's governors are emerging as a formidable lobbying force as health-care reform moves through Congress and states overburdened by the recession brace for the daunting prospect of providing coverage to millions of low-income residents.

High Poverty for Souther Rural Kids (New York Times, October 2, 2009): A child living on a remote Southern farm may be at a higher risk of poverty than counterparts in the city, as schools struggle to develop new opportunities and factories shut down what few jobs are available, according to a new report.

Legal Aid Safety Net Stretched Thin (Progress Illinois, October 1, 2009): Yesterday, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) -- a publicly-funded entity that supports more than 900 legal aid offices across the country -- released a new report on what they call the American "justice gap."

U.S. Income Gap Rises As Poor Take Hit in Recession (Associated Press, September 30, 2009): The recession has hit middle-income and poor families hardest, widening the economic gap between the richest and poorest Americans as rippling job layoffs ravaged household budgets.

Cash Squeeze Said to Deny Legal Aid to the Poor (New York Times, September 29, 2009): Nearly a million poor people continue to be denied representation in the nation’s courts because legal aid clinics lack sufficient financing, a federally supported legal agency reported Tuesday.

Recession's Toll: Food Stamp Lines Grow Longer (Houston Chronicle, September 29, 2009): Just a few minutes in this line would probably be enough to convince state leaders of the level of crisis facing an understaffed agency, plagued by mounting processing backlogs and high error rates that have ensnared tens of thousands of Texans during one of the worst recessions in the nation's history.

U.S. Can Afford to House Homeless Kids (Times Union, September 28, 2009): One million schoolchildren are homeless in America.

Immigrants Moving Briskly to Better U.S. Lives (Dallas Morning News, September 27, 2009): Contrary to the impression that Hispanics remain poor no matter how long they've lived in the U.S., upward mobility is still the rule, not the exception.

Floating out of Poverty on a Deep River of Words (Christian Science Monitor, September 27, 2009): One of the biggest differences between poor families in America and their middle- and upper-class counterparts, research has shown, is the dearth of language in the former and the abundance of it in the latter. Specifically, a study done in Kansas City in the 1980s found that a middle-class child is likely to have heard, by age 3, 20 million more words than a poor child.

U.S. Seeing More Female Homeless Veterans (CNN, September 25, 2009): The rate of female homeless vets is increasing in the United States, according to the federal government and groups that advocate for homeless people.

Last Year Poverty Rate was Highest in 12 Years (New York Times, September 10, 2009): In the recession, the nation’s poverty rate climbed to 13.2 percent last year, up from 12.5 percent in 2007, according to an annual report released Thursday by the Census Bureau.

New Hampshire Has Success in Work Rate (Associated Press, September 5, 2009): New Hampshire's Department of Health and Human Services says it has outperformed other Northeast states in engaging families on assistance in work activities.

Cuts to Welfare-to-Work Programs Raise Concern (Daily Californian, August 26, 2009): In aiming to close California's $26 billion budget shortfall, state lawmakers slashed millions in funding for a welfare-to-work program, a move that is drawing criticism.

New Child Welfare Law Allows Ex-Foster Youths to Return to System (Chicago Tribune, August 26, 2009): Teenagers who leave the Illinois child-welfare system will be able to return for support until they turn 21, while at-risk parents will be able to seek help without being investigated, under new laws signed Tuesday.

Growing Poverty and Despair in America (The People's Voice, August 26, 2009): Perhaps more than anything, increasing homelessness and hunger highlight the growing problem as, in the face of deteriorating economic conditions and growing human needs, administration policies are indifferent, counterproductive, uncaring and hostile.

New Faces of Homelessnews in DC (Seattle Times, August 23, 2009): The nation's capital has one of the worst homelessness problems in the U.S. and almost triple the number of homeless per 10,000 people as the national average, according to 2007 statistics from the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Education Is Key to Erasing Poverty (Deseret News, August 23, 2009): As a matter of public policy, this is a no-brainer: Education is a significant factor in the development of children, communities and countries.

