Pockets of poverty grow in the United States: study

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Reuters:

(Reuters) - The problem of poverty became more acute in many U.S. neighborhoods in the Midwest and South over the last decade, threatening schools, safety and public health, while raising costs for local governments, according to a study released on Thursday.

The Brookings Institution, an independent research group, found the populations of extreme poverty neighborhoods grew by one-third over the last 10 years.

At least 40 percent of the individuals in extreme poverty areas live below the federal poverty line, defined as an annual income of $22,314 for a family of four.

Altogether, the Midwest "led other regions for growth in pockets of extreme poverty."

"Rather than spread evenly, the poor tend to cluster and concentrate in certain neighborhoods or groups of neighborhoods within a community," Brookings said. "Very poor neighborhoods face a whole host of challenges that come from concentrated disadvantage -- from higher crime rates and poorer health outcomes to lower educational opportunities and weaker job networks."

Brookings also found towns in the South, including Baton Rouge, Louisiana, had some of the largest increases in concentrated poverty rates since 2000.

"The recession-induced rise in poverty in the late 2000s likely further increased the concentration of poor individuals into neighborhoods of extreme poverty," Brookings said in its report, which relied on 2000 U.S. Census data and the American Community Surveys the Census conducted from 2005 to 2009.
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I guess this is what Obama meant when he said we were better off than we would have been without him...

[Pepper]

WestVirginiaRebel!

 

 

And let's not forget the effects of the deliberate economic destruction from Barack Obama on the US.

 

Food stamp usage is up a record amount. Near 46 million people. Nearly 15% under Obama with some states over 20%.

 

 

Current August 2011 numbers from SNAP

Date Individuals Households

Jan 2009 31,983,716 14,499,69

Aug 2011 45,837,824 21,758,053

Difference

 

Individual Claims under Obama up 43% since January 09

Family Claims under Obama up 50% since January 09

 

 

 

 

Image from ZeroHedge

 

 

 

Link to ZeroHedge

US Food Stamp Usage Hits New Record