The Montgomery County child poverty rate rose in 2012, returning to the early recession level of 2008, according to a report from the Ciudadanos Públicos para la Infancia y la Juventud.

PCCY released the findings of its countywide child hunger and poverty study Dec. 3 as part of an ongoing effort to assess the economic wellbeing of children in the county and their access to support.

That effort, collectively titled “The Bottom Line is Children,” is a series of studies on suburban Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.

According to the report, the study is intended to determine how the counties can best utilize “federal safety net programs intended to protect and support children.” The overall goal of the reports is to raise awareness of the issues facing children and motivate elected leaders and school districts to make these issues a priority improvement area.

“Since the recession in 2008, job recovery statewide has been slow, and we are seeing evidence that families are having a difficult time rebounding,” said Kathy Fisher, family economic security director for PCCY. “Though Montgomery County is doing well, the findings show a lot of families are struggling.”

A PCCY press release cited various findings regarding poverty rates of families and children across the county.

Montgomery County children are more likely to live in poverty than adults, according to the release, which states that 7.3 percent of children and 6.4 percent of adults were living in poverty in 2012. In 2008, 7.4 percent of children in the county were considered to be living in poverty. From 2009 to 2011, the percentage dropped to a range of 6.1 to 6.5 percent.

The release also said that the number of children in low-income families increased 17 percent between 2008 and 2012, meaning 32,000 of the county’s 178,248 children were in low-income families in 2012.

The study also focused on child food security and found that 13 percent of county children face food insecurity. The release warns that “food insecurity contributes to a greater likelihood of limited employability, lessened workforce productivity, poorer job performance and $260,000 lower lifetime earnings for children.”

The study found that 41 percent of county residents benefiting from federal food stamps are children, which is a 53 percent increase from the 2009-2010 fiscal year to the 2012-2013 fiscal year, according to the release.

Pat Druhan, director of the Montgomery County food resource center CADCOM, said that decreases in food stamp funding have resulted in a family of four receiving $36 less every month, which affects 22,000 children in the county who benefit from the program.

According to Druhan, the food pantries in the county have seen increased numbers of people accessing their services since last year. The biggest increase has been from senior citizens at 62 percent over last year, while the number of children who access the pantries has increased 27 percent.

“To get an idea of what we’re facing,” Druhan said, “from two recessions ago, the number of people accessing the pantries has doubled.”

The study similarly looked at free and reduced-price lunches in schools and found that participation in these programs has not increased, despite increased eligibility, according to the release.

Fisher said the PCCY urges community leaders and residents to push for their school districts to increase their participation in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.

The study offered several ways that Montgomery County citizens and leaders can help to reduce the number of children living with food insecurity and poverty. Besides promoting participating in food stamps and school food programs, the study recommended residents and community leaders capitalize on the earned income tax credit and the refundable portion of the child tax credit.

Between 2007 and 2012, families using the EITC and CTC increased 18 percent and 23 percent, respectively, and in 2011, the EITC and CTC infused $58 million and $30 million, respectively, into the economy, the study found.

Pathways PA Vice President of Policy Strategy and Communications Marianne Bellesorte said Pathways has been working in Montgomery County through a partnership with North Penn United Way to provide free income tax services.

Bellesorte said the tax credit programs are a great gift for low-income families.

“The EITC is hugely important for low-income families,” she said. “It makes larger purchases possible for something that is necessary in the house, like a refrigerator.”

PCCY will release reports next month focusing on child health, early care and education.

Springfield Sun Times – December 14, 2013 – Leer artículo en línea