Poverty in Bucks County

By -
On Friday, PathWays PA presented information on our Self-Sufficiency Standard before the Bucks County Women’s Advocacy Coalition. This Coalition works to serve women and girls and is focused on achieving economic self-sufficiency for all through advocacy work in areas of child care, health care, housing, transportation, job and workforce development; domestic violence and addiction issues affect all areas of concern.

Marianne Bellesorte spoke to the group about the high cost of making ends meet as shown by the Standard. For a family of three in Bucks County it can cost over $60,000 just to make ends meet. The cost of living directly relates to the amount of people living in poverty. In 2010, Bucks County had a 2.7 percentage point increase in the number of people living below the Federal Poverty Level. In other words, over 17,000 more people were living below poverty in the county in 2010 compared to 2009. This represents a higher percentage increase than in any county in the five county area, including Philadelphia.

The Bucks County Women’s Advocacy Coalition is working to address poverty in the county by focusing on housing, health care, and the cliffs effect (when someone receives a dollar raise but in turn loses critical benefits).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania

By -
Image
Census data tells us that 13% of Pennsylvania households live in poverty. In reality, even more households don’t have the income they need to reach self-sufficiency. One in four Pennsylvania households – over 846,000 – lack enough income to cover just the necessities. Since 1997, PathWays PA has worked with Dr. Diana Pearce and the University of Washington to calculate  The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania . Over the last 23 years,  The Self-Sufficiency Standard of Pennsylvania  has documented the continuing increase in the real cost of living, illuminating the economic crunch experienced by so many families today. Since 2010, PathWays PA and the University of Washington have also issued three versions of the  Overlooked and Undercounted  report, which looks at the number of households living above and below self-sufficiency. You can now use the interactive materials below to find out what it takes to be self-sufficient in your county. Click ...
Read more

Mini-Budget Update-Supporting the American Community Survey

By MB -
Image
(via The Census Project ) Next Tuesday, June 19 is an important date to mark on your calendar. The Congressional Joint Economic Committee is holding a public hearing on the economic impact of eliminating the American Community Survey (ACS) at 2:30 p.m., in Room 210 of the Canon House Office Building. Witnesses that will be speaking in opposition to the move to eliminate the ACS are Vincent Barabba, former director of the Census Bureau in two GOP administrations and Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Association of General Contractors and also representing the National Association of Business Economists. It is very important that we pack the congressional hearing room! If you cannot come, please urge your colleages to come. If you represent a non-DC organization contact your friends in Washington and urge them to attend. Also on Tuesday of next week some of our congressional supporters will be holding a noon press conference in the so-called House Triangle right outside the Cap...
Read more

CNR: Putting the Act into Action - Second Webinar: “What You Need to Know About CACFP”

By MB -
Image
(From our friends at FRAC ) “What You Need to Know About CACFP” Thursday, January 13, 2011, 1 – 2 p.m. EST In this Webinar , speakers will discuss the improvements in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) made by The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Speakers will provide details on these new CACFP provisions, their role in boosting food security and healthy eating, recently released USDA policies , key next steps, and USDA’s implementation plans. Speakers will include Tina Namian, USDA, Food and Nutrition Service; Mary Story, University of Minnesota, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Eating Research Program; and Geri Henchy, FRAC. We will have ample time for questions. Save the dates for other upcoming Webinars: Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 1 – 2 p.m. EST – “What You Need to Know about Afterschool Suppers” Thursday, January 27, 2011, 1 – 2 p.m. EST – “What You Need to Know about Summer Food” About "CNR: Putting the Act into Action" FRAC is hosting a ...
Read more