News and Commentary

One out of every five American children – mostly in working families – live below the poverty line. No matter what people want to believe, many children still go to bed hungry in America.

Photo Credit: Brenda Ann Kenneally/AmericanPoverty.org

New Orleans — In the United States, children are more likely to be living in poverty than adults. The younger the child, the more likely he or she is to be poor.

Photo Credit: Brenda Ann Kenneally/AmericanPoverty.org

New Orleans — After their home, a wooden cabin standing on stilts, was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, the Lemoine family spent a year staying with friends, in motels, or sleeping in cars. Eventually the family moved into a small trailer in Covington, La.  The recession, coupled with worsening housing opportunities, has driven family homelessness in the United States to record levels.  Children and families are the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population.

Photo Credit: Brenda Ann Kenneally/AmericanPoverty.org

Troy, N.Y. — Donny struggles with mental illness. Children who live in poverty face higher risks of developing emotional and behavioral problems.

Photo Credit: Brenda Ann Kenneally/AmericanPoverty.org

Capulin, Colo. — Joaquine Martinez, 10, scans the ads for specials at Jack's Super Market in La Jara, while brother Eli Jr., 11, compares prices for bacon.

Photo Credit: Judy Dehaas-The Denver Post/AmericanPoverty.org

Honolulu — Sharon and her pet kitten live under a freeway entrance with a group of friends.  She said workers have been clearing out the homeless in the area, but have so far left them alone.

Photo Credit: Dennis Oda-The Star Advertiser/AmericanPoverty.org

Tampa, Fla. — Emilio Xiques pauses shortly after making a "I Work for Food" sign behind a Denny's restaurant. Xiques says he's been panhandling since 1964 but has to make at least $30 a day to pay his rent at a motel.

Nashville, Tenn. — People line up for food in the early morning at Edgehill United Methodist Church. The church feeds about 200 families over the holidays.

Photo Credit: John Partipilo-The Tennessean/AmericanPoverty.org

Indianapolis, Ind. — David Dallecarbonare, (right), helps out Doug Ayers with the charity of a dollar. He hopes his "Hire Me' sandwich board will lead to job contacts. "I now have more of an appreciation for the situation he's going through," said Dallecarbonare, who was an operations manager/senior packaging engineer until he lost his job at an automotive lighting company.

Photo Credit: Matt Deitrich-The Indianapolis Star/AmericanPoverty.org

Augusta, Ga.  — Boys watch the action during Junior Olympics boxing at the Augusta Boxing Club. Extra-curricular enrichment programs have been found to positively affect attendance rates as well as academic achievement among impoverished children.

Photo Credit: Michael Holahan-The Augusta Chronicle/AmericanPoverty.org

South Carolina —  Anthony Harley, 16, tried to revive his mother in the tiny hotel room they shared with his twin siblings, Akera and Akeil, both 10. But it was too late. "She just went to sleep, and I tried to wake her up and I couldn't wake her up," Anthony said. Clementina had no money and no life insurance. So it fell to her minor children to see that she got a proper funeral. Two days later Anthony stood on the side of a road with a sign to solicit donations from passing motorists in an effort to raise money to pay for her funeral.

Photo Credit: Michael Holahan-The Augusta Chronicle/AmericanPoverty.org

“But I, being poor, have only my dreams” – W.B. Yeats

Chicago — In her home on the city's beleagured South Side, a young girl sits on the kitchen floor and gazes at a photograph of Martin Luther King, Jr. In the United States, children are much more likely to be living in poverty than adults. And the younger the child, the more likely he or she is to be poor.

Photo Credit: Steve Liss/AmericanPoverty.org

Coolville, Ohio — Shirley Forerider and her daughter Mekala live in one of the poorest towns in one of the poorest counties in the state. Shirley dreams of going to college and becoming a nurse, but the lack of financial resources, transportation, and child care are formidable obstacles. And with no jobs in sight during this deep recession, the family is trying to make do on meager public assistance.

Photo Credit: Steve Liss/AmericanPoverty.org

East Biloxi, Miss. — The poor are often assumed to be unemployed, but millions of poor people, like these day laborers, work terribly hard for very little. Unable to afford rent for an apartment, they live in an abandoned church bus. There’s not a single community in America where someone making minimum wage can afford to pay fair market rent for housing.

Photo Credit: Steve Liss/AmericanPoverty.org

Vermillion, La. — Images of abject suffering and deprivation were laid bare by Hurricane Katrina – not just those caused by the hurricane's destructive paths, but also by the meager living conditions for tens of thousands of Americans prior to the storm. A year after Katrina, Connell Lewis still lived in his moldy, muddy house. With little help from the government, he had little hope of being able to rebuild. 

Photo Credit: Steve Liss/AmericanPoverty.org

Chicago — Signs of the times: A homeless family living on the street in the midst of winter.  According to the National Center on Family Homelessness, some 1.6 million children are homeless in the United States.

Photo Credit: Scott Strazzante-The Chicago Tribune/AmericanPoverty.org

York, Ala.—  Nearly half of the town's residents live below the poverty line. The York Lumber Company went out of business years ago and now part of the building is used for church revival meetings.

Photo Credit: Michael S. Williamson/AmericanPoverty.org