Associated Press
December 10, 2010
The Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty, made up of state officials and nonprofit group leaders, outlined an ambitious plan that the group said provides both short- and long-term solutions to help the state’s poorest people.
From Associated Press:
Implementing a new jobs program, providing scholarships for low-income students and helping more people get assistance are among the steps to cutting Illinois’ “extreme poverty” rate in half by 2015, according to a state report released Thursday.
The Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty, made up of state officials and nonprofit group leaders, outlined an ambitious plan that the group said provides both short- and long-term solutions to help the state’s poorest people.
Some of the group’s recommendations are clear-cut enhancements of existing safety nets, such as simplifying the form and process for obtaining an Illinois Link card, which is how food stamps are issued. Others are more involved, like creating a transitional jobs program proposed to help 40,000 people a year.
“When someone is experiencing poverty, there’s no one thing that impacts them that is the silver bullet,” said Doug Schenkelberg, an associate director at the Chicago-based Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights. “They’re dealing with poor education. They’re dealing with having bad housing. They’re dealing with few job options. We have to look holistically.”
Commission officials recommended their timeline be implemented in phases. But there’s no mandate it must be accomplished and the report provided no cost estimates.
About 760,000, or 6 percent, of Illinois’ approximately 12 million people are in what federal officials define as “extreme poverty.” State officials say a large percentage of those individuals are elderly, disabled, children or have criminal records.
Poverty means a family of four would survive on about $22,000 each year, but for a family of four in extreme poverty, the amount is only about $11,000.
Charles Jenkins, a 55-year-old Chicagoan, knows exactly how that feels.
In the early 1990s, Jenkins was homeless, addicted to drugs, had little education and few job prospects. But assistance programs helped him with recovery and finding a place to stay. He eventually stabilized enough to earn an associate’s degree at a community college and work with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.
While he’s still hovering around the poverty level — relying on Section 8 Housing and other assistance — he feels he’s come out of the worst and is motivated to improve his situation.
“After a while things started to fall in place. I saved up money and could rent an apartment,” he said. “If you just have a job, it can help you get started, but you need to be able to advance to the next level.”
The commission reports makes several recommendations for the state, including:
–Develop a transitional jobs program that helps find employment for those who have been out of the work force and offers training, such as opportunities to improve literacy.
–Expand the number of low-income community college student scholarships, along with student support services like academic advising and mentoring.
–Help more people who qualify for federal and state assistance, like the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF), apply and get into the program. The commission recommends targeted outreach.
–Adopt state legislation prohibiting state job applications from asking if individuals have criminal backgrounds, making it easier for those who have served time to get jobs.
–Increase rental subsidies available to those in extreme poverty.