Poverty Fails to Decline Despite Four Years of Economic Growth

New Census Data Suggests Need to Refocus Efforts to Fight Poverty

WASHINGTON – A year ago Hurricane Katrina forced the issue of poverty into the national consciousness.  Americans saw what can happen if citizens do not have the financial resources to get out of harm’s way.  The results can be devastating, even deadly.  Poverty became a subject of discussion in the media and by policymakers.  A year later it is no longer a leading topic.  However, an examination of poverty in America should remain a priority because new data from the U.S. Census Bureau show that while the national economy is growing, the number of Americans living in poverty remains statistically unchanged.
 
The U.S. Census Bureau released data today showing that although 2005 marked the fourth full year of growth in the national economy since the end of the 2001 recession, poverty in the United States did not decline.  There were 37 million people or 7.7 million families in poverty in 2005, the same number as 2004.  These figures demonstrate the need for a greater focus on poverty among leaders at both the federal and state level. The social work community is making efforts to alleviate the problem.

“Social workers strive every day to combat poverty through federally, state, and privately funded programs that help families and individuals get access to food, shelter, education, employment, and medical care.  Poverty is a reality for too many Americans,” notes NASW Executive Director Elizabeth Clark.

NASW, representing approximately 150,000 professional social workers, continues to work to alleviate the effects of poverty and to break the systemic causes of poverty. NASW advocates for legislation to improve access to health care services, improve the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) programs, and increase funding for health and human services programs. Additionally, NASW is a partner in the ONE Campaign to Make Poverty History. In late August, NASW partnered with the Coalition on Human Needs to educate its members about how U.S. Census data relate to social work practice. More than 700 individuals participated in the training.

Health insurance coverage is also an issue.  Although the number of people with health insurance coverage increased by 1.4 million between 2004 and 2005, the number without such coverage rose by 1.3 million to 46.6 million

As Congress reconvenes next week, they plan to work on legislation that would give more tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans, including a dramatic reduction in the tax paid on multi-million dollar estates.  Instead, Congress should focus on increasing funding for child welfare, employment, education, Medicaid, and Medicare instead of passing new tax breaks for the wealthy. Hurricane Katrina was a visual reminder of the gap between the rich and poor in America. Let us not exacerbate this gap with ill-conceived public policies.

For more information, please contact NASW Communications at 202-408-8600 x468 or media@naswdc.org.

About the National Association of Social Workers
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 145,000 members. It promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.