Center for the Study of Social Policy: Lessons from the War on Poverty

In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared a War on Poverty, ushering in new initiatives and investments to help meet the needs of the poor. There has been much debate on the success or failure of these efforts. What isundeniable is that Johnson’s set of policy initiatives involved bold thinking and creative strategies.

Innovative changes for the time included an overhaul to our food and nutrition programs, improving healthcare access and utilization and a previously unmatched effort to help students pay for higher education.

These initiatives are still critical parts of this nation’s safety net for poor families. Unfortunately, today, many of these investments face significant cuts and political challenges. In a time of widening equity gaps we need to bolster our investments in the successful programs we have already put in place instead of constantly undermining them. In fact, this is the time for more. For a bigger vision, matched with real investments.

We must use today’s knowledge to make our own innovative strides to meaningfully address poverty. It is unacceptable that 22 percent of all children – and an even higher rate of children of color - live in poverty. We allneed to think about ways to contribute to the new ideas necessary for real change.

At the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), we believe there are many critical opportunities for developing and progressing new ideas and strategies. Among them, promoting comprehensive supports for children, for families and for communities, advancing equity in every aspect of policymaking and developing solutions that meet the needs of those families facing multiple barriers to success.

Removing Roadblocks
The burden of coordination should not be placed on poor families – but should be advanced through better organized government. Solutions should be streamlined at the federal, state and local level, allowing poor families to receive services and supports in ways that do not include competing or contradictory requirements, unreasonable timelines or overly prescriptive programing. Some of these principles are beginning to take shape through neighborhood-focused investments. Leveraging existing assets in communities and targeting investments to a specific place is a more effective approach to supporting high-poverty communities. When investments take into account the valuable resources – including human and social capital – that already exist, are coordinated with a range of community stakeholders and remove obstacles for people, they become more sustainable and likely more successful.

Advancing Equity
Racial and ethnic minorities face significant disparities in education, health, employment and social and economic mobility. If this continues, we will both undermine the values we hold as a country and lose the chance to capitalize on the significant advantages of our increasingly diverse population. Pursuing anti-poverty policy strategies that directly take into account the existence of disparate opportunities and outcomes for people of color is the best way to meet our broader societal goals – and the only way to significantly reduce poverty. This work should be done, not only in programs and policies where there is an explicit impact on people of color, but in every aspect of policy work.

Strengthening Families
It is critical to focus on families facing the most significant obstacles. For example, while the majority of children, youth and families living in poverty never come to the attention of the child welfare system, those who are reported for alleged child neglect - and those families who remain involved for extended periods - are often the ones whose financial struggles are exacerbated by social isolation, housing instability, mental health issues and other barriers. Coordinated policy innovations that help families in child welfare meet concrete needs can be a means of prevention – as well as a means for ensuring families are both socially and financially stable. This is a critical way to successfully address the causes and impact of poverty.

Poverty is a complicated issue. One that still affects far too many children, families and communities. There is no simple solution, but as we reflect on where we are 50 years later, one thing is clear. We cannot be afraid to act due to complexity. CSSP is committed through all of our work to advocate for and promote innovative policy and program strategies that eliminate inequities and ensure the well-being of children, families and communities.

Want to learn more about how to promote policies and strategies that strengthen families and communities?  Check out PolicyforResults.org. 

50th Anniversary of the War on Poverty

January 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the “War on Poverty.” Launched by President Johnson in 1964, the “War on Poverty” introduced key programs that still exist today, such as food stamps (now the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Head Start, Medicare and Medicaid. Though these programs have had a positive impact and improved outcomes for those in poverty, more than 46.5 million people remain in poverty, according to 2012 Census data.