With Donations and Grants Down, Social Service Agencies Feel the Pinch (New York Times, August 21, 2009): According to a survey conducted by Baruch College and the Human Services Council, which represents some 750 nonprofit social service providers, more than half saw some reduction in government financing in the last fiscal year, with more than a quarter losing an entire contract.

Obama Fulfilling Commitment to Rural America (Huffington Post, August 21, 2009): Fundamental to revitalizing rural America is breaking the cycle of poverty, which has gripped places like Appalachia, the deep south and California's central valley for generations.

Utah Poverty Report Points at Middle Class Decline (Salt Lake Tribune, August 19, 2009): A new poverty report released Wednesday sheds light on how many Utahns were already struggling before the recent economic downturn.

More Americans Are Poor and Uninsured (Associated Press, August 19, 2009): The numbers of poor and uninsured Americans are up, with next month's release of 2008 Census data likely to show more than 38.8 million in poverty.

Dodd Introduces Bill to Modernize Poverty Measure (Connecticut Plus, August 10, 2009): Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) reintroduced legislation that would create a new modern poverty measure based on current costs of an American family's basic necessities.

Gulf Coast Poverty Coverage Down (Advocate Capitol News Bureau, August 11, 2009): The study points to a drop in the number of stories after hurricanes Katrina and Rita that relate to the struggles of residents living in poverty in the area.

Anti-Poverty Group Targets Job Loss, Homelessness (Associated Press, August 10, 2009): As unemployment and poverty rates rise, health care becomes less accessible and more Americans become homeless and hungry, Hough, Larin, Koubiadis and about 150 others from across the globe are in West Virginia this week to discuss ways to re-ignite the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s war on poverty.

Is It Now a Crime to Be Poor? (New York Times, August 9, 2009): It's too bad so many people are falling into poverty at a time when it's almost illegal to be poor.

Safe at Home (New York Times, August 3, 2000): This "blame the victim" mentality is hardly new. It goes back to the 1960s, when the anthropologist Oscar Lewis wrote an article whose title took root in the American public consciousness: "The Culture of Poverty."

Tipped Workers Left out as Minimum Wage Rises (New York Times, July 23, 2009): On Friday, the federal minimum wage will rise to $7.25 per hour. But as a new report from the National Employment Law Project points out, the increase will not apply to tipped employees, like bartenders and waitresses.

Social Services on the Chopping Block (Naperville Sun, June 2, 2009): Area social service agencies are apprehensive about their futures, as state legislative leaders try to avoid drastic cuts that could affect services ranging from elderly care to rental assistance to suicide prevention.

Local Group Using Stimulus Money to Fight Poverty (The Observer, June 2, 2009): Two area agencies are dealing with increasing poverty in the region - and will use federal stimulus package money to help poorer area residents.

Economic Downturn Increases Memphis Area Poverty (Memphis Commercial Appeal, June 2, 2009): the economic downturn has magnified the pain, pushing thousands more in the county into deprivation.

Supervisors Must Make Tough Decisions on Budget (San Francisco Chronicle, June 1, 2009): The District 11 supervisor offered a few specific suggestions, including moving money from fire and police budgets to violence-prevention services and curbing any programs that have been expanded in recent years.

Slumping Economy Tests Aid System Tied to Jobs (New York Times, May 31, 2009): For nearly two decades, Americans have built a safety net that is tough on those who fail to work and rewards those who do.

Lottery May Be Used to Cut 36,000 from State Health Plan (Seattle Times, May 31, 2009): Because of the state budget crisis, the Legislature has cut the program's two-year funding nearly in half.

211 Social Services Hotline in Jeopardy (Ventura County Star, May 31, 2009): the future of 211 is dependent on a communitywide call to action in support of 211

Hundreds Walk in Oakland to End Poverty (Oakland Tribune, May 31, 2009): Organizers said their overall goal was to increase access to social services for people entering the system for the first time and to those who may feel too ashamed to ask for help.

Kansas Official Outlines $44 million in Social Service Cuts (Kansas City Star, May 29, 2009): The state's top social services official has outlined $44 million in budget reductions and says he expects the cuts to get deeper.

