Poverty in America.
http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/poverty/

The changing face of poverty

Millions of Americans live in poverty, more families are suffering and hunger is seen growing.
December 30, 2004: 1:14 PM EST
By Octavio Blanco, CNN/Money staff writer

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Poverty and hunger are problems that many Americans relegate to the Third World. But the steady growth of poverty has left millions of American families afraid they won't have enough money to put food on the table.

According to the most recent Census Bureau statistics, nearly 36 million Americans lived in poverty in 2003, an increase of 1.3 million from 2002. And since 2000, 4.4 million more people in this country are living in poverty. The Census Bureau defines poverty as an individual earning $9,393 or less and $14,680 or less for a family of three. And American families are faring worse than they have in years. Last year 7.6 million American families -- or 10 percent of all families -- lived in poverty, a big jump from 2000.
The rich get richer ...

Jared Bernstein, a labor economist with the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank, said the growth in the number of poor should give us pause, but even more troubling is the growing disparity in America between who is rich and who is poor.

In the last few decades, pay for wealthier Americans has risen dramatically -- fueled by growth in salaries, bonuses, stock options and other compensation, Bernstein said. But wages for millions of lower-wage workers have dwindled. Many have lost their jobs altogether.

Poverty in America
Working without healthcare
Hard at work, but can't buy food
"
The U.S. economy has experienced three years of recovery, yet poverty has continued to go up," he said.

In fact, the latest numbers show that nearly 6 percent of all working Americans lived in poverty last year -- a level that's remained stubbornly high.

Millions of working Americans are struggling to find adequate food, health care and housing for their families. Unable to earn a living wage, many have resorted to food banks and community centers for help. But according to the Challenger report, many of those institutions say that making the increased demand even worse is the fact that "donations and government funding are at all-time lows."


http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/22/news/ec ... /index.htm


Special Populations of Homeless Americans
1. by
Robert Rosenheck, M.D.
Ellen Bassuk, M.D.
Amy Salomon, Ph.D.
Abstract
Surveys conducted over the past two decades have demonstrated that homeless Americans are exceptionally diverse and include representatives from all segments of society—the old and the young; men and women; single people and families; city dwellers and rural residents; whites and people of color; and able-bodied workers and people with serious health problems. Veterans, who are among the most honored citizens in our society, appear in substantial numbers among the homeless, as do former criminal offenders and illegal immigrants. Each of these groups experiences distinctive forms of adversity resulting from both societal structures and personal vulnerabilities, and has unique service delivery needs. All, however, experience extreme poverty, lack of housing, and a mixture of internally impaired or externally inhibited functional capabilities. Attention to the distinctive characteristics of subgroups of the homeless is important in facilitating service delivery and program planning, but may also diffuse attention away from shared fundamental needs, and generate unproductive policy debate about deserving vs. undeserving homeless people.
Lessons for Practitioners, Policy Makers, and Researchers

Drawbacks to Evaluating Differences

Commonalities: The Need For Adequate Housing And Income Support
Developmentally Differentiated Groups: Children, Youth, and the Elderly
Children
Elderly Homeless
Social Units: Homeless Families
Racial and Ethnocultural Subgroups
Homelessness Among Latinos
Homelessness and Health: Psychiatric, Substance Abuse and Medical Disorders
Homeless People with Special Status in Society
Homeless Veterans
Illegal Immigrants
We conclude this section by describing a subgroup of homeless people whom virtually nothing has been written: illegal immigrants. While this population has been growing rapidly and has provoked a harsh backlash reflected in the passage of Proposition 187 in California in 1994 (Suro, 199, we know of only clinical anecdotes revealing the presence of such people among the homeless. Little is known about this population for the following reasons: (i) they may not be very numerous, (ii) they may be unwilling to identify themselves for fear of being deported, and (iii) they receive little attention because they have the least claim on our sympathies (a point deeply underscored by the passage of Proposition 187). To better serve this group, additional information about their needs is necessary.
READ COMPLETE ARTICLE;
http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/progsys/homeles ... pclpop.htm


RECORD NUMBERS OF JOBLESS AMERICANS LOSE ASSISTANCE
1. Republicans Ignore Need for Assistance, Deny Aid to Working Familie
WASHINGTON – House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (MD) demanded again today that Republican leaders extend federal unemployment benefits for out-of-work Americans in responding to a new Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report that showed a record 354,000 jobless workers exhausted their regular state unemployment benefits in March:
“This disturbing new report shows the cold reality behind President Bush’s rosy rhetoric on the economy. A record 354,000 Americans exhausted their state unemployment benefits in March and the number of long-term unemployed Americans is rising, with nearly one in four jobless workers out of a job for 27 weeks or more. By the end of April, 1.5 million Americans will have exhausted their benefits.“Yet Republicans refuse to admit that the job market remains stubbornly sluggish and have ignored the need to extend the federal Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Program (TEUC), which would provide an additional 13 weeks of federal benefits after state benefits have been exhausted. Even with recent job growth, it will take months of robust job growth to return to an economy that doesn’t call for a federal benefits program.
“Republicans allowed the program to expire on December 21 last year, turning a blind eye to the 8.3 million unemployed Americans unemployed and their families. They have also turned a deaf ear to Federal Reserve Chairman who recently said an extension is a ‘good idea largely because of the size of the degree of exhaustions.’
“Democrats have repeatedly pressed Republican Congressional leaders and President Bush to help job-less workers, but they refuse. President Bush has expressed support for extending the program but has not lifted a finger to make it happen.
“Not only would this program help jobless Americans stay afloat until they are able to find a good job, it would also help the economy. Every dollar that goes into this program is a dollar spent on groceries, clothing and rent, which boosts the economy.
“I call on President Bush to honor his motto of ‘compassionate conservatism’ and call upon the Republican Congress to immediately approve an extension of temporary jobless benefits.â€