Change.org's Poverty in America Blog

Help YouTube Document Hunger in America

Greg Plotkin — 2009-11-06T09:00:00-08:00

Do you know of or work for a nonprofit organization that helps to alleviate the causes of hunger in America? If so, our friends over at YouTube want to hear (and see!) about it.

YouTube's Video Volunteer program is a simple way to raise awareness about the organizations and issues you care about. This month, the program is seeking short videos (of no more than three minutes) profiling nonprofits that work to end hunger in America.

It doesn't matter if you're involved with Feeding America or a tiny food pantry in a rural area. This is a fantastic opportunity to show the world how you work to stop hunger in the United States everyday.

If that wasn't enough, the top three videos submitted will be featured on the YouTube homepage at the end of November.

Go out there and get those cameras rolling, and then click here to submit your video!

(Photo credit: topgold on Flickr)

1 in 10 Americans Unemployed

Leigh Graham — 2009-11-06T06:48:00-08:00

10% unemployment is here. The worst unemployment rate since 1983; for those of you who weren't in elementary school then - how does this recession match up in your mind to that one? Given the rising cost of living compared to the declining value of wages over the last two decades, how are households getting by in this bleak reality relative to 26 years ago? Will Obama and Congress get us out of this mess?

More than 7M Americans have lost their jobs in the last two years, and remember, official unemployment rates only count people actively looking for work. The # of people out of the workforce through no fault of their own is likely much higher - they've given up looking for work at this point.

Should we rejoice that layoffs are happening more slowly? Education and health services are actually adding jobs, and government employment is stable - stimulus funds are likely contributing to this. But even government programs can't prop up the construction industry, as our anemic real estate markets cancel out the need for construction work.

Scarecrow at FDL says we have a "moral imperative" to get the unemployment rate down as soon as possible, and that we need another stimulus package passed by the holidays. I am someone who thinks that even after recklessly spending so much on Iraq and tax cuts under Bush, spending heavily on stimulus and public works initiatives (if designed well) is absolutely essential. My and future generations are already heavily leveraged - at least let's be so for good reason with positive long-term prospects. What do you think?

My thoughts go out to all those out of work struggling to get by. My thoughts also go out to the loved ones of those who lost their lives at Fort Hood yesterday. What a horrible, horrible tragedy.

(Photo "Building Trades Unemployment Insurance Rally" by aflcio2008)

Housing Instability Hurts Kids

Diane Nilan — 2009-11-06T05:07:00-08:00

I'm tired of being subtle. In this world of attention-grabbing headlines and screaming issues, little kids are being trampled as crowds of media rush to cover "issues" which often have the importance of a mosquito bite, or um, a silver balloon. Left to fend for themselves are millions of little kids and their families in this country, mired in deep poverty, teetering on or swallowed up by homelessness.

So I made this 4-minute video, "Life is But a Dream," to remind viewers of the cost as we continue to abandon the wee ones in this country. Would be great if you view it and share it.

A new report issued by the Institute of Children in Poverty provides strong data to support my premise that little kids suffer by our national neglect. Among the findings...

Existing research provides a link between housing instability and a range of child and adolescent challenges, from lower school achievement to poorer social and emotional adjustment.

The detrimental effects of housing instability on children, far from rocket science, have long been documented. In fact, in MA, where the governor just slashed social services to balance the budget, Bay State researchers released a report 4 years ago that pointed to the (obvious) effects of high mobility and the benefits of housing vouchers to stabilize income-challenged families.

The St. Louis Examiner just ran a story about homeless children affected by trauma.

Two central reasons are lack of affordable housing and poverty, but domestic violence and decrease in government support are also critical factors according to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. With unemployment increasing, the number of people that will lose their homes is also going to increase.

Seems to me we need to decide: are we a compassionate nation or one that doesn't give a rat's a%* about children if they are poor? If you do care, do something. Since the attention of this country's media and Congress is wrapped up in the health care debacle, the best I can suggest is donate diapers to the local food pantry or shelter. At least some families will be able to deal with the *@*$ being produced.

baby tears photo (c) Pat Van Doren

playhouse photo and video by the author

10% Unemployment Looming

Leigh Graham — 2009-11-05T12:00:00-08:00

New unemployment #s come out tomorrow - economists predict 9.9% unemployment nationwide. Can I just round that up to 10% and call it a day?

