Group seeks solutions to local poverty

from The Daily World

By William Johnson

St. Landry Parish is the poorest rural parish in the nation. The newly formed St. Landry Parish Solutions to Poverty group wants to change that.

"That is my driving force," Chairperson Anita Phillips said of that disturbing statistic. "I've lived here 30 years. Something has to give."

Her committee, currently made up primarily of representatives of local public housing, health care providers, educators and others already involved in the fight against poverty, is all about looking for solutions.

One of those solutions is expanding the current committee. Phillips invited everyone interested in the fight to come out and get involved.

"Anyone who is interested; they are the ones who know what is needed," Phillips said.

With this being an election year, Derrick Robertson, who grew up on Ina Clare Drive in Opelousas but now works with the governor's Solutions to Poverty Campus Outreach Campaign, said citizen involvement is

critical.

"We need to keep (Solutions to Poverty) going no matter who is in office. They will if they see the people are behind it," Robertson said.

He was on hand to talk about the Working Families Protection Act.

"This is going to be our premiere legislative agenda for 2008," Robertson said.

The goal of the program is to reduce childhood poverty by 50 percent over the next 10 years. To achieve that goal, the act seeks to regulate pay-day loan programs, rent-to-own practices and IRS refund loan programs.

"These programs all involve huge interest rates. They are predatory lending that is taking advantage of the working poor," Robertson said.

Other aspects of the program include:

# Increase the Louisiana Individual Development Account Program, which helps low income individuals get into homes of their own, by $10 million a year for three years.

# Increase the state's earned income tax credit from 3.5 percent to 7 percent.

# Develop a Child Care Facilities Fund to help build quality childcare centers.

# Expand Freedom Schools - summer programs in the New Orleans area where children can build their reading skills - to all 64 parishes.

# Increase funding for Early Head Start and more.

He admits it is an ambition agenda but believes it can be done.

"This movement acknowledges that Louisianans living in poverty have a complex array of needs that threaten their basic security," Robertson said.

On the local level, the committee has more limited goals focusing on two main areas - building a working transportation system and helping people get greater access to the many programs that already exist.

Charles Tate with the governor's office said transportation is key to many poverty-related problems. Without adequate, affordable transportation, the poor can't get access to educational opportunities, can't get to work, can't get access to health care - in short, can't break out of a cycle of poverty.

Towards this goal, the committee has reached an understanding to work with the Parish Council to research local options.

"We are working with local mayors on a memorandum of understanding. We need the blessing of the powers that be to continue the work that has already begun," said Lessie Handy, Opelousas Director of Community Development who has been spearheading the drive for a parishwide bus service.

Tate said state and federal help to create such a transportation system exists but "someone on the local level has to drive it, someone has to spearhead it."

In the area of existing services, Pamela Kreyling with the state department of health and hospitals, said many services exist but very few people know about them. Even fewer know how to access them.

An easy solution exists. Just as there is a 911 phone number for emergency services, there is a 211 phone number for people who need assistance. The same assistance is also available through 232-HELP (337-232-4357).

A local program is available in Lafayette but covers 10 parishes, including St. Landry, Acadia and Evangeline parishes.

"If you need to know who to go to for assistance, they will tell you," Kreyling said. "They will tell you if there are qualifications requirements, they will help you negotiate the system."

What the program wants to do is publish a booklet that can be widely available to let people know about this free service.

"The problem is money. We have no funding," Kreyling said. She hopes to be able to at least have a half-page flier about the program available for a local job fair set for Oct. 25.

"Something they can take home, something they can distribute in their neighborhood. It's a baby step but its a start," Kreyling said.

The parish being the poorest in the nation means the need for the committee's work is great. But that same poverty means the funds just don't exist to address many of the issues.

"The big problem is resources," Phillips said.

To learn more or volunteer to help, call Phillips at 945-8890.