Today, the Washington Post highlighted a disturbing rise in poverty revealed by just- released figures from the Census Bureau. The article included some findings from DCFPI’s new analysis showing that some groups of DC residents have been hit especially hard by the recession, with poverty rates rising to startling levels:
- More than 1 in 4 DC children ‘ 32,600 ‘ live in poverty
- More than 1 in 4 Black residents ‘ 83,000 ‘ live in poverty
- 1 in 4 DC residents with a high school diploma ‘ 16,500 ‘ live in poverty
- 1 in 3 residents East of the River ‘ 49,000 ‘ live in poverty
- More than 1 in 10 residents ‘ 61,100 ‘ live below half of the poverty line, on less than $11,000 for a family of four.
Poverty is linked to dire consequences. Families in poverty have less job stability, poor nutrition, and unstable housing. In neighborhoods where poverty is concentrated, schools are lower performing, neighborhood crime is higher, and family stress leads to higher rates of child neglect and abuse.
But these numbers are not just about the people living in poverty — they are about all of us. We are all better off when everyone in the community is working, and producing, and consuming. Our businesses are better off, our neighbors are better off, and our economy is better off.
The Mayor and Council are going to have to close a $175 million budget gap in the coming months. It’s important that the budget isn’t balanced at the expense of those struggling to get by in this recession. The poverty numbers show that we need to make investments in our families and in our neighborhoods to keep them from falling further into poverty.