First time jobless claims were less than expected in October, though only 20k fewer of over half a million. We are supposed to take this as good news that "job cuts are easing as the economy slowly heals." This is the lowest level since January. Still...2009 is almost over and we're still seeing half a million people per month file for unemployment for the first time? That is one horribly contracting economy.

Surviving workers are laboring more feverishly than ever - productivity is up even as our incomes are "squeezed". The stimulus is keeping a lot of jobs afloat; unemployment benefits are practically extended into perpetuity at this point. No wonder discount retailers are doing slightly better than specialty stores; it's amazing we've got anything left to leave behind at the mall!

90% of Black Children on Food Stamps

Greg Plotkin — 2009-11-05T06:00:00-08:00

In one of the most dramatic examples I've seen of the true reach of hunger in the United States, a new report released this week by Washington University in St. Louis researchers found that 90 percent of black children will be clients of the national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/Food Stamps) at least once by the time they turn 20.

Although the percentage is less for white children (the only other ethnic group studied), the startling statistic here is that, at some point before their 20th birthday, 50 percent of all children in the United States will have received SNAP benefits.

More than being about access to food, the report's lead researcher says his findings represent a more important trend in the upbringing of the country's children. "Rather than being a time of security and safety, the childhood years for many American children are a time of economic turmoil, risk, and hardship," says Mark Rank, Ph.D.

Among the other interesting/disturbing statistics presented in the report:

-Nearly one-quarter of all American children will be in households that use food stamps for five or more years during childhood.

-91 percent of children with single parents will be in a household receiving food stamps, compared to 37 percent of children in married households.

-Looking at race, marital status and education simultaneously, children who are black and whose head of household is not married with less than 12 years of education have a cumulative percentage of residing in a food stamp household of 97 percent by age 10.

What this report really highlights are the drastic race, gender and socio-economic disparities in this country. And unfortunately, these disparities seem to be affecting our youth at a staggering level.

If children really are the future (as I believe they are), we as a society need to do a much better job of letting kids develop into the leaders of tomorrow, instead of being held back by the problems of today.

(Photo credit: Marco Gomes on Flickr)

Budget Crises, Development Woes Confront Mayors

Leigh Graham — 2009-11-04T13:34:00-08:00

Looking around at the mayoral results from yesterday's elections, seems incumbents and historic new leaders face a shared set of urban challenges: budget gaps, development and housing costs, crime, and troubled educational systems. Gee, what's new?

Certainly not the leadership in Boston, where Mayor Tom Menino won an unprecedented 6th term to become the city's longest serving mayor. Menino's remarkable claim to fame in governing this city of 600k (or so) is that almost half of all Bostonians have personally met him - including yours truly (several times now). Voters re-elected him with fondness for the Christmas trees he provides for neighborhood squares, his handshakes in line at Dunkin Donuts, and his seemingly 24/7 appearance on local public television. His campaign promises include closing budget gaps, lowering the crime rate, and improving the Boston Public Schools - a big issue this time around.

In Detroit, arguably the most troubled city in America, Mayor Dave Bing must close a $300M budget gap and also tackle crime and a failing public school system. He promises to whittle Detroit's finances down to reflect the city's new reality as the 11th largest city in the US, through cuts and efficiencies. Beware the Mayors who promise to govern cities like they run their businesses. Sure, they can buy themselves term after term, but eventually voters (citizens? shareholders?), especially the lower-income ones who don't usually see the corporate profits trickle down their way, will tire of these CEOs.

Cleveland's Mayor Frank Jackson and Miami's new Mayor Tomas Relegado also face budget woes as well as economic development challenges. In Cleveland, Jackson is trying to jumpstart large scale development while Relegado is trying to halt it - in Miami, one-third of all condos built downtown since 2003 are vacant. Spooky. Cleveland and Miami both confront collapsed housing markets that add to the simultaneous economic development pressures and need to reign in spending and further inequality in housing and job markets.

Finally, in Pittsburgh, 70% of all municipal pensions are unfunded - a frightening and urgent issue for the re-elected Mayor, Luke Ravenstahl. I get a kick out of the Pittsburgh Mayoral candidates - all guys around 30 years old. If Luke can do it, why not me? his challengers obviously asked themselves.

And in smaller cities around the country, including in Newton and Lawrence, MA and York and Harrisburg, PA, new Latin@, African-American and/or female leadership has come to power, a very positive trend in our increasingly diverse society.

Good luck to them all in the coming years!

