PathWays PA Letter to the Editor - Beaver County Times

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To the Times:

In a recent editorial entitled "Hard Times", your paper pointed out the staggering amount of American children living in poverty, 18 percent in 2007.

As a Philadelphia area nonprofit organization serving over 6,000 women and families striving to reach self-sufficiency, PathWays PA is constantly working with individuals and families who are working toward economic independence.

In a recent study, Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania, our organization found that 21 percent of all households in Pennsylvania are living with inadequate incomes.

That means in Pennsylvania, there are over 700,000 households that do not make enough money to put food on the table every night, cover all housing expenses, pay for transportation, child care, or health care.

In looking only at Beaver County, over 8,000 households are unable to meet their basic needs.

As we found in our study, poverty is an issue that affects all counties, all races, all genders, and all family types across Pennsylvania.

For people to move out of poverty and become self-sufficient, they need access to such services as affordable education, training, good jobs, and work supports. As we continue to work towards these goals, we appreciate that The Times is drawing attention to such an important issue.


Very truly yours,

CAROL GOERTZEL

President/CEO

PathWays PA

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