Record levels of Americans living in poverty
Bread for the World urging congress to end hunger
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that nearly 46.2 million Americans now live in poverty, an increase of 2.6 million people since 2009 and the highest figures on record. The poverty rate for children under 18 increased to 22 percent (16,401,000 children) in 2010. Among children under 5, the poverty rate increased to 25.9 percent (5,467,000 children).
“Low-income working families did not create the economic situation that our nation is in, but they tend to be the first hurt and the last to recover during a recession,” said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. “These new poverty figures indicate that many Americans are still suffering.”
The Census figures come on the heels of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual food insecurity data released last week, which indicated that 14.5 percent of American households suffered from food insecurity in 2010. Several key factors contributed to the high figures.
Long-term unemployment worsened between 2009 and 2010, with the number of people who did not work at all as the number one factor contributing to higher poverty numbers. In addition, real median household income declined in 2010, and state and local governments are tightening their belts as they work to recover from the recession, thereby slowing economic growth.
Accounting for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) would show 5.4 million fewer people—including 3 million children—living in poverty. The figures would have been much higher without federally funded safety net programs that helped keep more Americans from falling below the poverty line last year. The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction—or “Super Committee”—met today to determine how to balance the federal budget and reduce the deficit.
The congressional committee must identify $1.5 trillion in federal deficit reductions, and funding is at risk for many of these programs.
“It is important that the needs of vulnerable people remain front and center as the Super Committee begins work on reducing our nation’s deficit,” added Beckmann. “At a time when hunger and poverty are at record highs, we must create a circle of protection around programs that support vulnerable people—not cut those programs. We urge lawmakers to put every possibility on the table as they work toward balancing the budget.”
Census Bureau data found that the poverty rate increased for non-Hispanic whites (9.9 percent in 2010, up from 9.4 percent in 2009), Hispanics (26.6 percent in 2010, up from 25.3 percent in 2009), and African Americans (27.4 percent in 2010, up from 25.8 percent in 2009).
Bread for the World (www.bread.org) is a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
—Chinese Proverb
Economists say the recession is over. Recent national job reports illustrate an upward climb to the recovery. Yet these accomplishments have not effectively reached the urban communities of color—neither Black nor Hispanic.
This is according to the National Urban League’s 2011 “State of Black America” (SOBA) released recently. To combat this painful State of Black America in 2011, the NUL has declared a war on unemployment.
The official unemployment rate is 15.8 percent among Blacks and 13 percent among Latinos; Blacks earn only 57 cents for each dollar of White family income, Latinos earn 59 cents; and Blacks have only 10 cents of net wealth while Latinos have 12 cents to every dollar of net wealth that Whites have.
BERKELEY, Calif.—African American, Asian American and Latino senior citizens are economically vulnerable and getting more so, a new report from the Greenlining Institute has found. Because they have less access to pensions or other forms of retirement savings, these groups may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of cuts to Social Security and Medicare likely to be considered by the 12-member special congressional committee created by the budget deal signed this week by President Obama.
The report, available online at www. greenlining.org, concludes:
It’s Sunday morning and you normally sleep in, but this morning is special. Like a bear coming out of early hibernation, you rise uncharacteristically because you want to attend Easter services at your local church. In fact, many others all over the nation have the same idea. There’s something about the Easter holiday—or what many call Resurrection Day—that draws out the non-church-goer. It’s the day that commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the head of the Christian church.
