Let the Poverty Prevention Competition Begin
Caseyis up at bat. That۪s United States Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). He۪s the proud sponsor of a new bill that hehopes will become an opportunity and poverty game-changer. The NationalOpportunity and Community Renewal Act, S. 3845, introduced September 28, wouldestablish a national competition for community renewal to encourage communitiesto adopt innovative strategies around poverty prevention and recovery.
Championing the legislation is Catholic Charities U.S.A., which has developed a set ofspecial initiatives around poverty as part of its centennial year. Under thebill, 10 areas of the country could receive up to $10 million each. The lawwould give a Board authority to set criteria for eligible areas, utilizing theHuman Development Index or supplemental poverty measure to the degree possible.The winners must include at least three rural and one military area. (Read thefull textof the Act.)
Just announced, Senator Casey۪s proposal has yet to get the attention of even hisfans. Undoubtedly, we can expect a robust discussion and color commentary amongthose who care about poverty in the weeks and months to come.
The bill went into the hopper at a propitious moment. On the same day it wasintroduced, the Census Bureau released new data from the annual AmericanCommunity Survey (ACS). This data is more precise than national poverty data atthe state and local level. Unfortunately, thepicture is pretty bleak: at least one in fourchildren was poor in nearly 190 counties in 39 states in 2009, a time of severerecession.
In 33 counties in 17 states, at least one in threechildren was living in poverty. And, the poor are getting poorer. Not only did2009 usher in record numbers of poor people 43.6 million but also the depthof poverty grew. Thepercent of people in “extremepoverty,” which is less than 50 percent of the poverty threshold, increaseddramatically from 5.6 percent in 2008 to 6.3 percent in 2009. For a family offour, that۪s an annual income of under $3,000 per family member.
We are a nation in need of a home run. Themore pitches, the more likely we are to get a hit.
Posted by Jodie
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Hereat Out of the Spotlight, we offer a behind-the-scenes look at the latest newsand information essential to anyone working to fight poverty. From keypolitical appointees to clashes over policy, we cover the news that doesn۪talways make the evening news. Check out Out of the Spotlight for our take onthe twists and turns of the latest political developments and its impact onpoverty reduction. Topics and ideas are welcome! Just contact mlaracy@aecf.org