Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Philadelphia County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In an unusually frank document, the city has laid out stark statistical descriptions of poverty in Philadelphia, accompanied by a plan to try to deal with the problem.
The Shared Prosperity Philadelphia plan, presented Thursday at the Central Library of the Free Library of Philadelphia, states that at a “staggering 28 percent,” the poverty rate here is the highest among the nation’s 10 largest cities. More than 430,000 of the city’s 1,547,600 residents live below the federal poverty line, the report points out. The poverty line ranges from $11,490 for a single person to $23,550 for a family of four.
Further, black and Latino Philadelphians are twice as likely to be poor as whites. “Most distressing,” the report continues, “39 percent of Philadelphia’s children are poor.”
Poverty is a “persistent and devastating problem” in Philadelphia, and holds back many residents, Mayor Nutter said at the event. “We may never benefit from their knowledge and abilities because they will never have the chance to develop their talent,” he said.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130712_City_outlines_plan_to_deal_with_poverty.html#pqtpEKGxsieZayRO.99
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