poverty
The federal poverty line struggles to capture the economic hardship that half of Americans face
By Celine-Marie Pascale, American University Michael Chase works two jobs in southeast Ohio: one as a hotel night clerk and one as retail support – sorting through donations, setting new merchandise out, cleaning – at a nonprofit. His schedule is not fixed in either job, and his hours are not guaranteed. Some weeks he works […]
Despite governor’s claims, Medicaid work requirement adds big burden, expert says
It would be a new regulation on 700,000 of Ohio’s poor, but Gov. Mike DeWine says it wouldn’t impose any additional regulatory burden on them. However, asked to describe the new requirements, the Ohio Department of Medicaid provided a lengthy document that’s full of regulations. DeWine is urging Attorney General Dave Yost, a fellow Republican, […]
Budget measure would undermine affordable housing for hundreds of thousands in Ohio, critics say
Scores of Ohio business and social service organizations are voicing opposition to a move by Senate President Matt Huffman to raise taxes on housing for the state’s poor. A spokesman for Huffman didn’t respond to a request for comment. But a measure that Huffman placed in the state budget would require county auditors to value […]
Pandemic disparities mirrored pre-existing conditions for low-income families, minorities, report shows
An annual report analyzing how children faired in the nation in the last year showed harrowing effects from COVID-19, but mainly found the same disparities that existed before the pandemic. The study conducted by the advocacy group Children’s Defense Fund, which has a chapter in Ohio, used federal and state data, along with statistics from […]
During coronavirus, food insecurity, poverty spiking — and it’s getting worse
New economic research indicates that the economic impact of coronavirus was mitigated to some extent by this spring's robust governmental response. But there are a number of indications that things still were bad and are growing rapidly worse.
DeWine says coronavirus fight has to take priority over safety net
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday said that with limited resources, he'd have to prioritize fighting the disease over helping low-income Ohioans facing increasingly desperate circumstances. Some advocates for the poor said, however, said that is a false choice; that the more unstable vulnerable Ohioans become, the tougher it will be to check the spread of COVID-19.
Life on welfare isn’t what most people think it is
When Americans talk about people receiving public assistance – food stamps, disability, unemployment payments and other government help – they often have stereotypes and inaccurate perceptions of who those people are and what their lives are like. Statistics can help clarify the picture by challenging false stereotypes of undeserving people gaming the system, but people’s […]
Trump war on Obamacare front and center during COVID-19 pandemic
The coronavirus is a double whammy. Many are losing health coverage at the same time they’re threatened with a disease that often leads to hospital stays that can be ruinously expensive. So, amid spiraling job losses, millions are expected to buy individual health plans on exchanges under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. […]
Big testing questions remain as Ohio allows businesses to reopen
Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday began “reopening” the economy, or relaxing coronavirus restrictions. But he said Ohioans would have to wait until today, Monday, to hear how the state planned to expand testing to determine whether or how the disease might spread in response to the reopening measures. May 1 marked the reopening of general […]
COVID-19 is hitting black and poor communities the hardest, underscoring fault lines in access and care for those on margins
As the COVID-19 epidemic continues to ravage the American public, an unsurprising story emerges: Poor communities are hot spots for COVID transmission. The death rate from COVID-19 appears to be staggeringly high among African Americans compared to whites. The Washington Post reports, for example, that while 14% of the Michigan population is black, 40% of […]
How local governments can create high-paying jobs for residents
How do local governments create living wage and high-paying jobs for residents of neighborhoods of concentrated poverty? One tool we have are business incentives, or, as leading national business incentive economist Timothy Bartik describes them, “tax breaks, cash grants/loans, or services that are (1) targeted at an individual firm, or some industry or group of […]
Congratulations and donations follow Ohio native Burrow’s Heisman victory
The congratulations have come pouring in for Joe Burrow, the Louisiana State University quarterback and Athens native who on Saturday earned the 2019 Heisman Trophy. The award is given annually to college football’s top player. Burrow, a 2015 graduate of Athens High School, is the first Ohioan to win a Heisman since Columbus’ Troy Smith […]