Coming off of Veterans Day, two reports have come out highlighting the rising struggles of our veterans and military families. Stars and Stripes reports that food stamp use at military commissaries is up sharply from four years ago. Nearly $88 million worth of groceries were purchased using food stamps at military commissaries in 2011, more than double the amount spent in 2008, according to the Defense Commissary Agency.
Additionally, the Food Bank for New York City reports on a similar rise in need among veterans. According to their report, From the Front Lines to the Bread Lines: Food Poverty Among Veterans, veterans’ households are making a range of sacrifices in order to make ends meet: more than 1 in 10 are unable to buy food because of rent or utilities; many more are reducing the quantity and quality of food they are purchasing. Further, the data show more than one third of veteran households would not be able to afford food for their families within three months of losing their household income.
Connect struggling veterans and military families to their local Nutrition Outreach and Education Program.
Showing posts with label poverty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poverty. Show all posts
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Census Bureau Releases New Poverty Data SNAP Lifting 3.9 Million People Above Poverty Line
From our friends at FRAC:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Adach, 202.986.2200 x3018
Washington, D.C. – September 13, 2011 – The Census Bureau reported today that 46.2 million people (15.1 percent) were living in poverty in 2010, up from 43.6 million in 2009. This is the largest number of Americans living in poverty since the Census Bureau started publishing these estimates in 1959.
For struggling families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) is making a huge difference. According to the Census Bureau, 3.9 million people – 1.7 million children – were lifted above the poverty line in 2010 under the alternative computation that counts SNAP benefits. In 2009, SNAP lifted 3.6 million people out of poverty.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual report on food insecurity showed levels of hunger and food insecurity for 2010 that were the same as 2009, although still about one-third higher than in 2007 before the recession wreaked havoc with America’s low-income and working families. The flat food insecurity rates are generally attributed to the growth in SNAP participation and the important boost in SNAP benefits that the President and Congress put in place beginning in 2009.
“SNAP lifted people out of poverty, and it helped keep hunger rates from rising. Both the poverty and hunger rates tell us that, while too many people continue to struggle, SNAP is a program that’s extremely important in helping people weather challenging times,” said FRAC President Jim Weill.
Other findings from the Census Bureau report include:
• Since 2007, the poverty rate has grown by 2.6 percentage points, from 12.5 percent in 2007 to 15.1 percent in 2010.
• Deep poverty (people living on incomes below 50 percent of the poverty line) grew from 6.3 percent (19 million people) in 2009 to 6.7 percent (20.5 million) in 2010.
• Even more telling is the increase in the number of families living below 125 percent of the poverty line, which means they are income-eligible for most federal nutrition programs. This number grew from 18.7 percent (56.8 million) in 2009 to 19.8 percent (60.4 million) in 2010.
The data further underscore the need for the President and Congress to pursue policies that spur job and economic growth and protect and improve safety net programs.
For further analysis, visit FRAC’s website.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Adach, 202.986.2200 x3018
Washington, D.C. – September 13, 2011 – The Census Bureau reported today that 46.2 million people (15.1 percent) were living in poverty in 2010, up from 43.6 million in 2009. This is the largest number of Americans living in poverty since the Census Bureau started publishing these estimates in 1959.
For struggling families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) is making a huge difference. According to the Census Bureau, 3.9 million people – 1.7 million children – were lifted above the poverty line in 2010 under the alternative computation that counts SNAP benefits. In 2009, SNAP lifted 3.6 million people out of poverty.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual report on food insecurity showed levels of hunger and food insecurity for 2010 that were the same as 2009, although still about one-third higher than in 2007 before the recession wreaked havoc with America’s low-income and working families. The flat food insecurity rates are generally attributed to the growth in SNAP participation and the important boost in SNAP benefits that the President and Congress put in place beginning in 2009.
“SNAP lifted people out of poverty, and it helped keep hunger rates from rising. Both the poverty and hunger rates tell us that, while too many people continue to struggle, SNAP is a program that’s extremely important in helping people weather challenging times,” said FRAC President Jim Weill.
