Poverty In Ingham County

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In 2012, Ingham County was home to 281, 723 residents according to the United States Census Bureau. The historical data of Ingham County up to 2010 shows an upward trend of poverty from 14.63% in 2000, to 20.58% in 2010 (usa.com). In Ingham County 11.5% of people make 10, 000 dollars or less a year which is considered extreme poverty, while 10.7% of people make 30-40 thousand dollars a year (usa.com). This may not seem like a high number or people who live in poverty or are struggling depending on the number of people they are supporting, but compared to the 2.5 percent of people who earn 250, 000 dollars or more in Ingham County, the percentage difference is to be a big difference. My biggest focus on Ingham County is the child poverty…show more content…
For example, 14,000 kids have been positively affected by the Michigan Earned Income tax credit, but because it has been cut by 14%, low-income youth are unable to receive the benefits (kidscount). Youth in families that are receiving unemployment are affected because unemployment was cut from 26 weeks to 20 weeks and cash assistance has become more difficult to receive (kidscount). Poverty affects the youth in many ways, such as their family life and education. Many children are neglected in cases of low-income families. 32,500 children have been neglected in 2010, and in Ingham County 42 percent of children have been abused or neglected (milhs.org). In Ingham County, 8.5 children of every 1000 are in out of home care, referring to foster homes, etc (milhs.org). Unemployment rates and low income is affecting the youth and children in terrible ways. WLNS.COM reported in an article titled “More Michigan Children living in Poverty” that there are a lot of reasons why neglect and abuse has gone up 92%. Now there are more health professionals available to investigate issues of neglect and abuse and family court in Ingham County has become a strong source of help for…show more content…
Distribution. Retrieved August 3, 2013 from http://www.msu.edu/%7Efoodbank/distribution.htm. More Michigan Children Living in Poverty. (2013, Jan 31). Retrieved August 3, 2013 from http://www.wlns.com/story/20882873/report-more-michigan-children-living-in-poverty. Wittrock, Angela. (2013, January 31, 2013). Report: Cases of child abuse, neglect jump 92 percent in ingham County. Retrieved Aug 3, 2013 from http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2013/01/report_cases_of_child_abuse_ne.html. Kids Count: Growing poverty threatens children’s health. (2012, January 24). Kids count in michigan. Retreived August 3, 2013 from http://www.milhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/InghamLocalFinal.pdf. Michigan 200k or more Household income Percentage County Rank. http://www.usa.com/rank/michigan-state--200k-or-more-household-income-percentage--county-rank.htm?hl=Ingham&hlst=MI&yr=6000 Ingham County, MI Unemployment Rate: 8.9% for Jun 2013. Economic indicators. Retreievd Aug 3, 2013 from http://ycharts.com/indicators/ingham_county_mi_unemployment_rate Ingham County Assistance Programs. Retrieved August 3, 2013 from
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