POVERTY

Being researched

POVERTY. Creating awareness of a life in poverty was the goal in 2002 of OPERATION NEW VIEW and the Iowa State Extension. A 3-hour learning experience called "Exploring the State of Poverty Welfare Simulation" was conducted on November 7, 2002 at WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. (1) Simulations appeared repetitively through 2015. Students studying social work at LORAS COLLEGE in three courses were divided into "families to participate in four, 15-minute sessions that simulated a week in poverty. Loras had used simulations for fifteen years, but in 2015 for the first time it partnered with OPERATION: NEW VIEW which facilitated poverty simulations for free in Dubuque, Jackson, and Delaware counties. (2)

Statistics involving poverty from the 2004 U. S. Census Bureau found that families led by single women led all sectors of the population in poverty. Over 28% of single women headed households considered poor in 2004; rates topped 40% for AFRICAN AMERICANS and HISPANICS headed by females. (3)

Politics were never forgotten in the arguments over what should be done. In 2005 Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the fourth-largest Protestant denomination in the United States came to Dubuque. While attending a Rural Ministry Conference at WARTBURG THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY he called balancing a deficit budget by cutting the "social network" an issue of justice and fairness. He stated that he found it "perplexing" that the term "homeland security" would mean getting on an airplane safely but not ensure that a single mother's children were fed. (4)

In 2010 the number of children living below the poverty line--an income level based on the number of people in the household--had increased by 42% over the past decade. The Census Bureau in 2015 considered that a family of four to be in poverty if its annual income was at or below $22,314. (5) This definition had changed from 2005 when the federal government defined the poverty level at $15,577 for a family of three. (6) A family of five was defined as poor if their income was less than $22,543. (7) One-third of Dubuque's public school students were eligible for free or reduced-price meals with the number varying by school. In Fulton, Prescott, and Audubon elementary schools over 80% of the students were eligible. At DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL one-third of the students are eligible. (8)

The "Bridges Out of Poverty" project begun in 2007 was a training program for people from the middle class develop a working model of what it means to live impoverished, middle class and wealthy lifestyles, and the hidden rules of getting ahead in society. The "Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin' By World" program was planned to help low-income families how to develop a path to stable, secure lifestyles by understanding the hidden rules of class. (9) "Bridges" defined "poverty" as being without resources more than money. Resources included: (10)

         Financial--having the money to buy goods and services
         Emotional--being able to choose and control emotional
              responses to negative situations
         Mental--having the abilities and acquired skills to
              deal with daily life
         Spiritual--believing in divine purpose and guidance
         Physical--health and mobility
         Support systems--resources available in times of need,
               such as friends and family
         Relationships/role models--access to adults who are
               nurturing and do not engage in self-destructive
               behavior
         Knowledge of hidden rules--knowing the unspoken cues
               and habits of a socioeconomic group
          

In 2010 the Circles Initiative was the final stage of the Bridges Initiative. This campaign was to change communities by building relationships across class lines that inspire and equip people to end poverty. (11) A "circle" involved a family working to get out of poverty and two to four community "allies" who were Getting Ahead graduates who were willing to befriend the family and support their way out of poverty. Circles was sponsored by the Family Self-Sufficiency office of the Dubuque Housing and Community Development Department. Rather than mentoring, Circles was designed as an informal two-way relationship where everyone involved learned from each other. Getting Ahead graduates who received a $20 stipend each week for attending class were the "poverty experts." (12) Their experiences could inform others of circumstances that kept them in poverty. (13)

Between 2007 and 2011 an estimated 2,500 people attended the Bridges Out of Poverty classes in Dubuque. This included people from Sioux City because the Dubuque program was the first of its kind in Iowa. The Getting Ahead program had graduated 144 Dubuque residents. The Circles project was overseen by Move the Mountain which monitored and provided assistance to local initiatives. "Allies" tended to be retired whites and it was hoped that younger people and minorities would make up a larger proportion. Getting Ahead graduates were generally AFRICAN AMERICANS. (14)

In the election season of 2012 the importance of helping those burdened by meeting their daily needs participants in their community gained extra importance. Referring back to the definition of poverty used in "Bridges" this meant attending a city council meeting or voting. (15)

Independent activities were also taking place to address poverty. On September 27, 2014 the St. Vincent de Paul Society Friends of the Poor Walk was held in conjunction with Catholic Financial Life. The walk began at LOUIS MURPHY PARK and included a circuit around MT. CARMEL. Participants were asked to raise a minium of $25 as a goal. A silent auction included hotel stays and a golf package. Proceeds supplemented ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY programs. The National Friends of the Poor Walk began in 2008 on the 175th anniversary of the society which believes spiritual growth comes through acts of charity. In 2013 the walk was held in 232 locations across the country. The Dubuque walk in 2013 involved 300 participants and raised $10,000. (16)

