FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 20, 2012 CONTACT: Allyson Stewart

Social IMPACT Research Center at Heartland Alliance Phone: 312.870.4940 Email: alstewart@heartlandalliance.org

Poverty Up, Incomes Down in Chicago Illinois Rapidly Loses Ground on Poverty Reduction Commitment
CHICAGO The Social IMPACT Research Centers analysis of new Census Bureau data released today presents a startling picture of poverty in Illinois. In combination with the Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty report released last week, the reports reveal that the state is sliding backwards in its stated commitment to halve the number of Illinoisans living in extreme poverty by 2015: 1,204,445 people are living in poverty in the Chicago region, a significant increase from 2007. Nearly half (48%) live in the suburbs. The four counties with the highest numbers of people living in poverty in Illinois are in the Chicago region: Cook, Lake, DuPage, and Kane. In Chicago nearly 1 in 4 residents experienced poverty and over 35% of children lived in poverty in 2011. Over 1 in 4 children in the Chicago region were living in poverty in 2011, an increase of 92,462 children since 2007. Over half a million people (535,670) in the Chicago region were living in extreme poverty in 2011. This number grew by 119,551 since 2007. Median household income in Chicago was $43,628 in 2011, well below the national median household income of $50,502, and a significant decline from 2007 when it was at $49,361. Lake and McHenry counties had the largest drops in median household income in Illinois from 2007 to 2011.

The Social IMPACT Research Center at Heartland Alliance, the leading anti-poverty organization in the Midwest, has analyzed the new census data released today and has poverty experts available to provide analysis of the new data and discuss their context and implications. IMPACT has created local fact sheets that include a 2011 snapshot and outline income and poverty trends and health insurance coverage information for Chicago, all Illinois counties with populations over 65,000 as well as Midwest states. The fact sheets will be available on request and will also be made available throughout the day on Thursday, September 20 and Friday, September 21 at http://www.heartlandalliance.org/research/. Heres a quick look at the key trends for Chicago:

Poverty in the Chicago Region Percent Change from 2007 to 2011 3.0* 2.8* 3.2* 5.6* 5.3* 3.5* 2.4* 3.3* 3.2* 3.4*

County/Area Cook County Cook County w/out Chicago DuPage County Kane County Lake County McHenry County Will County 6 county region Chicago only Suburban counties only
* means change is statistically significant

Number Living in Poverty 905,232 275,768 70,073 67,635 78,190 28,226 55,089 1,204,445 629,464 574,981

Percent Living in Poverty 17.6 11.1 7.7 13.2 11.4 9.2 8.2 14.6 23.7 10.3

Median Household Income in the Chicago Region County/Area Chicago only Cook County DuPage County Kane County Lake County McHenry County Will County
* means change is statistically significant

2011 Amount $ $ $ $ $ $ $

43,628 50,813 74,072 66,497 74,266 70,117 71,882

Change from 2007 to 2011 $ -5,733* $ -6,205* $ -5,625* $ -7,790* $ -10,163* $ -9,378* $ -5,550*

The growing number of individuals experiencing extreme poverty and the lack of policy solutions advanced to address the growing need signifies an absence of political will and lack of commitment among decision makers to reduce poverty. These near unprecedented poverty levels are not simply the result of the recession and a sluggish recovery. Poverty was on the rise before the recession began as broader shifts in wages, job quality, workforce preparation, inequality, and harmful cuts to the safety net disproportionately impacted people at the lower end of the income spectrum, says Amy Rynell, Director of the Social IMPACT Research Center at Heartland Alliance. Instead of acting to reverse this trend, the state not only stalled 11 of 12 bills introduced in the 2012 session to address poverty, but continued to cut funding for key programs. The Poverty Commissions report offers a series of recommendations that can help Illinois refocus its efforts and take steps towards the achievable goal of cutting extreme poverty in half. The recommendations include

an increase in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash grant to bring those covered up to 50% of the federal poverty level, an increase in the TANF participation rate to reach half of all those eligible, expansion of rental housing subsidies to an additional 2,500 households, provision of 2,500 new community college scholarships for those living in extreme poverty, and creation of a statewide Transitional Jobs program to create 40,000 new jobs.

Please contact Allyson Stewart, Phone: 312.870.4940, Email: alstewart@heartlandalliance.org

TO INTERVIEW HEARTLAND ALLIANCES POVERTY EXPERTS,

TO OBTAIN THE FACT SHEETS ON SEPTEMBER 20 and 21, PLEASE VISIT

http://www.heartlandalliance.org/research/

Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights is the leading anti-poverty organization in the Midwest and believes that all of us deserve the opportunity to improve our lives. Each year, we help ensure this opportunity for more than one million people around the world who are homeless, living in poverty, or seeking safety. Our policy efforts strengthen communities; our comprehensive services empower those we serve to rebuild and transform their lives. The Social Impact Research Center (IMPACT), the research arm of Heartland Alliance, provides dynamic research and analysis on todays most pressing social issues and solutions to inform and equip those working toward a just global society. The Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty is an independent body that was formed in 2008 to create a strategy for the state to cut extreme poverty in half in a manner consistent with international human rights standards. The Commission issued its recommended strategy in Building a Pathway to Dignity & Work, a report released in December of 2010. The Commissions 2012 Annual Progress Report fulfills the statutory directive that the Commission report annually on the implementation of its poverty elimination strategy and on progress the state has made toward the 2015 goal. The Commission is staffed by the office of Governor Pat Quinn and by Heartland Alliance. For more information: 312.870.4949 | research@heartlandalliance.org | www.heartlandalliance.org/research