poverty

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Biloxi Running 'Debtors Prison From the Dark Ages': ACLU

Class-action lawsuit says Miss. city is shaking down poverty-stricken residents

(Newser) - Debtors prisons are supposedly a thing of the distant past —except in Biloxi, Miss. That's according to a class-action lawsuit filed against the city, its police department, the courts, and a private probation company, alleging these agencies have conspired to threaten poor residents into paying up to avoid...

Sanders Loves Pope's Mention of 'Radical' Activist

He like pontiff's praise of Dorothy Day

(Newser) - Pope Francis made a historic appearance before Congress today, and one person especially pleased with his speech was Bernie Sanders. The Vermont senator tells CNN he loved the reference to Dorothy Day, a "radical Catholic activist," per the Washington Post , who founded the Catholic Worker Movement and fought...

More Kids in Poverty Now Than in Recession: Report

And it could have detrimental effects on brain development, researchers say

(Newser) - The Great Recession may be long over, but things didn't pick up for everyone in the years immediately after, especially not for US children: A new report from the nonprofit Annie E. Casey Foundation says that while 18% of American kids lived below the poverty line in 2008, that...

Holocaust Survivors Live 'Close to Desperation'—in US

30K around NYC are living in poverty

(Newser) - About 30,000 Holocaust survivors living in New York City and three surrounding counties are at or below the poverty line, the Wall Street Journal reports. After enduring Nazi horrors, fleeing their homelands, and struggling to make new lives in America, advocates say the plight of these survivors grows more...

How to Give Kids a Better Shot at Escaping Poverty

New study finds moving out of low-income areas early makes a difference

(Newser) - A new study suggests that there is a proven way to give your children the best chance of leaving poverty behind: Move out of a poverty-stricken area as early as you possibly can. The Equality of Opportunity Project study looked at millions of families with children that had moved, and...

Poverty, Mental Illness Abound in Broken Jail System: Report

Inmates face longer time because they can't pay bail, analysts find

(Newser) - It's not just federal and state prisons that need scrutiny: The country's local and county jails are being "misused," and it's time for reform, a new report finds. Those held in the facilities are typically there for minor infractions, and over the past three decades,...

Parenting Hinges More on Money Than Marriage

And US parents are generally doing a good job: study

(Newser) - We often focus on the parents' marital situation as the key factor in a child's experience—but whether a child is raised by a single parent or a married couple is a minor issue compared to whether she's raised in financial comfort, a study says. "Resources led...

Bill, Melinda Gates Bet Big on the Poor, Zapping Polio

Gates Foundation makes ambitious predictions for next 15 years

(Newser) - A bold prediction, courtesy of the Gates Foundation: The lives of people in poor countries "will improve faster in the next 15 years than at any time in history." That statement comes via the foundation's annual letter, published today , which makes some other "big bets."...

By Next Year, Richest 1% to Own More Than Other 99%
By Next Year, Richest 1% to Own More Than Other 99%
new report
Jan 19, 2015 7:47 AM CST

By Next Year, Richest 1% to Own More Than Other 99%

Oxfam calls for 7-point plan to address inequality

(Newser) - The rich really are getting richer—and by 2016, they'll own more than the rest of the world, says a research paper published by anti-poverty charity Oxfam. The paper shows that global wealth owned by the richest 1% jumped from 44% in 2009 to 48% in 2014, putting this...

Majority of Public School Students in US Are Poor

It's the first time in a half-century

(Newser) - One more challenge for US public schools: A new report finds that for the first time in 50 years, a majority of students come from poor families. Specifically, the Southern Education Foundation says that 51% of students in kindergarten through 12th grade qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch, a...

2.5M US Kids Are Homeless: Report
 One in 30 US Kids Is Homeless 
new report
Nov 17, 2014 8:49 AM CST

One in 30 US Kids Is Homeless

Figure up 8% from 2012 to 2013

(Newser) - The number of homeless children in the US has surged in recent years to an all-time high, amounting to one child in every 30, according to a comprehensive state-by-state report that blames the nation's high poverty rate, the lack of affordable housing, and the impact of pervasive domestic violence....