On January 8, 2014, The National Poverty Center at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, the Russell Sage Foundation, and Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the “War on Poverty” and foster conversation about the challenges that remain. The event – Legacies of the War on Poverty & Lessons for the Future - will offer diverse perspectives on the effects of anti-poverty policies in the U.S. in areas such as educational attainment, employment, earnings and living standards, and health over the past five decades and in the years to come. Using research highlighted in the new book, Legacies of the War on Poverty (Russell Sage Foundation, September 2013), a panel that includes the book’s editors, as well as commentators from across the political spectrum, will address policies that grew out of the War on Poverty, as well as the gaps that exist as we continue to fight poverty and promote opportunity throughout the nation.

Click here to learn more about the event, including how to RSVP. The event will also be webcast live.

Center for the Study of Social Policy: Look at the 2012 American Community Survey Data & Three Cities

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Community Population Survey, in 2012 46.5 million people lived in poverty – 16.1 million of them children. The report showed that Black and Hispanic families continue to have disproportionally higher poverty rates and lower incomes than White families.

While the national data provide a sense of the magnitude of poverty and disparities in the U.S., it is often difficult to imagine what that means for communities. However, the subsequent American Community Survey (ACS) data - which was released today - provides a more detailed look at demographic characteristics in cities and states.

The Center for the Study of Social Policy believes that place matters and strongly impacts the health, safety, educational and employment opportunities of children and families. We work in a number of communities that face significant challenges due to years of disinvestment, including unemployment, failing schools and housing instability. These communities are trying to take a more comprehensive approach to addressing these issues. The ACS data highlight some of the significant obstacles in place.

• California is one of only three states that has seen an increase in poverty since 2011. In 2012 Fresno, CA – a recipient of Promise Neighborhoods planning grant and a Building Neighborhood Capacity Program (BNCP) grant – faced a poverty rate of 31.5 percent, up from 28.8 percent in 2011. In Fresno, nearly half of all Black residents (47.1 percent), 30.1 percent of Asian residents and 38.1 percent of individuals identifying as Hispanic lived in poverty. 
• Though median incomes in the state of Wisconsin remain unchanged in 2012, residents of Milwaukee, WI – a BNCP grant recipient – continue to experience an unacceptable level of disparity. More than 42 percent of Milwaukee’s children lived in poverty, including 55.2 percent of Black children. An immense gap remained across income levels as the median household income for Black families was $24,994, compared to $45,268 for White families.
• Tennessee’s poverty level in 2012 was not statistically different from the 2011 rate. In Memphis, TN – also a BNCP grant recipient – 28.3 percent of residents lived in poverty including more than a third (33.6 percent) of Black residents and 14.7 percent of White residents. In Memphis 27.1 percent of households relied on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) benefits at some point in 2012. 

The data released today provide a snapshot across several indicators and capture information that can be used to make informed public policy and funding decisions – critically important in the midst of sequester cuts. State and local poverty rates can only be significantly and sustainably reduced if opportunity gaps are addressed. A growing number of communities are learning how to help policymakers better understand what is actually happening in their neighborhoods and the kinds of resources required to address local needs.

2012 Poverty Data: New Data from the U.S. Census on Poverty, Income and Health Insurance Coverage

Earlier today, the U.S. Census Bureau released the 2012 data on income, poverty, and health insurance coverage. For the second consecutive year, neither the official poverty rate nor the number of people in poverty at the national level were statistically different from the previous year’s estimates—the poverty rate remained at 15 percent – amounting to 46.5 million people living in poverty. While there was not an increase in the poverty rate, the 2012 data still indicated significant racial disparities in both poverty and income. The poverty rates among non-Hispanic Whites and Asians were 9.7 percent and 11.7 percent respectively, while the poverty rates for Blacks and Hispanics were 27.2 percent and 25.6 percent respectively.

Poverty and Income Data Highlights

• The percent of people in deep poverty, with incomes below 50% of the poverty threshold, remained at 6.6 percent from 2011, which is still a substantial increase from the 5.2 percent rate seen in 2006 and 2007 (prior to the recession) and even from the data collected in 1967 where deep poverty was at 4.4 percent.
• The poverty rates for children, those under the age of 18, was 21.8 percent, not statistically different from 2011.
• Median household income in 2012 was $51,017, not statistically different from the 2011 median income of $51,100.

