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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

Month: May 2020

May 8, 2020

The U.S. jobless rate for April is put at 14.7 percent, with 20.5 million jobs lost, figures that almost certainly understate the economic devastation.

 

Experts say that for the first time since 1998, global poverty will increase. At least a half billion people could slip into destitution by the end of the year.

 

As the unemployment rate skyrockets and over 20 million are out of work, some are slipping through the giant holes in the U.S. safety net.

 

The Michigan Poverty and Well-Being Map has been published since 2017 as part of an effort to assist federal, state and local poverty alleviation

 

Houston has the second largest number of census tracts in the country that went from a poverty rate of below 20 percent in 1980 to a poverty rate of higher than 30 percent in 2018.

 

Many Americans are angry their coronavirus relief checks were garnished for their spouse’s overdue child support payments, a mistake the IRS is working to fix.

 

Democrats are seeking to raise benefits as research shows a rise in food insecurity without modern precedent amid the pandemic. But Republicans have balked at a long-term expansion of the program.

 

As much of daily life goes online, the pandemic is shining a light on the digital divide for the 350,000 Arizona families without internet.

 

Struggling child care providers across Massachusetts say their prolonged closure for the coronavirus pandemic may result in their economic ruin, leaving working parents in the lurch.

 

May 1, 2020

As businesses across the nation slowly begin to reopen, many laid-off workers face a difficult decision: Do they feel it’s safe enough to return to their jobs?

 

The social problems borne of poverty, including homelessness and trauma, are a key reason COVID-19 sickens and kills far more people of color.

 

A relatively healthy population, fewer people living in poverty and strong compliance with social-distancing rules have helped Colorado avoid the high death tolls some states have endured from COVI…

 

Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for federal payments to help families during the coronavirus pandemic. So are their spouses, even if they are U.S. citizens.

 

Pennsylvania is bracing for a significant surge in applications for food stamps and other assistance programs. Advocates are scrambling to help Philadelphia-area residents apply for help as state offices are closed to the public.

 

In southeastern California, 6,000 students in the Coachella Valley Unified School District aren’t accessing the meals they’re entitled to.

 

“I heard complaints from teachers that they were trying to teach their students, they were trying to help their own children and manage the home,” said a school superintendent in Georgia.

 

2020 Kids Count data profiles find improvements in child poverty and death rates, increases in neglect and abuse investigation involving minors

 

The students’ lawyers argued that literacy is a fundamental skill to living in a democracy, and thus protected by the U.S. Constitution. In a landmark decision, a federal appeals court agreed.