JANUARY IS “POVERTY IN AMERICA AWARENESS MONTH”
New Media Campaign Focuses Attention on U.S. Children Living Below the Poverty Line

Washington, D.C. - January 2008 - The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) this month launched a new national awareness campaign that calls attention to the 36.5 million Americans now living in poverty, according to the most recent U.S. Census figures. At the same time, it focuses greater attention on the struggles poor and low-income people face who are living below the “poverty line.”

Timed to coincide with the beginning of Poverty in America Awareness Month, the new CCHD-sponsored campaign uses television, radio and print ads to attract attention to the high number of American children who are living below the poverty line. The overall poverty rate declined slightly from 12.6 percent in 2005 to 12.3 percent in 2006.  However, for children younger than 18, the poverty rate is 17.4 percent, amounting to 12.8 million American children, or nearly one in every six children.

According to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau in August 2007, 9.8 percent of all families are living in poverty, which amounts to 7.7 million families.

As defined by the government and updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index, the new poverty threshold for a family of four is $20,614; for a family of three, $16,079; and for a family of two, $13,167. Other studies have shown that Americans believe the current poverty threshold figure is unrealistic. A study conducted by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development a few years ago showed that most Americans believed it took closer to $35,000 annually to adequately house, clothe and feed a family of four.

This year’s awareness campaign offers a glimpse at the struggles that poor and low-income children face day-to-day. It seeks to educate the public about the cost of living and how hard it is for those living in poverty to budget for basic expenses. On its website www.povertyusa.org are suggested ways to get involved and help end poverty for good, and educational materials, such as a Poverty Tour and classroom lesson plans.

Since its inception, the Campaign has provided seed money to train leaders in the community for programs that are initiated and led by low-income people themselves. Over the years, CCHD has offered close to $300 million in grants.

Established in 1970 by the U.S. Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is one of the largest private funders of self-help programs initiated and led by poor people in the United States. Committed to the permanent elimination of poverty and injustice in the U.S., CCHD supports programs nationwide that know no racial or religious boundaries - projects that help create jobs, improve neighborhoods and allow people to find a way out of poverty not just for a day, but a lifetime.

Contact:
Charles Evans
202-541-3364
cevans@usccb.org

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