(Photo "Pittsburgh GTECH Larimer green jobs day: Sunflower Harvest" by Chris Koch and Andrew Butcher for Greenforall.org)

Bing Wins Full Term to Lead Detroit

Leigh Graham — 2009-11-04T04:58:00-08:00

Lots of Mayoral races last night, with specific marching orders to revitalize and continuously improve our cities. I'll be back later today with some thoughts on their different charges, but here's a quick round-up:

David Bing is elected for a full-term in Detroit.

Wunderkind Luke Ravenstahl is re-elected in Pittsburgh.

Bloomberg wins by less than anticipated in NYC for his self-appointed third term (basically).

Menino wins easily, but also by a smaller margin than usual, in Boston. He's now the city's longest serving Mayor, beginning his 6th term today.

Lawrence, MA elects its first Latino Mayor, William Lantigua - the first in MA.

In Atlanta and Houston, no decisions yet.

Any key elections in your neck of the woods?

And Maine voters, WTH????

Stimulus Bypasses Minority Businesses

Leigh Graham — 2009-11-03T09:00:00-08:00

Criticism abounds of the unequal distribution of stimulus funds: high per capita allocations to low population, low unemployment states like Wyoming versus low per capita amounts to struggling states like CA; and the limited allocations reaching women- and minority-owned businesses compared to their proportion of the population.

The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity at The Ohio State University finds that "While approximately 14 percent of businesses are minority owned, the study shows that minority owned businesses received only 9.6 percent of federal contracts." Almost 3 in 10 businesses are owned by women, yet these firms received only 3% of stimulus funds. This disturbing inequity raises questions about the goals of the stimulus and the (surprising?) lack of focus on reducing economic inequality.

Women, blacks and Latin@s own about 40% of all businesses in the US, but account for less than 6% of all business revenue - i.e., they represent a disproportionate amount of small firms. Compared to revenues, the allocation of 6% of stimulus funds to these firms seems fair enough. Certainly, a key goal of the stimulus is to save or create existing jobs, indicating that money will flow to larger firms that have more employees.

Less clear is how we should interpret the goal of spurring long-term economic growth and what that means for the imbalance in stimulus distribution. Women- and minority-owned firms are often smaller because women and minority men have smaller networks, restricted access to financing, and lower assets compared to white men, reducing their ability to launch and grow their companies. This small size impairs their ability to compete for large business contracts - it's why governments deliberately have minority "set-asides" - so these firms have a reliable place to compete for contracts big enough to spur firm growth - assuming, of course, they can deliver.

Research shows that white-owned firms have average annual sales of $439k, whereas black-owned firms have average annual sales of only $74k. That is an enormous economic disparity, accompanied by differences in educational and socio-economic backgrounds between white and Asian business owners versus black and Latin@ owners. Given this reality, distributing stimulus funds is a once in a generation opportunity to seed small firms, lower- and moderate-income communities, and organizations that aid disadvantaged populations. In some cases, that's happening, such as with the construction of new community health centers. But we're bypassing our opportunity to level the economic playing field for minority- and women-business owners and the communities in which they live and work.

Turns out, that maybe isn't a goal of the stimulus. Long-term economic growth apparently means for the same old beneficiaries, for the same old businesses as usual.

(Photo of "Your Local Black Minority Contractors" in New Orleans by Editor B)

Your Recession in Charts

Leigh Graham — 2009-11-02T13:52:00-08:00

Last week President Obama touted 640,000 jobs were created or saved via the stimulus. No doubt the stim, as we're apparently calling it now, has had some positive impact. (Though if it's behind the endless road improvements going on in the Greater Boston area that's driving me insane, pun intended, then I might have to rethink this whole public works investment concept!)

But eminent economist Joseph Stiglitz pronounces the recovery "nowhere near" over and the myriad charts our friends at Calculated Risk and the Wall Street Journal certainly suggest as much. WSJ has an interactive map of stimulus spending by state, including jobs saved and current unemployment rates. 15% unemployment in Michigan! It's almost 30% in Detroit.

Calculated Risk has the gruesome images, including the above graph demonstrating a national unemployment rate of 9.8% (as of September 30), the highest in 26 years.

This one's particularly depressing and an alarmist favorite; I think in part because the lines look so chaotic:

Rental vacancy rates are at a record 11.1%:

And it's likely rents will continue to decline through 2010. Hopefully this is helpful to our low-income neighbors, and not due to rising vacancies based on our neighbors now being homeless.

