Savannah Poverty Update

from WSAV

It’s four years this month since Savannah got serious about reducing poverty. Has anything changed?

If you live in the City of Savannah, more than 20% of your neighbors, thousands of people, live with persistent poverty. U.S. census figures show those numbers haven’t changed much since the 1970’s.

In 2004, easing poverty became paramount on the city’s agenda. Mayor Otis Johnson says we can’t solve our crime problem or improve education unless government and the business community come together with low-income residents and confront the systemic and cultural reasons for poverty.

Since getting serious about the problem, the city has hosted monthly “poverty simulations” to raise awareness of the daily obstacles facing those of meager means. Government and business leaders, teachers and students, large and small groups have taken part, pretending to be poor in dozens of the simulations. While the experience has inspired some to join the anti-poverty cause, the simulations don’t put food on anyone’s table.

Today WSAV had a chance to question Daniel Dodd, the general in Savannah’s War on Poverty. We wanted to know how his Step Up group is helping real people. “We have six action teams, 80 organizations that are working under Step Up Savannah's Poverty Reduction Initiative. That’s a tremendous collaboration.”

Each “action team” is working on a specific aspect of the poverty problem. For example, this year the Workforce Team is to educate 150 people with the goal of placing them in “career level” jobs while the Asset Building Team will teach 750 people to manage their money and help families build $2.1 million in assets.

It is slow process, and Dodd’s group is facing a deadline to show some real results. “We will be held accountable,” Dodd explains. “When they do the census next time to see that there is a difference in those census tracks.”