Health Insurance Coverage Data Highlights

• The percentage of people without health insurance coverage decreased to 15.4 percent from 15.7 percent between 2011 and 2012, while the number of uninsured people in 2012 was not statistically different from 2011, at 48 million people.
• The percentage and number of people covered by government health insurance increased to 32.6 percent and 101.5 million people in 2012 up slightly from 32.2 percent and 99.5 million people in 2011.
• The percentage of Asians and Hispanics without health insurance decreased from 16.8 percent and 30.1 percent to 15.1 percent and 29.1 percent respectively.
• The percentage of uninsured children decreased from 9.4 percent to 8.9 percent in 2012.

Safety Net Programs

• Unemployment insurance was able to raise 1.7 million people out of poverty in 2012.
• Social Security income helped 15.3 million people aged 65 and older out of poverty in 2012 – if these payments were excluded - it would quadruple the number of elderly people living in poverty.
• The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), while not included in the poverty calculations used for the data today, if considered, would have reduced the number of people in poverty by 4 million people in 2012.
• The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) also reduced the number of children classified as living in poverty in 2012 by 2.9 million children.

The Important Role of Public Policy. Public policy helps create pipelines of educational opportunity and new jobs. It also creates the supports and services that help poor individuals and families while they work toward those opportunities. As evident in the data, the most noticeable statistic changes that occurred in 2012 were in health insurance coverage – with the number of uninsured children dropping from 9.4 percent to 8.9 percent in 2012. This demonstrates the critical value of policies that make a public investment in children and families. Public investments have proven to have a real impact on reducing poverty – and subsequently improving the quality of life for millions of children and families. Unfortunately, the $85 billion in cuts to supports and services as a result of sequestration are likely to only exacerbate the conditions of poverty and increase the percentage of those living in unacceptable conditions – unable to meet their basic needs.

The Need for a Focus on Equity. The racial disparities in the poverty data indicate that Black and Hispanic families have continued to have disproportionately higher poverty rates and lower incomes compared to White families, which has been consistent for more than three decades. This inequity shows the need for innovative solutions and public investments aimed at supporting real change. Policy strategies should take into account the existence of disparate opportunities and outcomes—attention to equity creates solutions that best meet the needs of the entire community.

To read CSSP's Statement on the New Poverty Data and Implications for Children and Families please click here.

For more strategies to Ensure Children Grow Up in Safe, Supportive and Economically Successful Families visit PolicyforResults.org.

Webinar: Using the New Poverty Data

Together, the Coalition for Human Needs, the Community Action Partnership and the Children’s Leadership Council are hosting a webinar about the upcoming release of survey data from the Census Bureau. The data, which will be released on September 17 and 19, will highlight key information about poverty, income, health insurance, housing and employment throughout the nation. As key data points, the “Using the New Poverty Data” webinar will highlight how advocates can use this information to identify needs and challenges that exist in states, regions and communities.

Webinar presenters will include:

• Jared Bernstein: What to Expect from the New Data. Bernstein is a Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and will help participants consider questions like, Is poverty likely to increase or decrease, and for whom? In the third year after the recession, was family income up or down? Are more people getting health insurance, or going without? 

• Deborah Weinstein: Using the New Data. Weinstein is the Executive Director of the Coalition on Human Needs and will help participants understand quick and easy routes to the information you need. You’ll learn how to find fast answers to questions like: how many children are poor in my state or locality? How many families spend more than a third of their income on rent? How many are lifted out of poverty by tax credits, unemployment benefits, or SNAP? How many have not finished high school? Who has health insurance? 

• Ellen Teller: Moderator. Teller is Director of Government Relations at the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). 

The webinar will take place on Tuesday, September 10th from 2pm-3:30pm ET and will include time for questions. Click here to register.