[North Carolina] Children in poverty on rise in WNC

from The Asheville Citizen Times

More children are living in poverty across the state, according to a new report from Action for Children North Carolina.

In Western North Carolina, every county but Swain showed an increase in child poverty since 2ooo.

Action for Children, formerly the N.C. Child Advocacy Institute, issues its Children’s Index every other year, reporting on indicators of child well-being such as child health and safety, early care and education, child maltreatment, juvenile justice and demographics.

The report, released today, shows rising numbers of children in poverty, children without health insurance and children who are waiting for child care subsidies.

One in nine of North Carolina’s children has no health insurance, the report found.

“If we’re not already in a crisis, we’re certainly teetering on the edge,” said Melissa Fridlin of Working Families Win, an advocacy organization for economic security for working families. “A lot of people who have had access to quality health care are having to sacrifice it because of the cost, and that affects kids.”

New jobs, fewer benefits

Across the state, family income has dropped, according to the report, and the high-paying manufacturing jobs that have left the state are being replaced with jobs that don’t offer health insurance.

The state has Medicaid and Health Choice, an insurance program for low-income children, and the vast majority of North Carolina’s children are reported to be in good health — some 85 percent.

About 60 percent of the state’s children visit both a doctor and dentist each year and 47 percent have a regular doctor or nurse whom they see for health problems.

The lack of access to health care is the most disturbing statistic, but the lack of quality child care runs a close second, said Bill Jamieson, chairman of the board of Action for Children.

“People cannot dig themselves out of economic troubles without a safe place to leave their children,” he said.

Child care subsidies serve a monthly average of 96,000 children younger than 12, but 37,000 low-income children are waiting for subsidies.

“People have to make horrible choices,” said Elizabeth Hudgins, director of policy and research for Action for Children.

“The problem is that things aren’t improving,” said Fran Thigpen, director of the Buncombe County Child Development Commission. “If things don’t change, we’re looking at less money next year, and when there are fewer choices, desperate parents make bad choices.”

In the seven westernmost counties, the cut is likely to total more than $1 million, said Sheila Hoyle, director of the Southwestern Child Development Commission.

“Already, parents are quitting jobs or school,” she said. “The choice of lower-cost child care just isn’t there. There’s a safety issue here.”

Child advocates also are lobbying for an increase in the state’s minimum wage, from $5.15 an hour to $6 or more.

“I think a number of things have to happen at the state and federal levels to ensure the financial well-being of families,” Thigpen said. “It can feel overwhelming. You have to look at it one step at a time, and living wage is a start. Taking care of children and families should be a moral imperative for us.”

A ‘bright spot’

Rebecca Folmar, director of communications for Action for Children, noted there is “a bright spot. We found more stability in the foster care system.”

The study found that 91.9 percent of children in foster care had two or fewer placements in the last year. In 2001, more than 60 percent of abused and neglected children removed from their homes bounced around to three or more foster care placements in one year.

The improvement was accomplished by increased state funding for foster care and adoption assistance and for hiring more workers, the reports says.

“This shows we can accomplish something if we want to,” said Jamieson, the Action for Children board chairman. “We just have to want to do it.”

Becky Kessel, social work program director of Buncombe County Department of Social Services, said stability has always been a goal in foster care placement.

“We’re really excited about these numbers because they mean children are doing better,” she said. “It helps us do shared parenting, which helps everyone in the process of reunifying a family.”