Poverty must emerge from the shadows

Bill Knight column for 2-24, 25 or 26, 2020             

The word poverty can conjure thoughts of Ethiopia, Appalachia or urban ghettos, but the reality of the needy isn’t Them.

It’s Us.

Last week, as Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot held a “poverty summit” there, we must note the problem throughout Illinois and the country. The poor are too often marginalized, sadly accustomed to being snubbed.

But it’s a vast problem. Poverty increased in almost one-third of U.S. counties since 2016, according to Stateline, a nonpartisan news service funded by Pew Charitable Trusts.

“Most of the biggest increases were in areas both rural and Southern,” reported Tim Henderson. “Those areas generally had residents who lacked job training and skills, and industries that suffered downturns.”

Poverty’s measured by the “poverty rate,” the percentage of people in households earning less than the “poverty threshold,” now $21,330 for a family of three.

The Census Bureau’s most recent Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) program says the nation’s median (or mid-point) household income is $61,937; in Illinois, it’s $65,063, and 41,852,315 Americans live in poverty (12.8% of us); in Illinois, 1,509,348 are in poverty: 12.1%.

Another startling detail: The Census Bureau says 12.9 million American kids are in poverty (17.8%), and in Illinois, there are 457,282 poor kids (16.2%).

The Poor People’s Campaign (PPC) cites data from the Institute for Policy Studies that from 1979 to 2012, 99% of Americans had incomes decline by 2% while the country’s top 1% saw incomes grow by 177%. And PPC expresses disappointment in elected officials and candidates mostly ignoring poverty.

“We’ve had nearly 30 debates since 2016, and not one of them has focused on poverty,” said the Rev. William J. Barber II, PPC co-chair.

If politicians don’t discuss poverty much – more often talking about the middle class – maybe that’s because Americans are uncomfortable with matters of economic class, or perhaps too few politicians spend much time in poor areas. Thankfully, Mayor Lightfoot boldly told the City Club of Chicago last week, “Facing these hard truths is not easy. The process is painful. But face it we must.”

Downstate, a Township Supervisor in a city in Illinois’ top 10 by population speculates that too many politicians ignore the issue because addressing economic needs isn’t quick or simple.

“Poverty is a huge issue,” he says. “There’s no easy solution. [So] it stays off the debate and campaign trails.”

Indeed, factors contributing to poverty range from access to education and to jobs that pay adequately, to living in areas with real economic opportunities and decent qualities of life.

“When 250,000 people die every year from poverty, it is time for the presidential candidates to make good on the promises they made … to push for a debate on poverty,” Barber said. “We are calling on both sides of the aisle to have a debate on poverty in both the primary and general elections.”

In a smaller Illinois community, a Salvation Army leader agrees that the poor have become “a forgotten population, and working people are hit hard. That’s the part of our population that is hidden.”

The working poor makes too much for some help but not enough to make ends meet, she continues.

“Government uses your gross income to see if you qualify, but after taxes and child care and so on, people just can’t live off what’s left – their net income,” she adds. “And if something unforeseen happens, a car accident or miscarriage or whatever, they’re in more [financial] trouble. More and more people have jobs but live from paycheck to paycheck.”

Assistance exists, of course. Programs from the federal government or the Illinois Department of Human Services include Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), food stamps (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), housing assistance, Social Security’s Supplemental Security Income, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Low Income Home Energy Assistance, plus township relief.

However, too few people are fully aware of such assistance or criteria, according to the township official. For example, to qualify for Township General Assistance, people must be 18 years old or older, live in the township where they’re applying, have no dependent children, and with zero income for at least 30 days.

Non-government help can also play a role, from clothing and furniture to rent assistance and food pantries, but too many families still have unmet needs.

Greater awareness could mean better attention to less-fortunate neighbors, fellow citizens overlooked rather than part of the conversation. Awareness should include the people aspiring to lead the nation publicly discussing poverty, and existing agencies in and beyond government reaching out to others.