Franklin County placed on Poverty Watch List

from The Benton Evening News

By Bob Ellis

Franklin County has been placed on the Poverty Watch List, according to the ᅓ Report on Illinois Poverty,” released Thursday by the Illinois Poverty Summit.

To determine the Poverty Watch and Warning lists, the report assesses four key indicators of a resident's well being in Illinois: high school graduation, unemployment, teen birth and poverty.

There are 57 Illinois counties on the 2007 Poverty Watch or Warning lists.

Franklin County Board member Jim McPhail said he wasn't surprised by the report.

"This is a time for everyone to get involved in government and work to make things better,” McPhail said. “I've preached regionalism forever, and if we don't act now, we could be suffering for another generation."

McPhail said that the coal industry will help economic growth, but it is not the only answer.

“With the highway system we have, people can drive 50 miles to work, so any industry or employer in the area helps,” he said. "We have so much to sell in our area. Tourism here could be significant. But a handful of people can't do it.

“It is like mayor Bob Butler (Marion) said: We have to quit sitting back and to get involved. Become a part of government,” McPhail added.

Eighty-seven of Illinois' 102 counties have seen an increase in poverty, according to a report released today by the Illinois Poverty Summit. Nearly 1.5 million Illinois residents live in poverty - more than the population of the entire city of Philadelphia, the fifth largest city in the nation.

The report illustrates that many Illinois workers cannot make ends meet. Between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, income increases for low- and middle-income families fell far short of keeping pace with inflation.

The poorest fifth of families in the state saw their average income increase approximately $145 per year, from $14,969 to just $18,032 during that two-decade period. Middle-income families saw their average income increase from $41,179 to only $50,032, around $420 per year.

Looking ahead, 43 percent of new jobs through 2012 are projected to pay less than $23,650, which puts a family of three below the poverty level.

“Every Illinoisan must be ensured the human right to a life free from poverty. Yet, we undermine this right every day in Illinois - the poorest Illinoisans continue to grow poorer and far too many hardworking low- and middle-income families face serious struggles just to make ends meet,” said Sid Mohn, president of Heartland Alliance, the convener of the Illinois Poverty Summit. “In 2007, our state leaders should improve and expand critical programs for low-wage workers, the unemployed, and people unable to work in order to provide better paths toward self-sufficiency.”

The report also paints a bleak picture for the future of Illinois' economy. More than 330,000 young Illinois adults ages 18 to 29 are living in poverty-the highest poverty numbers for that age group in the Midwest. Severely hindering the competitiveness of Illinois' future workforce, approximately 18 percent of Illinois young adults do not have a high school diploma-second only to Indiana as worst in the Midwest. Many of the 700,000 Illinoisans, who live in extreme poverty with annual incomes of less than half the poverty line, are children who are hit hardest by insufficient nourishment, inadequate housing, and poor education-conditions which severely restrict opportunities for their future. Exacerbating these problems are the quick fixes used to address the state's budget shortfalls, which result in a weakened human services infrastructure, unmet service needs that continue to grow, and deepening public debt.

“Our state's fiscal challenges threaten our ability to reduce poverty statewide. We must work together to expand important programs that support working families,” said State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson (D-Urbana).

The 2007 Report on Illinois Poverty documents how Illinois families are experiencing significant hardship. Some of the findings include:

Illinois children are 53 percent more likely to be poor than working age adults. Rural child poverty in the state rose 26 percent from 1999 to 2000. Nearly 68 percent of poor children live in families that worked in the last year.

Lack of adequate health insurance causes health and financial hardship.

More than 430,000 working age, insured Illinoisans incurred health costs not covered by insurance in 2004 that totaled one quarter or more of their annual earnings. Nearly 55 percent of Illinoisans ages 18 to 64 in extreme poverty completely lack health insurance compared to 16 percent of those not in extreme poverty.