Experts: 50 Million Poor Need Safety Net, Not Austerity

[xchrom]

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/11/15-8



A chorus of poverty experts says that new data from the Census Bureau show the human cost of putting safety net programs like food stamps and unemployment insurance on the chopping block as austerity-pushers warn of the so-called "fiscal cliff."

The new Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) released Wednesday from the U.S. Census Bureau shows 49.7 million Amerians living in poverty -- an increase from the 46.6 million reported in poverty in the Bureau's official estimate from September.

What the data also show is how government safety programs have kept millions from heading into poverty.

In contrast to the federal poverty figures released by the Census Bureau roughly two months ago, the SPM offers a more holistic look at poverty, explains Melissa Boteach, Director of the Poverty and Prosperity Program for Center for American Progress and Director of Half in Ten, "by taking into account factors such as work expenses and medical costs that push families into poverty. They also provide crucial information on the effectiveness of work and income supports in lifting families above the poverty line."

[ananda]

1. Agree.

And more people need to see and be aware of the poor in our nation.