It's time to get serious about reducing poverty in Milwaukee
By DAVID RIEMER and DEBORAH BLANKS
Posted: June 24, 2006, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Federal Census Bureau numbers reveal that from 1970 to 2004, the percent of Milwaukeeans with incomes below the official poverty line rose steeply from 11% to 26% of the population.

But during the 1990s, the poverty rate fell slightly. It was 22% according to the 1990 census, but dipped to 21% by the 2000 census.

This seldom noticed decline in poverty during the 1990s might have been larger.

During that decade, low-income workers began to qualify for an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit and the BadgerCare health insurance program, yet the Census Bureau doesn't measure such "work supports" when calculating the official poverty rate.

While census data has historically been proven to be somewhat unreliable, the fact remains that too many children, families and individuals in Milwaukee are living in poverty. And many who may not be classified as living in poverty by federal guidelines are still living without sufficient resources to meet their basic needs.

Our goal here, however, is not to dig into the minutiae of how poverty is measured. Rather, we wish to make a very simple but very important point: Poverty in Milwaukee can be reduced. It can even be eliminated, over time.

We need to figure out what we did right during the 1990s, then do it again and do it better.

Mayor Tom Barrett has taken the lead by assembling nearly a dozen local leaders from the fields of education, social services, labor and business to serve on an Anti-Poverty Committee. The mayor has asked the two of us, together with Hugo Cardona, to co-chair this effort.

On Thursday at La Causa, we'll be holding a forum at which national and local experts will help pinpoint the causes of poverty in Milwaukee and recommend specific solutions to the problem. Following the forum, we've scheduled several listening sessions around city.

Action is our goal. Barrett has made it clear that this is no theoretical exercise. As long as more than a quarter of this city's population lives in poverty; as long as tens of thousands of our fellow Milwaukeeans have no work, lack full-time work or work full time but earn too little to get by; there is work to be done.

Wringing hands and pointing fingers are not options. The only option that makes sense is the one we're pursuing: Figure out the problem, figure out the solution and take bold action.

What specific steps should Milwaukee take to sharply reduce the level of poverty in our community?

We must wait for the upcoming forum - and the listening sessions to follow - before deciding on a specific action plan.

But already, several directions seem clear:

• First, we need to do a far better job of helping poor, unemployed, single adults - mostly men and disproportionately minorities - find jobs. Tragically, the only systematic program that provides some of these men with work, adequate nutrition and affordable housing is the Wisconsin prison system, and we can't bear to see more of our young men go to prison.

• Second, we need to take a look a good hard look at whether or not there are enough jobs to go around in the regular economy. If not, we should look at options to get people work experience and entry into the work force.

This could include consideration of a modest program of transitional jobs that could employ people who've looked for a long time without success for a regular job.

Utilizing federal, state and other funding assistance, resources could be directed to short-term employment that would provide people with the experience and self-confidence to compete for regular work as it becomes available.

• Third, we need to strengthen our system of work supports. The mechanisms in place for training the unemployed and placing them in jobs in the private sector leave much to be desired.

The Earned Income Tax Credit has proved to be a successful tool for encouraging the unemployed to take jobs and making work pay for those who do. But the EITC does almost nothing for childless adults, and its phase-out inadvertently creates a work disincentive and a marriage penalty for those trying to move higher up the job ladder.

And finally, tens of thousands of Milwaukeeans have no health insurance, which makes it hard for unemployed persons with health problems to find work.

Mayors in other cities such as New York and Fresno, Calif., have not been fazed by these challenges but have launched their own anti-poverty effort. While we face a big challenge ahead, our mayor understands that we Milwaukeeans like to tackle the tough problems, and shake things up if need be, to make our community better.

While it is easy to see the impact of poverty in the lives of some children and families, the reality is that poverty affects us all. It is in our collective self-interest to work together to eliminate poverty in this region.

The mayor has defined for our city a set of priorities that virtually all Milwaukeeans share. We need more and better jobs, lower crime and improved education.

We need to do all this while keeping taxes down for everyone: for the poor themselves, for the middle class and for business. Ending poverty is linked to all three goals.

The time has come to get going.

David Riemer is director of Wisconsin Health Project, and Deborah Blanks is CEO of the Social Development Commission.

Back to Hunger News