Kids in Concentrated Poverty: How Can We Strengthen Our Communities?

In 2012, 8 million children were living in high-poverty communities—a 25 percent increase since 2000, reported a data snapshot (PDF) from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT data center.
Areas of concentrated poverty are census tracts in which 30 percent or more residents live below the poverty threshold ($22,314 per year for a family of four). Research shows that even when family income is held constant, living in these communities holds serious consequences:

• Families are more likely to face food hardship, have trouble paying their housing costs, and lack health insurance.
• Children are more likely to experience harmful levels of stress and severe behavioral and emotional problems, as well as drop out of school and fall down the income ladder as an adult.

The amount of children living in these neighborhoods is on the rise, up 1.6 million since 2000. Some states have experienced explosive growth in the proportion of kids in concentrated poverty over this period, including Alaska: 400 percent increase, Colorado: 360 percent increase, Oregon: 200 percent increase, and North Carolina: 179 percent increase.
These sobering numbers prompt us to consider: how are our communities addressing poverty, and what can we do to help? As the data shows, poverty in a community has clear consequences for our youth. Given the connection, with creative thinking, we can improve the outlooks of both.

Moving forward, the KIDS COUNT report highlights the following promising practices:

• Promoting community change efforts that combine investments in early childhood and education programs for children with workforce development and asset-building activities for parents.
• Leveraging “anchor institutions” such as universities and hospitals to build strong, supportive communities for children and families.
• Connecting neighborhood improvements to citywide and regional efforts, such as coordinated efforts to advance employment, affordable housing and transportation.
• Increasing access to affordable housing in safe, opportunity-rich communities for low-income families.

In these disquieting findings on concentrated poverty is a bright spot of opportunity. Now is the time to ask ourselves, how can youth development cooperate with and build from efforts to address poverty in our communities?

Gabrielle Nygaard is a Digital and Social Media Intern at Prichard Communications, where she assists on several accounts, including Reclaiming Futures. She is a student at Linfield College studying Mass Communication and Japanese. She is an Oregon native and health enthusiast.
 
*Photo at top by Flickr user salimfadhley