If you’re like us, you may still be reeling from last week’s revelation that nearly 1 in 5 DC residents lives below the poverty line. Underneath that shocking news is that for more than 60,000 people living in the District, economic conditions are even worse’much worse.
Last week’s Census data also revealed that an unsettling 1 in 10 DC residents lived below half of the poverty line, or $11,000 for a family of four, in 2009. This is also called “˜deep poverty.’ The number of DC residents in deep poverty climbed by 14,000 over the past two years, from 47,000 in 2007 to 61,000 in 2009.
Compare this to the $68,000 that a family of four needs just to meet its basic needs, according to the Economic Policy Institute. No vacations, no savings, no new computers or TVs’just the basics. Now try to imagine living on just one-sixth of those basics.
DC’s deep poverty rate of 10.7 percent is nearly twice as high as the nationwide average of 6.3 percent. It is higher than deep poverty in Mississippi (9.3 percent), the state with the highest rate.
Poverty contributes to a variety of individual and social problems, such as unemployment, housing instability, poor health, and increased crime. The stressors associated with deep poverty add extra layer of societal consequences, including increased child neglect and abuse and worse school performance among children.
The Great Recession has sent DC’s poorest residents tumbling deeper into poverty. At this time of budget shortfalls and uncertainty, the Council should remember that the District’s poorest need government supports more than ever to maintain the stability critical to the future of our children and communities — and to be able to start on the path toward strong families, education, and work.