Other findings from the Census Bureau report include:
• Since 2007, the poverty rate has grown by 2.6 percentage points, from 12.5 percent in 2007 to 15.1 percent in 2010.
• Deep poverty (people living on incomes below 50 percent of the poverty line) grew from 6.3 percent (19 million people) in 2009 to 6.7 percent (20.5 million) in 2010.
• Even more telling is the increase in the number of families living below 125 percent of the poverty line, which means they are income-eligible for most federal nutrition programs. This number grew from 18.7 percent (56.8 million) in 2009 to 19.8 percent (60.4 million) in 2010.
The data further underscore the need for the President and Congress to pursue policies that spur job and economic growth and protect and improve safety net programs.
For further analysis, visit FRAC’s website.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Alternate Poverty Formula Doubles Senior Poverty Rate
(Associated Press, September 4, 2009) The poverty rate among older Americans could be nearly twice as high as the traditional 10 percent level, according to a revision of a half-century-old formula for calculating medical costs and geographic variations in the cost of living.
The National Academy of Science's formula would put the poverty rate for Americans 65 and over at 18.6 percent, or 6.8 million people, compared with 9.7 percent, or 3.6 million people, under the current measure. The original government formula, created in 1955, doesn't take account of rising costs of medical care and other factors.
Senior citizens living in poverty is "a hidden problem," said Robin Talbert, president of the AARP Foundation. "There are still many millions of older people on the edge, who don't have what they need to get by."
Last year, New York City recognized that current poverty measure was a poor gauge of either the degree of economic deprivation in the City or the impact of programs intended to alleviate it. The City adopted the NAS numbers, as a realistic threshold of poverty, essentially doubling the number of seniors in poverty (from 18.1 percent to 32 percent). Albany officials plan to reveal revised state numbers next month.
The current calculation sets the poverty level at three times the annual cost of groceries. For a family of four that is $21,203. That calculation does not factor in rising medical, transportation, child care and housing expenses or geographical variations in living costs. Nor does the current formula consider noncash aid when calculating income, despite the recent expansion of food stamps and tax credits in the federal economic stimulus and other government programs. The result: The poverty rate for the overall population has varied little from its current 12.5 percent.
Nationally, official poverty rates for older Americans have improved significantly over the past 30 years due to expansions of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income. But many older people with modest cash incomes would fall below the poverty line under the NAS formula due to out-of-pocket expenses from rising Medicare premiums, deductibles and a coverage gap in the prescription drug benefit that is known as the "doughnut hole."
The National Academy of Science's formula would put the poverty rate for Americans 65 and over at 18.6 percent, or 6.8 million people, compared with 9.7 percent, or 3.6 million people, under the current measure. The original government formula, created in 1955, doesn't take account of rising costs of medical care and other factors.
Senior citizens living in poverty is "a hidden problem," said Robin Talbert, president of the AARP Foundation. "There are still many millions of older people on the edge, who don't have what they need to get by."
Last year, New York City recognized that current poverty measure was a poor gauge of either the degree of economic deprivation in the City or the impact of programs intended to alleviate it. The City adopted the NAS numbers, as a realistic threshold of poverty, essentially doubling the number of seniors in poverty (from 18.1 percent to 32 percent). Albany officials plan to reveal revised state numbers next month.
The current calculation sets the poverty level at three times the annual cost of groceries. For a family of four that is $21,203. That calculation does not factor in rising medical, transportation, child care and housing expenses or geographical variations in living costs. Nor does the current formula consider noncash aid when calculating income, despite the recent expansion of food stamps and tax credits in the federal economic stimulus and other government programs. The result: The poverty rate for the overall population has varied little from its current 12.5 percent.
Nationally, official poverty rates for older Americans have improved significantly over the past 30 years due to expansions of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income. But many older people with modest cash incomes would fall below the poverty line under the NAS formula due to out-of-pocket expenses from rising Medicare premiums, deductibles and a coverage gap in the prescription drug benefit that is known as the "doughnut hole."
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