Poverty in the Suburbs
Today, while listening to the public radio station, I caught a news report about poverty. But it was not poverty as we normally hear about it in the news. According to AOL News, more people now live in poverty in the Suburbs than in actual cities. At first, I was very surprised to hear this, but then went on to explain the reasons behind this movement from city to suburb. Because more people than ever are living in suburbs, the population of suburbs are simply growing at a faster rate than in the city. With this population growth follows more diversity in the suburbs, and more jobs, specifically low-wage jobs. Also, recent immigrants are moving straight into suburbs and surpassing the city, and generally these immigrants have lower incomes than native born citizens. With these low wages follows poverty.
In the past, poverty has always been seen as a big city problem. But now, it is interesting to note how poverty can follow population growths and suburban spread. Unfortunately, this is a relatively new finding, and the general population still believes that poverty is mainly in the cities. This causes major problems for the poor who live in these suburbs without the resources that may be offered in a larger city to help them out. One woman spoke of how she had recently bought a car for $75 because there is no public transportation available to take her to her job, and how the insurance, gas money, and other expenses were slowly adding up and was becoming too expensive. Public transportation is just one example of something that the suburbs are lacking in terms of resources for the poor. The education in the suburbs is also usually more expensive, there are fewer organizations to help with everyday needs, the list goes on. Because the large population of people under the poverty line has been largely unnoticed in the suburbs, the poor there are struggling even more than they might have been in the big cities.
I guess it's time to rethink how we are helping the poor in our country and where to focus our energies. Even though it may seem that suburbs should escape the grips of poverty, it's time to realize that where the people go, poverty will follow. It's time to move to the burbs.
Comments
Thanks for presenting such an interesting post. Although this trend is occurring nationally, it is especially evident in the Minneapolis area. The article on AOL presented some valid explanations for this phenomena and I will present another frame for looking at this issue locally. Anyone who takes a look at the Minneapolis skyline will see the huge cranes dotting the view. These projects signify one more reason why many of the local suburbs are seeing a rise in the working poor. Condominiums.
The city of Minneapolis has seen a rapid influx of investment in the development of new high-end condominium projects to offer upscale living near the downtown area. The suburbs of the Twin Cities have now sprawled so far out that anyone needing to travel near the downtown area for work faces an unreasonable commute time—even more threatening when faced with rising fuel prices. Plus, with other developments like the Target Center, new Guthrie Theatre, and proposed Twin’s ballpark, the opportunities for spending more leisure time in and around downtown makes the distance a challenge. Check out http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/06/16_williamsb_downtown/ for further insight here.
How is this in relationship to the suburban poor? Many of the condominiums that have sprung up have been units of affordable or subsidized housing that has been converted. According to the Housing Preservation Project more than 3,000 units of affordable housing have been converted for condominium usage since 2000. These numbers are expected to grow unless the city decides to curb development. (Unlikely since the development is a major portion of the economic revitalization of downtown districts) With a typical baseline price tag for a 1-bedroom condo being $150,000 near the downtown area it understandable to see how the suburbs are seeing a rise in numbers of working poor. Although traditionally thought to be a refuge for the middle-class after a long day at work, “the burbs� are now becoming the only option for affordable housing for the working class poor.
Check out HPP’s housing report to see the trends of where these condos are being built and how they are affecting the working poor in Minneapolis. http://www.hppinc.org/?q=condos
Posted by: Amy D. | February 1, 2007 3:37 PM