Personal bankruptcies are up 41% from last year:

And finally, Fannie Mae conventional single-family loans that are in serious delinquency. CR calls this "the monthly Fannie Mae hockey stick graph":

Unemployment, rental vacancies, bankruptcies, and delinquent home loans! One more time, here's the one of jobs saved or created nationwide, so as not to leave you weeping quietly at your computer. Yep, we've got work to do.

Fresh Produce Still Unaffordable

Leigh Graham — 2009-10-31T09:00:00-07:00

Where I live in Boston, farmers' markets abound in the summer and fall. I stopped by the Allston Farmers' Market yesterday, where there were free samples of apple cider, pumpkin painting for the kids*, live music, and t-shirts for sale. So nice!

This farmers' market is at a busy intersection, includes parking, is across the street from an affordable housing complex, and is on 2 bus lines. It runs on Friday afternoons until 7pm, so feasibly working people can stop by on their way home. So many conveniences. Also nice.

I then spent $12.50 on 5 carrots, a pint of grape tomatoes, and 6 apples. Not so nice. $12.50??? Does this seem high to anyone else or is it just me? (Granted, I did not buy the apples in bulk, which might have saved me some $$.)

I like supporting organic farms, local farms, local businesses, all that jazz. It's important to me. And I'm thrilled to see this farmers' market accepts EBT, WIC, etc. But with those prices, why would the average low-income shopper part with their dollars there? Can't I stretch my dollars a lot further at the grocery store, purchasing produce shipped in from CA and Mexico? Can't I get more bang for my buck from canned and frozen foods?

I know, we have an entire blog about this here at Change.org and a weekly series on hunger, food and poverty on this blog. But sometimes it's not until you hear "$9.80" for 6 apples and some grape tomatoes that you start to think twice about all the good ideas we're trying to push on society.

To end on a more positive note, this morning I donated pounds of fish to Haley House, courtesy of Greg's post on Ample Harvest. Fresh frozen cod, whiting, flounder, shrimp and scallops - all the fish from a community-supported fishery I was in this summer. That felt a lot better.

*Happy Halloween!

(Photo of one of Boston's best known farmers' markets near Haymarket downtown by hydephine)

ABC's of an Effective Jobs Initiative

Diane Nilan — 2009-10-30T05:04:00-07:00

Driving the Learning Curve Express around backroads of the lower 48, my observation is America's human infrastructure is on life support. The latest unemployment indicators aren't real encouraging. CNN reports...

...the slide may signal that more filers are dropping off those rolls into extended benefits....The figures do not include those who have moved to state or federal extensions, or people whose benefits have expired.

In an op-ed column in The Baltimore Sun, Julianne Malveaux validates my ideas.

To commemorate this anniversary of the Great Depression, the Obama administration ought to engage in Depression-era tactics to jump-start the economy. We have spent $700 billion bailing out banks and $787 billion in economic stimulus. But we have not focused on directly creating employment, on lifting people at the bottom.

Come on! Let's kick something in gear that works.

So, Obama administration, why not help good Americans who have lost their jobs, and are rapidly losing faith in anyone's ability to restore America's greatness? Let's get ordinary people back to work. Here are the ABCs of my ideas, with plenty room for additions:

Auto repair--all those shuttered car dealerships have repair shops. Enlist unemployed skilled repair techs and get them busy repairing cars of people who cannot afford repairs. Tire, battery, and parts sales will generate jobs all the way to manufacturing and raw materials.

Beautification/clean-up--most of America can use a sprucing up, from parks to pavilions. Picking up litter, painting, or washing windows, lots of people can be kept busy, and local governments could use an infusion of cash to oversee this massive effort.

Child care--help child care providers improve their facilities or to expand their capacity to those who can't afford/qualify for child care subsidies.

Do-It-Yourself-ers Home Improvement--connect skilled but idled tradespeople with income qualified households who need work done on their homes.

Education--Using out of work educators, set up education enrichment projects for people who need/want to develop their knowledge.

Flags- U.S. flags are faded, worn, ragged. Let's replace them for free or nominal cost. Raw materials, manufacturing, delivery, distribution of flags will generate lots of jobs.

Guide, Guide America. Replace or add to road signs so people can find their way without having to drive unnecessarily.

