We usually associate poverty with the inner city, and affluence with suburbia. Indeed, they often go hand in hand. However, a new phenomenon has surfaced in the last couple of years--poverty in suburbia.
In December of 2006, The Brookings Institute reported that “by 2005 the suburban poor outnumbered their city counterparts by at least 1 million,” and that the poverty rate in the suburbs was 9.4 percent. This poverty rate held steady in the West and Northeast, while increasing in the Midwest and South.[1]
One surprising example of suburban poverty is found in Rockford County, New Hampshire. Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in Rockford County, was identified by Money Magazine as the fifth place to live in the United States. And yet, the Red Cross in Rockford County had nearly 7000 people visit its food pantry last in 2006, up nearly sevenfold since 2000. Many of those seeking help do not have cars, and with the high price of gas and the lack of public transportation in the suburbs, it is difficult for those needing help to receive it. Many suburban areas do not even have organizations in the area that provide assistance for poverty-stricken families.
One Red Cross worker said, "Public hospitals, nutrition assistance programs--most of these things are still overwhelmingly urban. You see small-scale operations in suburbs getting inundated. They just can't deal with the demand."[2] Affordable housing for the low-income workers who provide the service jobs in suburban areas is difficult to find, and foreclosures in suburban areas are increasing dramatically.
This shows that despite Liberty's affluence, we have great opportunities to reach those who are poor among us. Our "Children's Outreach Ministry" has been attempting to do just this, as we seek to provide school supplies for needy children and help them financially throughout the year--at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and VBS.
Do you find suburban poverty surprising?
[1] Alan Berube and Elizabeth Kneebone, Two Steps Back: City and Suburban Poverty Trends 1999-2005(Brookings Institute, December 2006, accessed 6-03-07 2007); available from http://www.brook.edu/metro/pubs/20061205_citysuburban.htm.
[2] Eyal Press, The New Suburban Poverty(The Nation, April 13, 2007, accessed 6-03-07); available from http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070423/press.
In December of 2006, The Brookings Institute reported that “by 2005 the suburban poor outnumbered their city counterparts by at least 1 million,” and that the poverty rate in the suburbs was 9.4 percent. This poverty rate held steady in the West and Northeast, while increasing in the Midwest and South.[1]
One surprising example of suburban poverty is found in Rockford County, New Hampshire. Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in Rockford County, was identified by Money Magazine as the fifth place to live in the United States. And yet, the Red Cross in Rockford County had nearly 7000 people visit its food pantry last in 2006, up nearly sevenfold since 2000. Many of those seeking help do not have cars, and with the high price of gas and the lack of public transportation in the suburbs, it is difficult for those needing help to receive it. Many suburban areas do not even have organizations in the area that provide assistance for poverty-stricken families.
One Red Cross worker said, "Public hospitals, nutrition assistance programs--most of these things are still overwhelmingly urban. You see small-scale operations in suburbs getting inundated. They just can't deal with the demand."[2] Affordable housing for the low-income workers who provide the service jobs in suburban areas is difficult to find, and foreclosures in suburban areas are increasing dramatically.
This shows that despite Liberty's affluence, we have great opportunities to reach those who are poor among us. Our "Children's Outreach Ministry" has been attempting to do just this, as we seek to provide school supplies for needy children and help them financially throughout the year--at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and VBS.
Do you find suburban poverty surprising?
[1] Alan Berube and Elizabeth Kneebone, Two Steps Back: City and Suburban Poverty Trends 1999-2005(Brookings Institute, December 2006, accessed 6-03-07 2007); available from http://www.brook.edu/metro/pubs/20061205_citysuburban.htm.
[2] Eyal Press, The New Suburban Poverty(The Nation, April 13, 2007, accessed 6-03-07); available from http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070423/press.
Posts
1 comments:
Another thought on this:
If a suburbanite loses a job or experiences divorce and does not have any savings, where do they go for assistance? If it is a short term set back, then selling a house makes no sense, because they will those a substantial amount of money in closing costs and realtor's fees. In urban centers, they might go to a food bank or clothes closet, but few such things exist in suburbia.
This is why churches, even in suburban areas, should offer to meet these needs in some way.
Post a Comment