As in any other playoff, candidate rhetoric let loose during the U.S. presidential race can be tough. We’ve held a front row seat to the 2012 showdown for over a year, with tensions still rising as the general election looms nearer. Some of the barbs launched along the campaign trail have been laughable: Newt Gingrich’s television ad incriminating Mitt Romney for his ability to speak French comes to mind. Others are not. The dialogue surrounding U.S. poverty and inequality, two issues that are hotter than ever during a deep recession that the nation has shown incapable of simply shaking off [...]
Housing
Does Texas low-income housing program boost segregation?
Texas’ Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, which gives tax credits to developers to build or refurbish affordable apartments, is intended to overcome patterns of economic and racial segregation. Yet the program directed more than three-quarters of apartments to neighborhoods mostly composed of low-income blacks and Hispanics, prompting some to question whether the program is... »
Differences in individuals’ health may be linked to their neighborhoods
Many physical conditions common to low-income areas are linked to higher risk of death and disease. In one California county, residents of a poorer neighborhood are far more likely to suffer certain health problems than are people in wealthier neighborhoods one mile away. The community is now combining environmental changes with increased personal awareness to... »
Housing costs are key to school disparity
Large differences in housing costs among Fresno, Calif., neighborhoods prevent poor students from attending top-performing schools, a new Brookings Institution report finds. The report explores the relationship between housing costs, zoning laws, and school performance. Economic segregation limits poor families’ access to the best education: High-performing schools are frequently in richer neighborhoods where housing costs more.... »
Comparing the Residential Origins of Homeless Families and Homeless Individuals in Miami-Dade County, Florida
This study compares the residential origins of homeless families with those of homeless individuals, and finds significant differences in their spatial distribution. The results clearly suggest that homeless individuals are more highly concentrated in neighborhoods of high poverty than homeless families. The study suggests the possibility that drift effects (how persons with mental disability... »
Backlog for low-income housing aid leaves thousands struggling
The Housing Authority’s Section 8 program in Syracuse, N.Y., receives federal funds for 3,535 apartment vouchers, but the waiting list tops 10,000 households. Only the most severe cases are considered for vouchers, yet even those “worst cases” have increased dramatically in the past five years. The housing authority stopped taking new applications in September,... »
Low-income California communities lack water, plumbing
OPINION: Low-income communities in California’s San Joaquin Valley suffer from poor infrastructure and substandard housing. In one instance, a single well served 65 families—until it ran dry, which forced residents to use baby wipes to clean themselves and fetch water in buckets from county water tanks. Elsewhere, private water companies built systems that quickly fell into... »
Funding cuts to affordable housing causes concern
Affordable housing in one Rhode Island town, which primarily houses elderly and low-income residents, will receive one-seventh of their previous level of funding. Many units are already in disrepair: electrical systems too outdated to support modern appliances, exteriors crumbling, and kitchens too small to eat in. Residents and officials voice deep concerns over the implications of further cuts,... »
Low homeownership in one Pennsylvania county a sign of financial fragility
Regions with high poverty and unemployment rates frequently rank low in homeownership, and Erie County, Pennsylvania, exemplifies this fact. The county’s minority populations are even less likely to own homes than their white counterparts. Experts find these trends discouraging, since homeownership frequently indicates an individual’s measure of financial stability and progress toward self-sufficiency. »
Columbus, Ohio, lacks housing for poorest citizens
Columbus, Ohio has only 27 affordable and available units for every 100 severely low-income households, new study found. The city needs federal subsidies to help develop safer, more affordable housing. Lack of affordable housing is one of the chief causes of homelessness. Photo credit: National Low Income Housing Coalition »
The Rising Age Gap in Economic Well-Being
This study compares household incomes of families headed by older adults (65-plus) with those headed by their younger counterparts (35 and under). Trends show that since 1984, the households with older adults have seen a significant jump in income, while younger households have been declining. This trend of older households making larger gains is... »