Obviously more can be added to this list. This massive war on unemployment, Restore America, should include people not fitting into ordinary work places, those hard to employ, people tired of sitting around farming their Facebook crops, etc.

Your administration has pretty smart people. This effort can be managed at the local level. City, township, and county governments would welcome an infusion of funding for projects benefiting their citizenry.

Seems to me that we make some projects harder than they need to be and then complain that everything is bad. Let's start at the very beginning, the ABC's....

Learning Curve Express logo created for HEAR US by Design Resource Center

photo by the author

Most Elderly Job Seekers Since the Great Depression

Leigh Graham — 2009-10-29T20:54:00-07:00

As a nation, we haven't done too well on reducing poverty overall, but one point of pride has been our success in reducing elder poverty through the creation of Social Security, Medicare, and a general prioritizing of affordable housing and social services for older Americans. Especially considering older Americans' voting power, these programs are generally considered sacrosanct, despite the best efforts of Bush & Co.

So this article from last week is particularly alarming: more Americans aged 65 and up are on the job market than at any other time since the Great Depression - and five times more elderly than just a few years ago. Indebtedness is way up, and economic insecurity is widespread. Are we reversing one of our few anti-poverty successes of the 20th century?

A "substantial number" of older Americans are living at or near the poverty line, meaning: they're poor. The median income was only $18k for this age group in 2008. The financial weight of second mortgages and home equity lines, 401ks, the decline of employer-provided insurance for retirees, health issues, and being passed over for younger workers all contribute to increasing economic insecurity for many of our elders. No surprise, age discrimination claims are also up.

The employment picture for older Americans is still better than the general population, and Medicare and Social Security do go a long way in providing for our grandparents and elderly neighbors. But once more we see the ravaging effects of the Great Recession on a particularly vulnerable age group, and how our economic policies of the past two decades finally came together with devastating impact in the last two years. For those of us who are still young and able-bodied and privileged, we can work our way back from any deleterious economic impacts we're facing. For our elders - who should be thinking about retirement, their grandkids, their long-awaited travel, their full-time pursuit of cherished hobbies, maintaining their health - their window in which to bounce back from the recession is extremely small. Looks like the sandwich generation will be more pressed than ever in the coming decades.

(Photo "The old men and his bags" by Diego_3336)

Seeing Hartford

Leigh Graham — 2009-10-29T06:00:00-07:00

I arrived in Hartford, CT last Wednesday for a Friday night wedding at a 19th century-bank-turned-banquet-hall venue. In high spirits but absolutely rushing around in Boston earlier last week to get ready for the wedding extravanganza, I joked on Wed evening that my future mother-in-law was solving the great bridal nail crisis 2009, i.e., finding me a place in Hartford to get a manicure. In a city of 125k people, how hard could it be?

Very, it turned out, if you're from out-of-town and relying on local boosters to recommend services to you. Boosters are what we planners and political scientists call the folks who sell cities to us - the media, local politicians, business owners, real estate developers - so that we will want to come and live there, do business there, spend money there. A family friend, the banquet manager and the hotel concierge all recommended a single nail salon in the entire city, which didn't have enough staff to see me on Thursday. I finally settled on the concierge's third recommendation, which came with numerous caveats, and turned out to be as run down and rough as warned - but my manicure was only $10!

Connecticut's urban model is one of very wealthy suburbs surrounding deeply poor towns: just check out the differences in poverty between neighboring West Hartford (4.5%) and Hartford (31.5%). For everything we needed for the wedding we were directed to the suburbs - no grocery store downtown, no market, no spare salon that people in the service industry want to send a white, middle-class client to, for fear of my fear and reprisal. What was more amazing was that there was actually a market two doors down from my venue, though it did not sell milk, but looked an awful lot like a deli/bodega/convenience store otherwise.

The thing is, I know there must be multiple nail salons and bodegas outside the downtown, where the poverty rates and crime rates are high and the white face is rare. But for Hartford's boosters, these sites don't even exist. Sure, it may not be a wise business strategy to send the adventurous gal from Boston traipsing around an unfamiliar city, but our L.A. wedding guests walked to our dinner site in Frog Hollow after dark without incident, and more critically - how can we encourage exploration of and investment in cities if we live in fear of our poorer, rougher, darker neighbors? How can I get to know Hartford if I have to get on the highway to get anything I need? (Representing the worst of urban renewal, Hartford is split into pieces by not one but two highways slicing through it, taking people anywhere but there.)

