Of big cities, Phila. worst for people in deep poverty, By Alfred Lubrano, March 19, 2013, Philadelphia Inquirer: “Philadelphia has the highest rate of deep poverty – people with incomes below half of the poverty line – of any of the nation’s 10 most populous cities. The annual salary for a single person at half the poverty line is around $5,700; for a family of four, it’s around $11,700. Philadelphia’s deep-poverty rate is 12.9 percent, or around 200,000 people. Phoenix, Chicago, and Dallas are the nearest to Philadelphia, with deep-poverty rates of more than 10 percent. The numbers come from an examination of the 2009 through 2011 three-year estimate of the U.S. Census American Community Survey by The Inquirer and Temple University sociologist David Elesh…”
Day: March 19, 2013
Homeless Shelter System – New York City
City’s sheltering of out-of-town homeless, and Mayor’s remark, stir debate, By Sam Roberts, March 17, 2013, New York Times: “Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who has a penchant for hyperbole, was at it again this month when he fumed that New York State’s guarantee to shelter the homeless means ‘you can arrive in your private jet at Kennedy Airport, take a private limousine and go straight to the shelter system, and walk in the door and we’ve got to give you shelter.’ Advocates for the homeless accused the mayor, no stranger to private jets, of insensitivity. But while Mr. Bloomberg’s wording might have been inelegant, the substance of his comment does not appear to be far from the mark: More people who gave their last address as outside New York are entering the city’s shelter system…”