Boys Moved Out of Poverty Suffer War-Like PTSD

But it's a great benefit to girls, says study

(Newser) - It might seem like a can't-miss idea for kids in poverty: Move them from poor neighborhoods into better ones. But a comprehensive study of the practice finds a surprising twist: It tends to work well for girls and badly for boys, reports Science 2.0 . In fact, years later,...

Utah School Takes Lunches From Kids Who Owe

Parents outraged

(Newser) - Parents in Utah say they're outraged after up to 40 elementary school students at a Salt Lake City school had their school lunches thrown out because of outstanding balances on their account. The Salt Lake Tribune reports the move came Tuesday after the Salt Lake City District realized a...

85 Richest People Have as Much Money as Poorest Half
85 Richest People Have as Much Money as Poorest Half
NEW REPORT
Jan 20, 2014 7:23 AM CST

85 Richest People Have as Much Money as Poorest Half

And wealthiest 1% of population has 46% of world's wealth: Oxfam report

(Newser) - Here's a shocking detail from a new Oxfam report: The poorest half of the entire global population, comprised of 3.5 billion people, has as much money as the wealthiest 85 people around the world. How much is that, exactly? More than $1.6 trillion. And if you look...

LA's Most Destitute Pockets Reborn as 'Promise Zones'

As are parts of San Antonio, Philadelphia, Kentucky, Oklahoma

(Newser) - A large part of Los Angeles is being named a "Promise Zone" today by the White House, making the poverty-stricken areas included in the zone eligible for as much as $500 million in federal aid over the next decade. The Promise Zone touches five communities: Pico-Union, Westlake, Koreatown, East...

For Mumbai Gang Rapists, Act Had Grown 'Routine'

Cops say they raped at least 5 others the same way

(Newser) - The New York Times delves inside the gang rape of a a 23-year-old photojournalist earlier this year, finding the act had simply grown normal for the five men accused. Police say they had committed at least five other rapes in the same spot, all with a similar MO: spotting what...

8M Poor People Still Not Covered by ObamaCare

They live in states that opted out of the Medicaid expansion

(Newser) - The new health-care exchanges set up under ObamaCare are now a reality , but a New York Times analysis finds a problem with the rollout of the Affordable Care Act that goes beyond software glitches . About 8 million working poor people who need health insurance still can't get it, with...

Being Poor Lowers Your IQ
 Being Poor 
 Lowers Your IQ 
STUDY SAYS
Aug 30, 2013 3:52 PM CDT

Being Poor Lowers Your IQ

Study suggests a 13-point drop for those in poverty

(Newser) - Poverty doesn't just take a physical toll—it actually lowers a person's IQ, suggests a new study in Science . Researchers found that the IQ of those under constant financial strain dropped as much as 13 points, about the same effect as a night without sleep, reports the Washington ...

Most US Poor Now in the &#39;Burbs
New Home to Most Poor Americans: the 'Burbs
in case you missed it
May 25, 2013 8:02 AM CDT

New Home to Most Poor Americans: the 'Burbs

Suburban poverty has skyrocketed, study finds

(Newser) - The face of American poverty is now a suburban one, according to new research from the Brookings Institution. Researchers found that the number of people living in poverty in the suburbs soared 64% between 2000 and 2010, more than twice the rate of urban areas—meaning that now more poor...

Ben Affleck: I Plan to Live on $1.50 a Day

...for at least one day, to bring awareness to global poverty

(Newser) - According to one estimate, 1.4 billion people around the world have to get by on just $1.50 a day. To bring awareness to that fact, Ben Affleck will spend only that much on food and drink for "at least one day" next week. Sophia Bush, Josh Groban,...

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