In 2015 data from the U. S. Census Bureau showed that the percentage of tri-state area residents living in poverty continued to rise even as the country emerged from recession. Since the pre-recession year of 2007 the number of Dubuque County residents living in poverty had increased 2.7% to a figure of 11.5%. From 2012-2015 Dubuque--with 3% of the state's population--saw more than 8% of all new jobs added across the state. Average wages over the period exceeded the rate of inflation by more than 15%. Higher wages, an attempt to life low-wage workers out of poverty, actually left them in worse condition. Higher wages resulted in the employees losing federal benefits like food stamps and Medicaid or housing subsidies. The highest pay in high-tech manufacturing, engineering, or computer technology was out of reach of low-skilled workers. (17)

There had developed a disconnect between the unemployment rate and the number of people living in poverty. In 2015 Dubuque experienced an average annual job growth of about 1.6% and 3% unemployment. This, however, did not account for those unable to find full-time employment and those who had given up. Those working in fast-food and service industries earned wages leaving their unable to support their families. Following the recession more businesses became automated with a resulting cut in employment. (18)

In 2015 INCLUSIVE DUBUQUE partnering with the city's Human Rights Department gathered information through dialogue sessions from more than six hundred residents with another 1,700 filling out a survey. (19) Among the findings was that 17% of the students in the DUBUQUE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT compared to 2.2% of the staff. Superintendent Rheingans noted that the District had tried a variety of ways to attract minorities, but that higher pay in Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota had the job very difficult. He added that education departments, especially at the UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE had begun seeing more diverse enrollment and noted it was a "growing opportunity for us." Multi-cultural training had been offered beginning in 2006 by the city with its three-year Intercultural Competency Initiative. In a similar manner, the public schools had regularly used in-service days and required workshops for multi-cultural education. Working with the Dubuque Human Rights Department lesson plans for high school and middle schools had been designed to address racial and cultural differences. (20)

While noting that a significant number of minority populations were well-educated, the need for more outreach was expressed. In 2014, 570 Dubuque high school students took an advanced placement (AP) test. Of these, 90% were white, nearly 2% were African American, and less than 1% were Hispanic. Partnering with nonprofits to promote grade-level reading and dropout-prevention initiatives, the school district received $10,000 in 2014 from the Foundation for Dubuque Public Schools to expand the districts Leadership Enrichment Afterschool Programming (LEAP). The goal of the program was to broaden students' general educational experiences through new experiences, discovering their talents, reinforcing productive behavior and building self-confidence. In past years, LEAP was only available to students at the middle schools due to it being funded by a grant supporting the program for Title I schools. The district also partnered to promote tutoring services at the DUBUQUE DREAM CENTER and the DUBUQUE BLACK MEN COALITION job-skills and leadership development program. (21)

Transportation, or a lack thereof, was also highlighted. Lack of an automobile likely meant children unable to reach Head Start programs or workers able to reach jobs on the West Side. The JULE only has defined routes and did not run at each working shift. Transit officials, however, countered that changes made had reduced travel times, increased coverage and extended hours resulting to record ridership. According to city figures, fixed-route ridership increased an average of 25% per month since the changes. (22)

In July, 2019 members of the city council approved soliciting proposals for the creation of an Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan for a maximum budgeted amount of $75,000. (23)

Research indicated that in 2019 16% of the 54,940 residents in the city lived in poverty. Minority residents were significantly more likely to live in poverty than the national averages. The rate of white residents living in poverty was slightly above the national average. Among AFRICAN AMERICANS in Dubuque 60% lived in poverty while the national average was 25.2%. Among HISPANICS in Dubuque, 26% lived in poverty compared to the national average of 22%. Among residents of two or more races in Dubuque, 47.6% lived in poverty which was far higher than the national average of 18.4%. (24)

The planning process would examine existing programs to determine their success. Dubuque officials could reach out to STAR communities nationally to observe their programs. STAR cities were communities thought to have made progress on sustainable planning efforts. (25) Trends and best practices would be studied and performance goals established to gauge the success of the new plan. The firm selected would study self-sufficiency, economic and employment programs, internet and computer-training programs, access to affordable housing, nutrition and CHILDREN'S MEAL PROGRAMS. (26)

