- N.J. families seeking government assistance surged during height of recession, By Susan K. Livio, January 20, 2010, Star-Ledger: “One in eight New Jersey children lived in poverty during the height of the recession in 2008, creating a surge in demand for government programs that help people feed their families and pay their utility bills, according to an annual report on child well-being. Food stamps helped feed 254,000 children last year, 70,000 more than in 2005, according to the Kids Count report released yesterday by the Association for Children of New Jersey, a family advocacy group. And with the state doubling the amount it spends on energy assistance programs, it helped pay utility bills for an estimated 252,000 people last year, about 100,000 more than in 2005, according to the report…”
- More NJ children slipping below poverty line, By Robert Stern, January 20, 2010, Times of Trenton: “New Jersey experienced an increased rate of child poverty at the onset of the nation’s economic downturn in 2008, according to a new report by the nonprofit Association for Children of New Jersey. More than one in eight children, 13 percent, were in a family living in poverty in 2008, up from 12 percent the previous year, according to the latest yearly version of the group’s annual statewide report, ‘New Jersey Kids Count 2010.’ Regional numbers on the increase in child poverty will not be available until later this year. Poverty is defined, for a family of four, as households living on $21,000 per year or less. New Jersey’s high housing costs put pressure on low-income families (defined as those below double the poverty level, or $42,000 in annual income for a family of four)…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty