Poverty threatens our future
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In 2010, the National Council of Jewish Women launched a campaign called Higher Ground to end domestic violence by promoting economic security for women.
We had asked social service agencies here in Pennsylvania what our organization could do to be most helpful and learned that rising poverty was endangering many women's safety -- some women simply cannot afford to leave a violent partner because they can't support themselves.
Through the Higher Ground campaign, we reach out to our members and advocates to help women gain the safety and economic independence they need, from providing pajamas at shelters to pushing public policy reforms.
Given what we've seen in Pennsylvania, I was disappointed but not surprised when the Census Bureau reported this month that the number of Americans living in poverty had risen for the fourth year in a row, to 46.2 million from 43.6 million. That means more than one in seven people, including more than one in five children, lived in poverty in 2010.
The picture was equally grim in Pennsylvania, with preliminary data showing the poverty rate rose from 10.7 percent in 2007-2008 to 11.7 percent in 2009-2010.
As troubling as these numbers are, they understate how many Americans struggle to make ends meet. The Census bureau considers a family of four to be living in poverty if its income is below $22,314, but most studies suggest families need at least twice that to pay their bills.
The increase in poverty was no surprise because people become poor when they cannot find work. Today, one of nearly 13 workers in our state and one of 11 nationwide are unemployed.
We all know someone who has been unemployed: Almost one in three workers experienced unemployment or underemployment at some point in 2009. Nationally, 6 million workers -- that's how many people live in Tennessee -- have been out of work for at least six months. These workers have spent their savings and many have exhausted their unemployment benefits. Most have little hope of finding work any time soon.
For those living in or near poverty, persistent hardship is a fact of life. Here in Pennsylvania, one in nearly five families with children answered yes over the last two years to the Gallup poll question, "Were there times over the past year when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?" More than 1.5 million households in our state pay more than half their income in rent, putting them at serious risk of homelessness.
Poverty and unemployment have long-term consequences. Unemployed workers lose critical job skills. Children's health and development suffers, and they do worse in school, threatening their ability to become productive workers as adults. Seniors in poverty can't afford the health care they need to stay strong and independent.
First Published September 29, 2011 12:00 am