What Hartford did offer was tremendous value and a surprisingly captivating urban world. Repeatedly over the weekend I heard from locals and those traveling from nearby Boston and NYC, I've never *seen* this city before, never realized all the interesting sites it offered, all the history built into it. But you planners need to do more here. Don't abandon it now that you're wedding is over. We start, in part because of our wedding, with Hartford as a dissertation site for my husband. It is hardly much, but the city is on our radar, and should be on yours as well.

(I've used this photo before; it's a blighted building that greets you as you get off 84-W into Hartford. Photo "Hartford Blight" by Pixonomy)

How to Donate Your Ample Harvest

Greg Plotkin — 2009-10-28T09:48:00-07:00

Anyone who gardens can tell you that there's a certain point in September when you can't even give away all the extra tomatoes sitting out in your garden.

It was with this realization and the desire to alleviate hunger across the nation that led Gary Oppenheimer to found AmpleHarvest.org. Speaking with Mr. Oppenheimer this morning, I learned that AmpleHarvest.org was launched with the vision to become a comprehensive national database that allows anybody to find a neighborhood food pantry to donate garden produce to.

Although the site has only been live since May 2009, it already has more than 1,000 pantries registered to receive excess produce from neighborhood gardeners in all 50 states.

Mr. Oppenheimer highlighted the need for such a resource with a great example. With so few large food banks in states like Vermont, it's possible that if you had an extra bag of potatoes from your garden, you'd have to drive several hours away just to donate them. With AmpleHarvest.org, you can connect with a food pantry a few miles from your home.

The other component of the site I like is that it requires very little technical know-how on the part of the food pantry. Once they register (and this can actually be done by a volunteer or neighbor), there is nothing else the food pantry has to do (except sit back and, hopefully, see fresh produce start to come in from gardeners in the area). This is especially important because many food pantries don't have Internet access, and are often run by the less computer-savvy elderly.

Through the Web site, food pantries are able to list what times and days they would like donated items to be dropped off, and can even constantly update a "shopping list" of store-bought items people can buy on their next trip to the supermarket and then donate to the food pantry.

In the near future, Ampleharvest.org is also planning to launch an iPhone app that will let gardeners locate their nearest food pantry right on their phone.

If you work or volunteer at a food pantry, make sure your location is registered on Ampleharvest.org (and to sign-up if it's not already there).

And to all your gardeners out there, this is a simple and easy way each and every one of us can make a difference.

(Photo credit: woodleywonderworks on Flickr)

Staying Warm This Winter

Greg Plotkin — 2009-10-27T11:13:00-07:00

In many regions across the country, the days are getting shorter and the colorful autumn leaves are slowly falling to the ground. This can only mean that the stinging cold of winter is just around the corner.

What this also means, particularly with unemployment rates still astonishingly high and the recession continuing, is that nonprofit organizations and government agencies are bracing for an increased demand for utility assistance over the next several months.

The main way that energy assistance funds are distributed in the U.S. is through the Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) administered by the Department of Health and Human Services. However, instead of providing assistance directly to the general public, the Department makes block grants to individual states who then distribute checks to needy households.

Eligibility guidelines are determined somewhat by state, but the federal government mandates that anyone receiving LIHEAP benefits must have an income level between 110 and 150 percent of the federal poverty line. (To find the eligibility requirements for your state, click here.)

Deadlines to apply for assistance are also determined by state, but as far as I can tell, there isn't a central comprehensive directory that lists all deadlines. In some states, like Pennsylvania for example, applications for state LIHEAP funds will be accepted starting this coming Monday, November 2.

I encourage anyone who believes they qualify for these benefits to contact their state LIHEAP office very soon to inquire about application deadlines, procedures, etc.

(Photo credit: bierce on Flickr)

Food Pantry System Needs an Overhaul

Greg Plotkin — 2009-10-26T10:05:00-07:00

With many food pantries around the country being operated by "little old ladies in sneakers," hunger advocates are beginning to worry about who will staff these indispensable operations once an exceedingly aging volunteer base can no longer do it.

After popping up in major cities and small towns alike during the 1970s, food pantries are now being hit with the greatest increase in demand (which has risen between 30 and 70 percent over the past year) they have ever experienced. This is especially troublesome for the elderly volunteers whose bodies simply cannot work any faster or harder.

