Boston Globe

October 14, 2008

Offering a haven for gays and lesbians is an emerging field of law in the United States and around the world, lawyers and advocates say, awakening foreigners to the option to live in the United States that was previously unknown. But the practice is raising concerns, as critics cite the potential for fraud and advocates worry that possible homophobia or lack of international experience might lead some judges and government officials to send foreigners back to dangerous lands.

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Chicago Tribune

September 23, 2008

More residents spending more than 35% of income on homes

From Chicago Tribune:

Soaring numbers of Chicago-area homeowners are stretched to the limit to pay their mortgages and other housing costs, newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau show. 

Spending 35 percent of monthly gross income on housing is commonly used as a threshold by financial and real estate experts to judge if homeowners will encounter difficulties paying for their residences.

Once people start spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing, they risk falling short on other expenses, said Amy Terpstra, an analyst with the Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty, an advocacy group.

“They have less money left over to pay for the other things they need to get by,” Terpstra said. “It’s an indicator that extends beyond folks who are officially poor, and we see the belt squeezing around people who are middle income as well.”

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Libertyville Review

September 8, 2008

An estimated 42,197 Lake County residents were living below the poverty line in 2007 and most experts expect those numbers to increase this year. Lake County’s poverty rate jumped to 6.1 percent in 2007, up from 5.6 percent in 2006, according to just released Census data, compiled in a report by the Chicago-based Heartland Alliance.

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The Politics of Poverty

Chicago Public Radio

August 27, 2008

Between 2006 and 2007, the average household income rose, levels of poverty remained essentially unchanged, and more people got health insurance. But viewed long-term, that data doesn’t shine so bright.

From Chicago Public Radio:

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Thousands More in West Michigan Hit ‘Extreme Poverty’ as State Woes Continue

Grand Rapids Press

August 27, 2008

More people in West Michigan are bottoming out. The U.S. Census Bureau shows the number of Grand Rapids residents in extreme poverty — at $10,325 or less for a family of four and half the federal poverty line — climbed from 13,957 in 2000 to 22,497 in 2007, a 65 percent increase.

From Grand Rapids Press:

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Chicago Tribune

August 27, 2008

America’s poverty rate remained flat, but the median household income reached $50,233 in 2007, a modest increase of 1.3 percent from 2006 after adjusting for inflation, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released Tuesday.

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Kalamazoo Gazette

August 16, 2008

Poverty rose and incomes fell in Michigan last year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday, providing further evidence of the economic downturn gripping the state.

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Feinberg School of Medicine

August 8, 2008

The skills and privileges physicians acquire as they learn and practice medicine put them in a unique position in society. They are allowed to hear the most intimate details of the lives of people they may have just met. Physicians are welcomed around the world when they volunteer their services to help humanity in times of natural disasters and tragedies brought by war, poverty, and disease. Feinberg School students have many opportunities to exercise such altruism, and the partnership between Heartland Alliance and the Department of Family Medicine add a great deal more.

From Feinberg School of Medicine:

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Stateline

August 7, 2008

As the economy falters and the ranks of the poor multiply, states for the first time in recent memory are mounting high-profile, comprehensive campaigns aimed at radically reducing poverty — many with an emphasis on children.

From Stateline:

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