According to a recent report, life is getting harder for
America's poor and their numbers are growing, as more of
the middle class is expected to soon be feeling the pinch
of poverty.
Researchers at Indiana State University say the number of
Americans living in poverty increased as much as 27% between
2006 and 2010, and will continue to rise in the coming years
as more people are left without work.
The report, "At Risk: America's Poor During and After the
Great Recession," found that the economic downturn produced
not only high unemployment, making it likely that the ranks
of the "new poor" and "near poor" will continue to grow.
Although the official rate of unemployment is declining,
much of this apparent progress is a result of many adults
giving up on the job search. If the long-term unemployed
lose their unemployment insurance benefits before the
economy produces enough well-paying jobs to approach full
employment, the ranks of the new poor will steadily swell
between now and 2017.
According to the report, it is pretty clear that the new
poor are the former middle class. The latest U.S. census
numbers show that one in two Americans are either in
poverty or headed towards poverty.
Sheila McKinney
