onPoverty.org

San Jose restricts availability of payday lending

Elise Hansen — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:36:56 +0000

The city council of San Jose, Calif., voted to limit the number of payday lenders who exploit low-income residents. The vote makes San Jose the largest city to block payday lenders from opening businesses in or near poor areas.

A generation hobbled by soaring college costs

Elise Hansen — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:33:37 +0000

Sharp increases in college prices have left many recent graduates with unprecedented financial burdens. About two-thirds of bachelor’s degree recipients borrow money to attend college; the average student debt in 2011 was $23,300. Many young people must work multiple jobs to pay for college, and many will live under the shadow of student loans for many years. Photo credit: Ruth Fremson

Do charter schools succeed by leaving poor behind?

admin — Sat, 12 May 2012 01:10:15 +0000

A Florida state government report that claims charter schools “outpace” their public school counterparts has been criticized by a University of Central Florida finance professor, who notes that the proportion of poor children in charter schools is 45 percent, as compared with 55 percent in public schools. Once poverty is factored in, says Smith, charter schools fare no better than public schools, and in some measures score even worse.

NJ bill would reward public employees who live in poor communities

Elise Hansen — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:12:43 +0000

New Jersey’s state government is moving forward on a bill that would encourage police officers, firefighters, teachers, and sanitation workers to buy homes in the poor communities they serve. The bill hopes to foster a stronger sense of community between low-income residents and public servants, which in turn would make towns safer.

Poverty cripples Pine Ridge Reservation

admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:24:20 +0000

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation epitomizes the failure of the reservation system and is home to some of the worst poverty in America. Census data shows that Pine Ridge has the lowest per capita income in the entire country. Up to two-thirds of adults may be alcoholics and one-quarter of children are born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Tuberculosis and diabetes are widespread, and the average life expectancy is in the 40s.

Brewers exploit American Indians

Elise Hansen — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:14:26 +0000

OPINION: Anheuser-Busch and other brewers pour hundreds of thousands of gallons of alcohol into liquor stores just outside South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where alcohol sales are illegal. The companies hope to entice Pine Ridge residents to consume the alcohol illicitly; their policies fuel alcoholism, domestic violence, crime, and suicide in the reservations and destroy the Indians’ traditional ways of living. Poverty rates are steep in the area, and one-quarter of children are born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Battling poor health in Miami with urban farming

Elise Hansen — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:20:56 +0000

Former basketball player Will Allen is spearheading a movement to encourage residents in low-income communities to reverse health problems through urban farming. The movement focuses on reaching the low-income African-American population, many of whom suffer poor health. Photo credit: Joe Picciolo

Texas faces challenges from shifting student demographics

Elise Hansen — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:16:07 +0000

In many Texas cities, non-Hispanic white children are the minority in public schools, while Hispanic students constitute an ever-increasing majority. A socioeconomic shift has occurred along with the ethnic one, since many Hispanic students are low-income. Texas must learn to invest in its changing student population to maintain high standards of living and education for its residents.

House GOP plan would cut social programs to protect military

Elise Hansen — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:18:08 +0000

A key U.S. House committee voted to cut social programs such as food aid, health care and social services instead of imposing budget cuts upon the military. One-fourth of the proposed cuts would come from programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, the Social Services Block Grant, and a child tax credit claimed by immigrant workers. Supporters say cuts to the military would harm readiness and weapons procurement, and reduce troop levels.

Missouri may slash funding for children’s services

Elise Hansen — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:28:16 +0000

Missouri lawmakers propose to cut funding from the state foster care budget and child-care subsidies for low-income families, as well as eliminate dozens of child protection jobs. Opponents claim that working families may have to sacrifice jobs and resort to welfare for survival. Moreover, the recent surge of children into foster care combined with lack of funding could make finding new foster families increasingly difficult.