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County poverty rate near 12 percent

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By Josh Sweigart, Staff Writer 7:04 PM Friday, January 22, 2010

HAMILTON — The sad thing is that the news was bad, but not surprising, according to a local advocate for the poor. In fact, he expects it to get worse.

The State of Poverty in Ohio report released Friday, Jan. 22, said roughly 11.9 percent of Butler County residents — or about 41,421 people — live in poverty.

But Jeffrey Diver, executive director of Supports to Encourage Low Income Families in Butler County, points out that number is from 2007.

“That adds additional concern for me when I think about how many people were in poverty in 2009, when Butler County was feeling the full crush of the recession,” he said. “It’s scary out there.”

More than 39 percent of Butler County’s students are “economically disadvantaged” and nearly 20 percent of households have a net worth of less than $15,000, Additionally, more than 12 percent of adults between ages 18 and 64 have no health insurance.

And while the percentages are up, so is Butler County’s total population.

But this county fared better than many others. Athens County, home of Ohio University, had a poverty rate of nearly 30 percent.

“We’re not unique in facing those hardships, and there are some counties that are suffering a whole lot more than Butler, but that’s no consolation to the people in Butler County who are suffering,” Diver said.

The report was released by the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies, which advocates the growth of jobs with benefits. The group also pushes for educational opportunities, affordable housing and reliable public transportation.

“These are longer-term needs that must be met for people to climb out of poverty,” OACAA Executive Director Phil Cole said.

At the same time, short-term “safety net” programs are needed, he said.

SELF provides some services, but Diver said the need outweighs the resources. Already this winter, home heating assistance requests are up roughly 20 percent from last year — which was a record year, he said.

And the county’s public transportation system is still mostly non-existent, Diver said.

The report “confirms something we have felt and known for some time,” he said. “The number of people in need is growing, the depth of that need is growing, and the resources...(are) not available to help all needs.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2175 or jsweigart@coxohio.com.

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