“ It ’ s shameful that California has such a high poverty rate ,” said Ted Lempert , president of the advocacy group Children Now . “ Of particular concern in this report is the number of kids in concentrated poverty . What that means is , not only is the kid and family in poverty , but the area in which they live ” also has a large percentage of low-income households .
Nationwide , children of color are disproportionately impacted . African American and Native American children are seven times more likely than white children to live in a low-income area , according to the report . Latino children are five times more likely . California and Texas have the highest number of Latino children living in concentrated poverty in the nation .
Partly due to decades of environmental policies that discriminated against lowincome neighborhoods , children in these areas also have a greater risk of exposure to environmental hazards such as air pollution and lead .
Growing up in a low-income neighborhood puts children at a disadvantage , making it harder for them to break out of the poverty cycle once they become adults , Spencer explained .
“ The issues compound ,” Spencer said . “ Being in a neighborhood where there ’ s a breadth of poverty compounds on people who are already living in poverty .”
The rate of California children living in lowincome neighborhoods has improved since the Great Recession , when it stood at 15 percent . Close to 1.4 million children lived in low-income neighborhoods in California between 2008-12 , according to the report .
But Spencer said the state should do more to help the nearly 1.2 million children still living in low-income neighborhoods . Part of the problem is likely California ’ s high housing costs , and wages that don ’ t keep up with the increasing cost of living , he said .
Policymakers must also do more to address racial disparities that stem from historical discrimination and ongoing inequalities , Spencer said .
“ We have a history of wealth distributing and wealth denying in the United States by policy , and so people who started out behind the opportunity curve have a higher propensity to stay behind the opportunity curve ,” Spencer said . “ We need to build a more equitable future in which we expand the range of opportunities , particularly in those neighborhoods and for communities of color .”
The report recommends that governments , businesses and non-profit organizations work together to revitalize low-income neighborhoods . This includes supporting development of affordable housing and home ownership , putting vacant properties to use , changing zoning rules to allow for more apartment buildings , and ending housing discrimination against people with housing vouchers or criminal records .
Additionally , large community institutions such as hospitals and universities should be incentivized to hire and contract locally and from minority-owned businesses , the report states .
Source :
https :// www . calhealthreport . org / 2019 / 10 / 15 / over-1- million-children-live-in-low-income-neighborhoodsin-california