Many are hoping that as the civically-minded baby boomer generation heads toward retirement, a new group of hunger activists will begin to pick up the slack. It's certainly good news that out of the three billion hours baby boomers spent volunteering last year, nearly 25 percent of that time went to collecting or distributing food.

However, with the recession wiping out many retirement accounts, there's no guarantee that baby boomers will be able to actually leave their paying jobs for the volunteer realm anytime soon.

Part of the solution to resource and staff constraints in hunger organizations is to become more efficient and collaborative. This is the strategy that Philabundance -- the Delaware Valley's largest hunger relief agency -- has recently started to pursue.

In addition to working together with regional organizations like the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, Philabundance has taken a page from the University District Food Bank's playbook and is beginning to open up food pantries that let clients choose exactly what kind of food they receive.

Beyond making the food pantry experience a bit more dignified, the "self-serve" model also improves organizational efficiency by having the clients select the food for themselves (instead of needing volunteers/staff to pack up individual bags).

With manpower likely to be in short supply, at least in the near future, it will be imperative for the entire food assistance network (pantries, distribution centers, etc.) to continue to test out innovative new approaches to feeding the hungry.

(Photo credit: Walter Schwabe (@fusedlogic) on Flickr)

The Flawed U.S. Poverty Measure

Greg Plotkin — 2009-10-24T09:00:00-07:00

New data released recently by the Census Bureau highlights a gigantic problem many Americans are already painfully aware of: the way the U.S. government measures poverty is extremely flawed.

Because official poverty estimates do not take into account factors like rising medical care, transportation, child care or geographical variations in living costs, the Census Bureau publishes alternative data using a poverty measure developed by the National Academy of Sciences.

This new data shows that there are 7 million more Americans living in poverty than initially reported by the agency last month, and brings the total poverty rate in the U.S. to nearly 16 percent. What I found most shocking is that the original Census Bureau figures failed to capture half of all elderly living in poverty (official estimate was 9.7 percent, but the new figures show 18.7 percent of persons 65+ currently live in poverty).

Apparently the government has been tossing around the idea of updating its official poverty gauge (which by the way, was developed way back in 1955 and has not been updated since 1964) for awhile now. My question is, what's the f'ing hold up?

Our outdated poverty measure not only fails to take into consideration significant economic factors like regional cost of living, but it also fails to capture millions of Americans who are in need of aid but not officially classified as being impoverished.

I would think that one of the most important factors in helping to alleviate poverty is actually knowing how many people fit that classification. As New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (an advocate for an updated poverty measure) has said, "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it."

It's pretty clear the the federal government is not doing a good job of addressing the root causes of poverty in America. Perhaps it's because they're wasting precious resources on analyzing, presenting and distributing the same data in two ways (one they KNOW isn't even accurate). Just saying...

(Photo credit: pedrosimoes7 on Flickr)

Cities Ravaged by Recession

Greg Plotkin — 2009-10-23T12:01:00-07:00

The perfect storm of high unemployment rates, shrinking salaries and a painfully slow economic recovery has thrown many U.S. cities teetering on the brink of survival into utter desperation.

Last year, median income for American households dropped a staggering 3.6 percent -- the greatest one-year decline since records have been kept -- and the recession dropped an additional 2.6 million Americans into poverty. Worse, The Economic Policy Institute predicts that incomes could drop another $3,000 and the poverty rate could rise another 1.9 percent by 2011.

Coupled with the assertion that the number of homeless could rise by 1.5 million in the next two years, this news is especially bad for the ten poorest cities in America -- a group of metropolitan areas chosen based on per capita income, the percentage of the population earning less than half the poverty line, the percentage of food stamp recipients, the percentage of people under age 65 receiving public health care and the unemployment rate. (All these statistics come from 2008 Census Bureau data.)

One often overlooked characteristic that seems to link all of these cities together is a fragmented job base requiring residents to rely on costly auto transportation, or the less reliable public alternative. With the Bureau of Labor Statistics finding that it costs American households roughly $8,000 a year to own and operate a car, it's clear to see why residents of McAllen, Texas (the poorest city in America) who make only an average of $13,742 a year are in such dire straits.

How can you really support yourself when more than 50% of your income is used just to drive to and from work?

There are many different reasons why these cities are suffering. Some cities (like Saginaw and Flint, MI) are coping with the vast decline in manufacturing jobs, while others (like El Centro, CA) are dealing with an influx of immigrants who are having a difficult time finding traditional farm work because of an extended drought in California.

