The Changing Face of Poverty

Stop for a minute and conjure up a mental image of extreme poverty. Form the image in great detail, imagining what the people living in poverty might look like, where they live and what their lives are likely to look like from day to day.

Now, think about that mental picture.

Did your picture feature people in a particularly rundown neighborhood within an inner city somewhere – maybe in Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles or Chicago?

If so, you are not alone. When many of us think of poverty, we envision it being a particularly severe problem in inner cities.

And yet, the reality is that the centers of poverty appear to be shifting in America, with more low-income individuals and families now living in suburban and rural areas.

A recent study by the Brookings Institution, a public policy group based in Washington, D.C., shows that since 2008 poverty rates have increased at a faster pace in suburbs and rural communities.

And in many of those outlying areas, resources including food banks, homeless shelters and organizations that provide financial assistance such as emergency utility bill payments are difficult or impossible to find.

The social service agencies that do serve rural and suburban areas often are overwhelmed, struggling to meet the needs of people, including single mothers, grandparents caring for their grandchildren and families with children.

Their work was often difficult even before this upswing in the number of people living in poverty. And now, these agencies are finding that it is difficult to keep up with demand.

The challenge is even greater than it may appear on the surface because staff members who might be helping clients are now pushed to go out and raise money -- often asking for it from people who have seen their own financial fortunes tumble during the recession.

As advocates of educational and social justice, we need to be mindful of societal shifts. How can we ensure that individuals and families who are struggling in suburban and rural areas are better served? What challenges are unique to these areas? Who are the leaders that are effectively addressing these issues?

All these questions need to be asked – and answered. Any ideas?