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Hunger in the Suburbs
The hidden nature of hunger and poverty makes us less aware of its prevalence in the suburbs, but hunger does exist in the suburbs and it is growing. Here are some disturbing facts:
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The growth in poverty and hunger in the suburbs is caused by the
lure of job growth, the revitalization of central cities making city
life too expensive for many poor people, and the creation of cheaper
housing in "inner ring" suburbs, as middle class people move further
out.
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Suburbs are seeing increased numbers of children participating in
free-school meal programs. Local charities are also seeing increased
hunger need. The Greater Boston Food Bank distributed 50% more food to
Boston's suburbs last year. Harvesters Community Food Bank in Kansas saw
an 8% increase in hunger relief services in suburban counties.
Nearly 90% of all poor Americans live outside of urban ghettos.
Most poor Americans live in mixed income cities and suburbs.
In 1970, only one in five poor Americans lived in the suburbs.
Today, one-third of the poor live in suburbs.
The United States is experiencing one of the best economies in our
nation's history, unemployment and inflation are at record low levels.
Homeownership, the stock market, and consumer confidence are at record
highs.
What the strong economy and the dramatic declines in welfare
participation have not accomplished is any significant decline in hunger
or poverty. One in nine Americans (31 million overall) are hungry or at
risk of hunger according to Federal government studies. And, demand at
food banks and other hunger relief agencies, continues to rise to record
high levels.
America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest hunger relief
charity, reported that 26 million people received food assistance
through their network in 1997. Since that time reports from food banks
have indicated continued rises in requests for emergency food
aid.
A July '99 GAO report investigating the dramatic declines in food
stamp participation found that despite the good economy and declines in
welfare and food stamp usage, "the need for food assistance has not
diminished; rather, needy individuals are relying on sources of
assistance other than food stamps."
A December '98 study by the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that
requests for emergency food assistance by needy individuals increased by
an average of 14% in American cities over the previous year. This is the
highest rate of increase since the recession of the early
1990s.
Similarly, Catholic Charities USA reports that demand is up an
average of 38% in 3/4ths of their parishes in 1998.
Of the more than 21 million emergency food recipients served by the
Second Harvest network, more than 8 million (38%) are
children.
14,812,000 people in the United States are members of working poor
families.
39% of emergency food recipient households (those served in soup
kitchens, food pantries, and emergency shelters) have at least one adult
working.
Of emergency food recipient households with at least one person
working, 49% of those employed are working full-time (40 hours or more
per week).
Over the past two decades, the poverty rate among working families
has increased by nearly 50%.
Welfare caseloads and food stamp participation have declined at rates far greater than the drop in poverty. At the same time, demand for hunger relief services has grown by 14% in the past year
SOURCE:
http://www.secondharvest.org/whoshungry/suburbs.html
Society
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