This blog is a place for journalists to discuss their experiences covering poverty. It works in tandem with onpoverty.org, a site run by Washington and Lee University's American Poverty Journalism Center.
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Out of money, out of time: Is retirement becoming a negotiation?
Nearly three out of five middle-class retirees will run out of money if they maintain their pre-retirement lifestyles, a new study from Ernst & Young has concluded. The study concludes that middle-income Americans nearing retirement will have to reduce their standard of living by an average of 24 percent to keep from outliving their financial assets. This week, we feature a Washington Post article on the rising difficulty of preparing for retirement as costs and life-expectancies increase.
Original story
New York mayor unveils new poverty gauge
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that he and his aides have found a newer, more accurate method of measuring poverty. Calling the current federal poverty measure outdated, Bloomberg hopes his gauge will become the new national standard. The current federal measure shows New York City with a poverty rate of 18.9 percent. But Bloomberg’s method shows a rate of 23 percent.
Original story
Labels: Mayor Bloomberg, new york, poverty gauge
Pittsburg waives vendor fees for homeless paper
Pittsburgh homeless who write and distribute a local paper for donations will not have to pay normal vendor fees. Word on the Street will be sold by homeless residents for a suggested donation of $1 as a more productive alternative to panhandling. And now, the paper’s vendors will not have to pay the $307per person fee normally required for anyone to sell wares in public.
Original story
Labels: homeless, homeless newspaper, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh City Paper, vendor fees, Word on the Street
Young adults suffer job shortage
Youths looking for work are hard hit this summer. The national youth jobless rate for June was its highest in six decades as young adults seeking low-skill service jobs contend with older, laid-off workers, illegal immigrants, and college graduates who can’t find work in their fields. Cuts in federal summer job programs also contribute to the problem.
Original story
Labels: national youth trends, summer jobs, The Washington Post, youth jobless rate
The road from jail to job
Good jobs often help to keep lawbreakers from returning to jail. But too often, experts say, ex-offenders can’t find employment, which can create a revolving jailhouse door and higher taxpayer costs. Now, the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce is trying to better understand this dynamic, and to figure out ways to change it.
Original story
Labels: employment, jail, Omaha, taxes, The World Herald, unemployment
New visions for public school system
The new president of the American Federation of Teachers wants to redefine the role of public schools. Instead of focusing on standardized testing, New Yorker Randi Weingarten would like to see public schools act as community centers that help poor students succeed by offering everything from educational to medical services.
Original story
Labels: education, new york, no child left behind, poor, public schools, randi weingarten, standardized testing
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