Author: Aviva Pinchas

I met with Monica Williams (GivingCityAustin blogger & nonprofit private eye) when I was awake and coherent to discuss her take on poverty. Here’s the clip & don’t let the misspelling distract you… Mando

In doing the research for this day, we found a ton of information, we’ve tried to keep it focused on Central Texas, but I thought it might be helpful to have the national context. We always think the grass is greener (NOT!)…. In 2006, 36.5 million people had incomes below the federal poverty level, making the official poverty rate 12.3 percent. (Source: Current Population Survey (CPS), 2007 Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC), US Census Bureau). 63% of U.S. families below the federal poverty line have one or more workers, according to the Census Bureau (Source: Michelle Conlin and Aaron Bernstein. “Working…and Poor”, Business Week, May 31, 2004). 3.5 million full-time workers earned less than poverty-level wages. (Source: Thomas Z. Freedman. “How to Really Help Low-Wage Workers, The Washington Post, February 2, 2007). More than 28 million people, about a quarter of the workforce between the ages of 18 and 64, earn less than $9.04 an hour, which translates into a full-time salary of $18,800 a year (Source: Michelle Conlin and Aaron Bernstein. “Working…and Poor”, Business Week, May 31, 2004). One out of three households reported using credit cards to cover basic living expenses – including rent, mortgage payments, groceries, utilities and insurance. (Source: The Plastic Safety Net: The Reality Behind Debt in America, Demos and the Center for Responsible Lending, October 2005) Generation Xers (individuals born between 1961 and 1981) are on track to be the first generation in American history with a lower standard of living than their […]

When talking about poverty, people always seem to bring up the “poverty level” factor. They (or I) will say something like “15% of the poverty level, dot dot dot.” Well, what does it really mean? Here’s my attempt at explaining it… The most common measure of poverty in the US is the “poverty line” set by the good ole U.S. government. The government does this to estimate the number of “poor” people for the census and determine eligibility for government assistance. I think many people, (me too) incorrectly assumed that this is the minimal amount of money a person or family can live on, it is not, I repeat, IT IS NOT! Which make the poverty line and the number of individuals and families below that line so worrying and quite frankly disgraceful. The Federal Poverty Guideline for a 4 person family in 2008 is $21,200. You tell me, can you and your family live on $21K a year? To put this into context, for a typical family, (wife, husband and 2 kids) if both parents made only minimum wage ($6.55 per hour), they would still make $5,000 more than the poverty line. $6.55 x 2 x 2000 = $26,200 and would not qualify for federal assistance programs. The Center for Public Policy Priorities does a great job of explaining how the federal poverty level is calculated and how it is disconnected from the REALITIES of how much it really costs families to live here in Central Texas. They estimate […]

So earlier I mentioned that I would highlight some of our funded programs and collaborations; here’s the 1st one. The Passages Program What is it? A collaboration of 7 agencies (Salvation Army, Caritas, Foundation for the Homeless, Lifeworks, Family Connections, Foundation Communities, and SafePlace) where case managers link homeless participants to… permanent housing, stable income, counseling, life skills, & direct financial assistance. What does it do? The program addresses a range of services including: housing, workforce, emergency financial assistance, credit repair, and debt reduction. By funding this program we hope to provide a broad array of services, that help people with their immediate needs and also creates a pathway to towards stability. Later today I have a real life success story to share from this program, that really made a difference in one family’s life. So stay tuned! Mando

