Report Finds Child Poverty Has Surged in Midwest Since 2000
From Ascribe Newsfeed:
While overall child poverty in the United States has risen dramatically since 2000, a new report by the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) reveals that children and families in some regions have been harder hit than others.
"Our political leaders talk about how strong our economy is, but this report shows clearly that families in all regions of the United States are struggling to make ends meet," said Dr. Nancy K. Cauthen, NCCP's Deputy Director.
Accounting for nearly half of the increase nationwide, the Midwest was the only region where poverty increased among children with employed parents, due in part to the loss of relatively well-paid manufacturing jobs.
The report calls for policy solutions that both strengthen regional economies and address the wide-ranging problems associated with low-wage work.
NCCP points to a number of immediate policy changes that would improve conditions for low-wage workers and their children, including raising the minimum wage, enacting or expanding state earned income tax credits, restoring immigrants access to health care, and strengthening Unemployment Insurance.
Read more from this post.