Whatever the reason, all these cities are left to ponder what can be done to rebuild an economic infrastructure that, in many cases, has been neglected for decades.

(Photo credit: kevindooley on Flickr)

Growing Poverty, Homelessness Like No Tomorrow

Diane Nilan — 2009-10-23T05:06:00-07:00

Last week in Boston, HEAR US joined with the MA Campaign to End Child Homelessness to plead on behalf of homeless families about looming budget decisions that...

...can have a devastating and life-long impact on a child; further erosion of the safety net as a result of more budget cuts would cause even more harm to homeless children and their families in Massachusetts.

Devastating, life-long impact, more harm...those claims are beyond true. The MA recommendations are way more urgent than this document can convey.

Causing more homelessness is unconscionable, a standard far exceeded in the latest compensation level posturing. One of my favorite ranting heroes, NYT's Bob Herbert, nails it in his column:

We’ve spent the last few decades shoveling money at the rich like there was no tomorrow. We abandoned the poor... while giving the banks and megacorporations and the rest of the swells at the top of the economic pyramid just about everything they’ve wanted.

Even Herbert's column doesn't touch the level of desperation that families are feeling. With hopes that real people telling real stories will convey the dire peril facing even more families at the bottom of the economic pyramid, HEAR US has begun posting short video clips from articulate, courageous spokespersons calling for a halt to pillaging the poor.

This project, called “Learning Curve Express,” gives voice and visibility to families and teens pushed into poverty's pit, homelessness.

Laura and her family, (view her clip ) from a small town south of Indianapolis, got caught in the vortex of poverty, swirling around with health issues, job loss, housing costs, implausible housing repairs, and a frayed personal and governmental safety net. They have been mercilessly tossed into a nomadic lifestyle, sleeping in their car, moving in with others (also deplorable, pre-homelessness conditions), and staying in "no-tell motels" to keep from sleeping under bridges. Her heart-wrenching assessment, and her closing observation tells it like I never could.

Other stories in the hopper (to be posted on the HEAR US LCE website), include interviews of single mothers, two-parent families, military veteran--the whole gamut, from IN, IL, MA and RI. I'll keep traveling and filming to gather more powerful accounts of the true effects of homelessness on families and teens.

Many elected officials and their staff do not understand homelessness or poverty. I'm following up to invite the legislators for persons in these clips to watch their constituent's Learning Curve Express story. I'll post their responses. And I've put links to their info in case others want to call and ask them to watch too.

Seems to me it’s time at least to get Congress to no (more) harm. To help, rattle the cage of your congresspersons. And fling these stories around cyberspace. Prove to me people out there still care!

P.S. If you missed my post on Our Broken Child Support System, check it out and comment. We're looking for help on this vital issue for families.

P.P.S. Leigh, best to you as you and the love of your life join hands and hearts! Sorry I missed you last week in Bean-Town. *)%*@^ traffic!

photos by the author

USDA Study Aims to Make Food Aid More Effective

Greg Plotkin — 2009-10-22T06:00:00-07:00

For the first time in the agency's history, the USDA will conduct a five-year analysis--the National Household Food Purchase and Acquisition Study (NHFPAS)--to document the food choices and expenditures made by families in the U.S. The study will provide the first hard data on where households purchase food and what factors are involved in making food choices, with the results being used by USDA's Food and Nutrition Services division to make federal food aid programs more effective.

This study is partially in response to a report commissioned by Congress this past summer that measured the extent and consequences of food deserts in the U.S. The authors of the study noted the need for a massive public-education campaign if consumer demand is the driving factor behind the lack of healthy food options available in low-income communities. I'm curious to see--through the results of the NHFPAS--if this assumption of demand is indeed accurate.

The announcement of the study also comes on the heels of a recent report that found school lunches around the country lack any meaningful calorie restriction goals, and do not include an adequate supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. Hopefully the NHFPAS will give the USDA some key insight into how to make their National School Lunch program a more effective tool. (Apart from recommendations that have already been made.)

More than anything else, I hope the NHFPAS finds that the mass availability of highly-processed foods made cheap by federal crop subsidies actually undermines Secretary Vilsack's goal of increasing the health of Americans, particularly in low-income communities.

Only when the USDA acknowledges its irreconcilable support for both crop subsidies and better nutrition will federal food aid programs begin to yield the benefits they are intended to.

(Photo credit: Mr. T in DC on Flickr)