Posts Tagged ‘Poverty’

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Doing Homework With No Home

Monday, October 5th, 2009

The federal government tried to look out for homeless students by requiring certain allowances be made to keep them in school. But in a bad economy, who should foot the bill for this crucial assistance?

  • In the wake of the recession, the number of homeless children enrolled in public schools has surged. The trickle-down effects of layoffs and foreclosures have begun to strain the resources of public school districts as they struggle to keep kids enrolled while their families deal with financial ruin.
  • Federal law requires that a special liaison to the homeless be appointed in every school district. In addition, districts must immediately place any student that enrolls without requiring proof of residence, and they must allow students to remain enrolled at the same school even when their families are forced to move.
  • Assistance can include special car or bus services and even special administrative positions created just to manage the school-related obstacles transient children face. Some of the cost of these services is absorbed by grants and federal aid, but still they present budget issues which are sometimes visited upon local taxpayers.

Facts & Figures

  • Since 2007, according to the Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, the number of homeless children seems to have increased by 75-100% in many school districts.
  • In the 2006-2007 school year, there were 679,000 homeless students reported. In spring of 2009, there were more than 1 million.
  • A school district in San Antonio saw the number of homeless students double this year to 1,000 in the first two weeks of school alone.

Best Quote

“We see 8-year-olds telling Mom not to worry, don’t cry.” – Bill Murdock, Chief Executive of Eblen-Kimmel Charities

U.S. Poverty Rate Rises As Incomes Drop

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Poverty isn’t just an international problem. The recent economic downturn has highlighted a deepening domestic struggle to stay afloat.

  • The U.S. Census Bureau revealed statistics showing that the blight of poverty is spreading throughout the country, especially in the Western and Midwestern states.
  • Many of the newly impoverished Americans are children, even as two-worker households are increasingly seeking assistance in the form of food stamps.
  • Areas with the greatest increase in poverty rate are the same areas that have seen many jobs and wages disappear in the recession.

Facts & Figures

  • For 2008 data collection purposes, a family of four with two children is considered to be below the poverty line when they earn less than a total of $22,000 a year.
  • In 2008, the poverty rate increased in 31 states; 2007 saw an increase in only 10 states. Only Michigan saw its poverty rate increase in both 2007 and 2008.
  • The national rate of poverty is 13.2%, but the highest rate in the country can be found in Mississippi (21.2%), followed by Kentucky, West Virginia, and Arkansas (at about 17% each).

Best Quote

“There are lots of people who are using food stamps for the first time, because they don’t have any other options.” – Mark Mather, Demographer at the Population Reference Bureau

What is microfinance?

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

Microfinance is a way of providing financial services like savings accounts, loans, and insurance to poor people around the world. It is aimed at people who may not qualify for typical financial services because they have limited resources or there are no financial institutions where they live.

By not being able to access financial services that are available to most everyone in more developed countries, these people have little means of improving themselves and their society. The goal of microfinance is to break this cycle of poverty by empowering people who have great ideas, no matter how poor, with the tools and resources to achieve them.

A Poverty Cause is…

Monday, August 10th, 2009

A Poverty Cause is any organization that works with the TILE community to improve the lives of the billions around the world – and here in the United States – who suffer under the crushing weight of poverty. Poverty is a complicated issue, therefore, Poverty Causes address a variety of poverty-related dimensions from access to clean water, education, and providing loans to help the poor start small businesses.

They Have Less, But Give More. What We Can Learn From The Philanthropy Of The Poor…

Monday, June 15th, 2009

Americans who don’t make a lot of money tend to be more generous than those who do.

  • America’s poorest demographic is also the most generous, a reality rarely publicized. They give back a higher percentage of their earnings than their higher-income counterparts.
  • During the hardest of economic times, they cut back on their giving the least as compared with wealthier people.
  • Our nation’s most generous are also the least-educated, oldest, most religious, most likely to rent (instead of own) their homes, be on welfare, drive used cars or rely on public transportation, to be students, minorities, women, and recent immigrants.

Facts & Figures

  • The lowest-income fifth of population normally give more than their capacity, the next two-fifths give at capacity, and those above give below capacity (two to three times less than their capacity).
  • The poorest fifth of households contributed an average of 4.3% of their incomes to charities in 2007 while the richest gave at 2.1%.

Best Quote

“I believe the more I give, the more I receive… Plus, I’ve been in their position, and someday I might be again.” – Tanya Davis, a laid-off security guard and single mother on why she gives

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