Poverty Hits African Americans Hard (BBC News, April 23, 2009): BBC correspondent Matthew Price continues his journey across America, and reports from Chicago, Barack Obama's home town, where African American community leaders fear the recession is dragging down their communities more than most.

Annual Survery Shows Dallas County Homeless Population Down 3 Percent But Number of Children Without Homes Is Rising (Dallas Morning News, April 22, 2009): A total of 5,675 people - including 1,319 children - were homeless on the annual one-night count by the city and the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance. The total number of homeless people decreased 3 percent, from 5,869, in 2008.

Health, Education Cited As Poverty Breaker (Associated Press, April 21, 2009): Investing up front in early education programs and health care for children would save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in the long run and help break the poverty cycle affecting millions of kids, a leading child advocate said Tuesday.

Accountability in Schools (New York Times, April 21, 2009): The education portion of the federal stimulus package gives a $13 billion boost to Title I, the federal program that is meant to provide extra help to disadvantaged schoolchildren.

Children in Peril (New York Times, April 20, 2009): Official statistics are not yet readily available, but there is little doubt that poverty and family homelessness are rising, that the quality of public education in many communities is deteriorating and that legions of children are losing access to health care as their parents join the vastly expanding ranks of the unemployed.

Can Banks End Poverty? (Huffington Post, April 20, 2009): Banks don't lend money to people who don't have credit and collateral. Yunus founded a bank that does.

Social Service Programs Struggling (Lillie News, April 16, 2009): With the economic recession has come an increased demand for social services, but the demand has risen so drastically in recent years that organizations providing the services are having a tough time keeping up.

Poverty More Likely for Kids of Illegal Immigrants (Chicago Tribune, April 15, 2009): Growing numbers of children of illegal immigrants are being born in this country, and they are nearly twice as likely to live in poverty as the children of American-born parents, says a report released Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center.

36 Hours of Poverty (The Battallion, April 15, 2009): The past two years, W has put on poverty demonstrations in Rudder Plaza by living there for three days, only eating food given to them and not changing clothes or showering.

Food Stamp Delays Put New System on Hold (Associated Press, April 9, 2009): Rising demand for food stamps has convinced the state to stop expansion of a new social services computer system blamed for a backlog in applications.

Amid Recession Is San Francisco Loosing Its Heart? (Christian Science Monitor, April 9, 2009): Famously liberal in its politics and its spending, San Francisco is steering a new spendthrift path amid the federal Keynesian revival - cutting antipoverty and social-service programs that helped build the city's reputation as a haven for the poor.

Suburban Poverty Served Chicago Style (Miller-McCune, April 9, 2009): Perhaps the main reason to care about providing social services in the 'burbs is presented quite starkly in our piece and the Chicago report: The poverty level in the suburbs is climbing even as it drops in many cities.

Rising Poverty Tests Welfare Supports (Forbes, April 9, 2009):Poverty rates across all groups are set to rise in Europe and the United States as the effects of the global fiscal crisis entrench and disseminate across these economies.

Research Links Poor Kids' Stress, Brain Impairment (Washington Post, April 5, 2009): Chronic stress from growing up poor appears to have a direct impact on the brain, leaving children with impairment in at least one key area -- working memory.

Poverty Stresses Kids Brains (The Daily Score, March 31, 2009): Long-term study finds lasting effects from child poverty.

House Passes Expansion of Programs for Service (New York Times, March 18, 2009): The House voted Wednesday to approve the largest expansion of government-sponsored service programs since President John F. Kennedy first called for the creation of a national community service corps in 1963.

Cultural Peacemaker (Washington Post, March 5, 2009): Since assuming the presidency, he has pressed this effort through persistent calls to personal and family responsibility, a pledge to continue social service partnerships between government and faith-based groups, and a promise to pursue policies to reduce the number of abortions.

Before Unraveling Welfare Reform, Appreciate Why It Worked (Daily News, February 25, 2009): Our economic tsunami could drown the historic reforms made in welfare over the past 13 years.

Poverty Is Poison (New York Times, February 18, 2009): "Poverty in early childhood poisons the brain." That was the opening of an article in Saturday's Financial Times, summarizing research presented last week at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.