The new plan followed the city's participation in Dubuque Circles Initiatives with partner organizations. That program evolved into Gaining Opportunities in 2018. The new plan would operation with Gaining Opportunities until the new plan concluded at which time Gaining Opportunities would change reflecting the new plan's findings and goals. (27)

In 2019 a United Way study using "point-in-time data" collected in 2016 indicated that the growing financial hardships of this decade largely due to one category named Asset Limited Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) but often called the "working poor." In Dubuque County, 14% of all households fell into this category in 2010. By 2014 the percentage had risen to 22%. Additionally, 11% of households were below the poverty level in 2016, up from 10% in 2010. The ALICE report challenged the idea that "getting a job" was sufficient to rise out of poverty. The report indicated that a single adult in Dubuque County needed a monthly income of $1,608. This could be earned by a full-time job paying $9.65 per hour. The ALICE study, however, found that a Dubuque County family with two adults, an infant and a pre-schooler spent $4,887 per month to meet basic needs. (28)

Helping some people was the Housing Choice Voucher program, a federal initiative operated locally by the City of Dubuque. In 2018 the city had adequate funding to distribute an estimated 850 housing vouchers. Demand, however, outpaced the supply. (29)

Census data clearly indicated that advanced education was important. In December, 2018 the median wage for households was $59,150--an increase from $56,154 the previous year. Residents with less than a high school education earned a median income of $21,200, high school graduates or those with an equivalency degree earned $30,700, those with an associate's degree had a median income of $34,100 while a bachelor's degree raised the income to $45,750. Those with a graduate degree had a median income of $58,600. (30)

To help those needing education and training, Opportunity Dubuque, a partnership of the GREATER DUBUQUE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (GDDC) and Northeast Iowa Community College, allowed participants to complete industry-driven certifications to upgrade their skills or begin their careers. While these courses were free of charge, child care and transportation could pose barriers. In 2018 GDDC began a pilot program for fifty Opportunity Dubuque participants who would receive free child care during their training and for up to a year after obtaining employment. (31)

---

Source:

1. "Living in Poverty," (advertisement), Telegraph Herald, October 27, 2002, p. 103

2. Becker, Stacey, "Poverty Simulation Offers Perspective," Telegraph Herald, January 9, 2015, p. 3

3. Kittle, M. D., This is What You Call Poverty," Telegraph Herald, December 25, 2005, p. !A

4. Nevans-Pederson, Mary, "Bishop Shares Distaste for Bush's Economics," Telegraph Herald, March 15, 2005, p. 1A

5. Kittle, p. 8

6. Hogstrom, Erik, "'It Doesn't Surprise Me At All," Telegraph Herald, September 24, 2011, p. 1A

7. "Poverty Follows Families to Suburbs," Telegraph Herald, December 7, 2006, p. 81

8. Ullrich, Kurt, ""More Iowa Children in Poverty," Telegraph Herald, December 21, 2010, p. 1A

9. Kittle, Emily, "Ott Man Out," Telegraph Herald, December 28, 2008, p. 51

10. "A Bridges Definition of Poverty," Telegraph Herald, July 24, 2011, p. 1A

11. Piper, Andy,"Program Combats 'Circle of Poverty," Telegraph Herald, September 15, 2010, p. 2A

12. Ibid.

13. Piper, Andy, "'Circles' Aims to Bridge Class Lines," Telegraph Herald, September 20, 2010, p. 1A

14. Piper, Andy, "'Allies' Offer Guidance Hope at Weekly Meetings," Telegraph Herald, July 24, 2011, p. 1A

15. Schmidt, Eileen Mozinski,"'People Have to Understand What Poverty Is,'" Telegraph Herald, September 20, 2012, p. 3A

16. Barton, Thomas J. and Craig Reber, "Poverty Rates Remain Stubborn," Telegraph Herald, December 16, 2015, p. 1A

17. Ibid.

18. Barton, Thomas J., "Diversity Spawns Push for Equity," Telegraph Herald, September 27, 2015, p. 1A

19. Ibid. p. 6

20. Ibid.

21. Ibid.

22. Fisher, Benjamin, "Dubuque Seeks Consultant for Anti-Poverty Plan," Telegraph Herald, July 22, 2019, p. 3A

23. Ibid.

24. Fisher, Benjamin, "City Eyes Poverty Reduction Proposal," Telegraph Herald, February 15, 2019, p. 1A

25. Fisher, "Dubuque Seeks Consultant...

26. Ibid.

27. Ibid.

28. Montgomery, Jeff, "Paycheck to Paycheck," Telegraph Herald, January 27, 2019, p. 6

29. Ibid.

30. Ibid.

31. Ibid.