Oregon state report on poverty

A new report on poverty in the state of Oregon shows that 13 percent of the states population lives below the federal poverty line. The survey was conducted by Oregon Housing and Community Services and the Community Action Partnership of Oregon.

The unveiling press conference took place at the Oregon state capital, KPTV has a story on the the reports findings. The link to the full story has a county by county breakdown of poverty measures in Oregon.

The new report brings together data on the number of people experiencing poverty with information about the difficult choices low-income families face and indicators that can drive increases in poverty.

OHCS developed a Basic Family Budget for each county to provide insight into what families really need to make ends meet, from childcare to food to transportation. The county summaries also present recent data about job and population growth, housing and energy costs, and homelessness.

The report pulls together data from the US Census, Oregon Department of Revenue, Oregon Department of Human Services, Oregon Employment Department and a variety of federal and independent studies to paint a picture of poverty in Oregon.

# Among the report's key findings: In 2007, poverty affected 13 percent of Oregonians.
# African American and Native Americans were twice as likely to live in poverty as their White and Asian neighbors.
# One of five Oregonians with disabilities lived in poverty.
# Inability to afford rent was the most frequently cited cause of homelessness in the state.

The report is available on the department's website at www.ohcs.oregon.gov.