- More kids in poverty and families hurting, report finds, By Matt Hopf, February 11, 2010, State Journal-Register: “Poverty is forcing more families to seek help from non-profit groups to keep roofs over their heads. That’s the grim news from the Illinois Kids Count 2010 Report, released Thursday by the advocacy group Voices for Illinois Children. Carol Harms of Springfield Catholic Charities said the organization last year saw 1,494 new cases of people who had never asked for help before. More than 6,500 families received help from the organization in fiscal year 2009…”
- Agencies fear state cuts will be setback for Illinois Q-C kids, By Barb Ickes, February 12, 2010, Quad-City Times: “The people who help poor and homeless children in the Illinois Quad-Cities are sounding the alarm. Just as poverty levels have climbed with jobless rates, the Illinois legislature is facing massive cuts that ‘threaten’ services to children who already are suffering, they say…”
- Rockford beats Chicago for highest child poverty rate, By Matt Williams, February 11, 2010, Rockford Register Star: “One in three children here lives in poverty, giving Rockford the dubious distinction of having the highest child poverty rate among Illinois’ 10 largest cities. Statistics released today in the 2010 Illinois Kids Count Report show that 34 percent of Rockford’s children live in poverty. That’s 3 percentage points higher than second-ranked Chicago…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty