Wisconsin Poverty Report

Government programs help cushion poverty in Wisconsin, By Bill Glauber, May 4, 2011, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Government programs designed to help the poor and unemployed helped cushion Wisconsin’s poorest residents from the worst effects of the Great Recession in 2009, according to the third Wisconsin Poverty Report. Expanded tax credits and food assistance were key drivers to holding down poverty in the state, according to the report issued Wednesday by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Research on Poverty. ‘What is glaringly obvious, we had a bad recession and anti-poverty efforts were very successful in making sure that the recession did not hurt the most vulnerable, especially children,’ said Timothy Smeeding, director of the research institute. The report comes amid the state’s great debate over the size and role of government. Gov. Scott Walker has proposed reducing a tax-credit program for the poor and hiring a private contractor to help determine who is eligible for food assistance. He is also seeking more flexibility from the federal government in running the state’s health insurance program for the poor…”