Local Children Are Living in Poverty

Officially, the recession might be over, but many local families are still feeling the effects. In fact, according to Regan Gray, policy director at Children First for Oregon : “Today, 21.6 percent of Oregon children — over one in five — are living in poverty, the highest rate of poverty since 1993. …Almost twice that many are in ‘low income’ households, households that are just one paycheck or one medical emergency away from bankruptcy. More than ever before, children in poverty are the children of the college-educated, the former middle-class worker, the suburbanite and the homeowner.” In this month’s online Viewpoint , Gray discusses the ongoing effects of poverty on our neighbors, the government cutbacks that are exacerbating the problem, and what we can do to help.

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Local Children Are Living in Poverty