November 8, 2010
	This publication is your opportunity to receive regular updates on the work and the issues that I have been involved with, both in Harrisburg and throughout our community. Please visit my Website, where you will find a comprehensive overview of our work, various phone numbers and contact information to assist you in solving problems, opportunities to volunteer and assist us in our programs and opportunities to give your feedback.

Effect of The Recession Strike All Families, Especially Those on the Bottom Rung of the Economic Ladder

There is a common misconception that a recession only affects working families. News reports are filled with stories of folks who have lost their jobs and have seen their pay cut. What we fail to see is that the current recession has taken an even heavier toll on poverty stricken families.

WHYY Radio’s popular Radio Times program with Marty Moss-Coane recently featured a panel of local experts discussing the effect of the recession on our friends and neighbors living in poverty. Click here to listen to the program.

The panel included University of Pennsylvania Professor of Sociology Camille Charles, St. Joseph’s University Associate Professor of Sociology Maria Kefalas, and Drexel University Professor of Health Management and Policy Mariana Chilton.

The thought-provoking discussion drove home the sad reality that when people are poor their choices are limited and their lives are diminished. And, this problem gets even worse in times of general economic decline.

In hard times, communities need to join together to help their neighbors. Americans are the most generous people on earth and Philadelphians help each other through tough times. However, too often in this country people turn their backs on those living in poverty and unfairly place blame for the situation solely on that family that is living in poverty.

Children Living in Poverty

The radio discussion made the point that poverty is typically established at birth and that one in every five children in the United States is living in poverty.

Mariana Chilton said that 30 percent of the children seen in the emergency room at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children experience food hardship. It is heartbreaking to hear that our children, the future of our country, are suffering from hunger.

The long-term health of these children is jeopardized because their families cannot afford to feed them appropriately. And, as troubling, it is increasingly difficult for succeeding generations of families to dig their way out of the poverty. Poverty is cyclical when family poverty is pervasive.

The panel said that in many cases public education systems in these high poverty neighborhoods are not sufficient and the children graduating from these schools are usually less qualified than other applicants in the job market. The lack of adequate education is a major contributing factor that keeps these children in poverty situations.

Finding Jobs in a Recession

Another problem the panel addressed is that the recession has forced a lot good jobs out of these communities and compelled many overly qualified people to apply for the jobs that those from the impoverished neighborhoods used to acquire.

There is not a quick fix to Philadelphia’s poverty crisis, but one step in the right direction is to put an emphasis at improving the education at public schools. If children get a quality education, at least they will have a decent chance to get a good job once they graduate. This will help them break the cycle and rise out of poverty.

Another important step is to invest in rebuilding our infrastructure through public works projects. An example of how effective these programs are, not only in completing much-needed infrastructure upgrades, but in creating jobs was our experience with the federal stimulus – the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

This federal stimulus provided a huge boost for the economy and the job market. In the past three months, 22,000 people were working on Recovery funded transportation projects and another 25,000 people were employed through the Department of Labor & Industry’s PA Way to Work program.

The Council of Economic Advisors in Washington reported that more than 130,000 jobs in Pennsylvania were supported by the Recovery Act through June. Individuals at all levels of the economic spectrum were hired to do rehabilitation and reconstruction work – including those living in poverty conditions.

A Call to Action

Our state and national legislators need to see what life is like in these poor neighborhoods and start to work on investing in the communities that are heavily impacted by poverty.

President Kennedy said that “if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”

I am hopeful that the recession will soon ease, jobs will be created and education improved. I’m confident that our economy will climb back and flourish. Turning the economic corner will take time but we’ve seen some positive news recently. Only last week, it was announced that 150,000 private sector jobs were created across the nation last month. These jobs need to work their way throughout the economy so that all benefit – especially those in poverty. I realize this is only a small rebound, but it’s a start. We all have to understand that the rebound will take time.

We all need to join together and lend a helping hand to those in need in these times of hardship.

Whether it is donating an hour of your time at a soup kitchen, or participating in a neighborhood cleanup, it is imperative that we do not forget our neighbors who are in need.

It is imperative that, in Harrisburg and in Washington, our elected officials continue to push for public policies that create jobs and does not abandon those who are struggling in poor economic conditions.
 

www.senatorhughes.com