Oganizations draw attention to poverty rates

from The News Gazette

By Julie Wurth

URBANA – More than 1.5 million Illinoisans live in poverty, and another 681,786 are in extreme poverty – with incomes less than half the poverty line. In 2007, half of the poverty line is $10,310 for a family of four.

Illinois has one of the highest extreme poverty rates of any state in the Midwest, and two organizations have launched a statewide campaign to change that. The Chicago-based Heartland Alliance and the Illinois Coalition for Community Services in Springfield will sponsor a forum Thursday evening in Urbana to highlight poverty issues in Champaign County. It's one of 26 forums taking place around Illinois this year.

A statewide plan is needed to help low-income families achieve basic human rights – a roof over their heads, food on the table and education for their children, said Kelly Pierron of the Mid-America Institute on Poverty at the Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights in Chicago.

The free forum, "Moving from Poverty to Opportunity," is scheduled for 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the First Presbyterian Church, 602 W, Green St., U.

"This is a great opportunity for individuals, especially those who are in extreme poverty, to be involved in something bigger that's working for systemic change," said Doug Schenkelberg, associate director for policy at the Heartland Alliance.

About 16 percent of Champaign County's residents, or more than 26,000 people, live at or below the federal poverty level, according to the county's Statistical Abstract. The county also has a higher extreme poverty rate and a higher child poverty rate than the state as a whole, Schenkelberg said. Many county residents may be unaware of poverty unless they're involved with social service agencies or have experienced it themselves, said Cunningham Township Supervisor Carol Elliott.

"It's important that everyone be educated because poverty affects us all, and the well-being of any community depends on people working together to solve problems," Elliott said in a release.

At the forum, Schenkelberg will provide an overview of poverty in Illinois and discuss the Heartland Alliance's "From Poverty to Opportunity Campaign: Realizing Human Rights in Illinois," an initiative to cut in half the number of Illinois residents in extreme poverty by 2015.

The campaign defines freedom from poverty as a human right and says inequality and discrimination play a central role in extreme poverty. It also says people living in poverty should help create the policies to eradicate it. "They're the ones who know what barriers they're facing," Schenkelberg said.

Champaign County residents will be able to speak out at the forum about roadblocks they've faced and possible solutions. Participants will also learn about efforts to increase access to jobs, housing, transportation, health care and education. In all, 700 people have attended the 15 forums so far, and organizers expect about 75 people Thursday night.

To respond, call Kelly Pierron at 773-336-6039 or e-mail maipassociate7heartlandalliance.org. The Heartland Alliance will compile findings from all 26 forums into a report to be released in late January, then work with state legislators on a bill to create a Commission on Poverty Eradication in Illinois.