Hey, if George and Weezy could do it, so can United Way. We knew that “change” had to be made and it was going to be hard but if we’re going to address issue like poverty, we wanted to be as effective as possible. We are now focused on three areas that help people move up from poverty; Education, Financial Stability & Health. We believe these are the building blocks to a better life. Our financial stability work is at the heart of our approach to poverty and financial hardship. We not only address the symptoms of the issue, but we are also addressing the root causes (the old teach a man how to fish philosophy). So what are we actually doing? Check out our Financial Stability Strategies… When it comes to making families financially safe, we are focused on employment, housing, and financial management initiatives. By doing so, we hope to help families make more money and increase their assets. Maximize & Increase Income Strategies Build Saving & Assets Strategies Employment Workforce Development/TrainingLiteracy/Adult Basic EducationEnglish As a Second Language Higher EducationSmall Business Development Housing Transitional or Rental HousingEmergency Financial Assistance Home Ownership Financial Management Earned Income Tax CreditBanking the UnbankedAccess to public benefitsFinancial Education Credit repair and debt reductionMatched savings products/IDAs Defining Success We’re committed to measuring the success of our efforts. If something works, we pursue it. If something doesn’t, we change it or find a new approach. It’s really that simple. And here are some examples of […]

Poverty. It is here, not only in the “places you’d expect” but all over Austin & Central Texas. It’s widespread and people just don’t seem to talk about it, kinda like a social taboo. So let’s get it out in the open…starting with the poverty level. Did you know that last year, (according to the US Census) about 15% of people in Travis County lived in poverty. That’s 1 out of 7 people in our community! And get this, it has become worse in the last 7 years; we’ve actually seen an increase in families in poverty by more than 20%. Now the question I have is, “do most of us know that this is going on?” I don’t know? I think poverty in our community is hidden or people just don’t want to take responsibility for the problems related to poverty. I also think that we live in isolation and its easy for us to “not be exposed” to poverty. So what is it? I think it’s all of it. Please send me your thoughts. Post us a comment. Mando

Hello world! It’s 12am and we’re off on our in our 24 hour “poverty awareness” blogathon. In the next 24 hours, we’ll be discussing poverty in Austin and Central Texas. We’ll be posting every hour on the hour, setting the facts straight, debunking some myths (about how people fall into poverty), what everyday folks like you and I can do to help, share some successes we’ve had at United Way and hopefully, motivate all kinds of people to be involved and take action on the issue. In the next 24 hours you’ll hear from Councilmembers Mike Martinez & Cheryl Cole, young leaders doing their part in alleviating poverty, youth dealing with it on a daily basis y mas! So let’s start the conversation, blog with us, post your comments and tell us how you are taking action! MandoDirector, Hands On Central Texas

I attended the East Austin Economic Summit organized by The People Fund. They shared some pretty alarming stats on East Austin*…. The Good… There are approximately 1,350 businesses in East Austin 25% of East Austin residents are age 30 or younger East Austin’s retail/restaurant market is valued at $138 Million The Bad… Average income for East Austin residents – $43,200 (50% less than the City’s) You need to earn $40,000 to qualify for a $200,000 loan – 60% of East Austin residents would not qualify Only 21% of East Austin residents have at least an associates degree The Ugly… East Austin is being left out of economic development conversations Not enough residents are not being engaged in authentic ways Residents are being pushed further east due to the increased housing prices and taxes Do not be dismayed by these stats; there is hope and people are working on it (although I think we need to do more as a community). Groups like the People Fund are doing their part to increase awareness and visiblity to East Austin concerns as well as to create opportunities for residents and families in East Austin. The only thing I would have liked to seen more (at the Summit) is engagement and attendance with East Austin residents that are being impacted by these changes. I would like to see more people like Jeff Clark. I sat next to him at the opening session and we talked about the growing disparity in East Austin and some […]

I heard about Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty through Kerri from the Capital Area Food Bank. It’s a great concept. Bring people together around one issue and raise awareness with thousands of voices. I’m game! So this is our contribution: 24 hours, 24 posts in one day – October 15, 2008 from 12am – 11:59am. Hopefully through this process, we’ll create more advocates for issues that affect poverty & create opportunities for people to stand up to poverty. Here’s a short video on the Blog Action Day 2008… Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo. My head is spinning with all the ideas! One thing I do want to do is put your ideas into this blog. So what is your solution to poverty? What can you do today? What can you do tomorrow? What are you doing now? Inquiring minds want to know! Seriously, send me your thoughts and ideas by posting them on our comment section. Thanks,MandoDirector, Hands On Central Texas