One In Three Kids In Scranton In Poverty

Locator map of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area in the northeastern part of the of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As grim as the numbers are, Monsignor Joseph P. Kelly anticipated worse.

New U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Thursday showed deepening poverty across Northeast Pennsylvania, particularly among children.

In Scranton, more than one of every three children – a whopping 33.5 percent – lived in poverty in 2012. Throughout the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton metro area, the rate was one in four among kids and one in six across the entire population.

“I’m not surprised other than I thought the numbers would be higher overall,” said Monsignor Kelly, executive director of Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton.

That he was wrong didn’t make him feel any better about the figures or the misery they represent.

“I don’t know how our families are surviving,” he said. “There is little or no help.”

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/one-in-three-kids-in-scranton-in-poverty-1.1555434

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Funds Cut

The federally funded LIHEAP provides cash grants to help income-eligible homeowners or renters pay for home heating fuel.  The state Department of Public Welfare expects the LIHEAP funding from the federal government to be cut in half. Last year, the state received $326 million in funding.  The expectation for this winter is $163 million, said Carey Miller, the department’s spokeswoman.  Thus, the department has changed the eligibility levels for funding, as well as the maximum amounts people can receive.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/news/ci_19621104