Howard County Council To Address Questions About Working Poor
Howard County residents aren’t immune to financial struggles, group says.
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A group whose study found that a family of three needs more than $63,000 a year to not be considered "working poor" in Howard County is asking the County Council to address questions about how to best serve those in need, especially in regard to affordable housing.
The Association of Community Services of Howard County (ACS), a network of Howard County human services providers and advocates, was set to meet Tuesday with County Council members in the wake of the findings of a study commissioned by the ACS and conducted by the Policy Analysis Center.
The study, entitled "Making Ends Meet" in Howard County, was conducted over more than a year by researchers at The Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies, finding that a family with two adults and one infant needs $63,537 to no longer be considered among the working poor in Howard County—more than $45,000 above the federal poverty level.
Further, a single parent family with two children must earn $72,000 a year in Howard County to escape the label of “the working poor,” according to the study.
"ACS looks forward to working collaboratively with government and the business, education, faith and funding communities to identify approaches to resolving several workforce issues that emerge in this study,” ACS Executive Director Duane St.Clair said in a statement at the time the report was released in the fall.
“Of particular priority are: affordable quality childcare; education and training opportunities; and access to employment services that help workers identify pathways to increased earnings."
The ACS has asked the council for responses to questions, including how low wage earners can be helped to be successful without losing needed government benefits – a cycle it says penalizes the poor once they begin to make more income.
The group also wants to know what issues are of importance to county residents in need of services and what non-profit service providers need to know to be more effective.
Affordable housing and transportation are also among the group’s top priorities, it says, especially in the redevelopment of downtown Columbia.
“We believe creating this dialogue between government officials is a critical part of our mission in the community,” said spokeswoman Karen Lubieniecki.
The meeting is set for Feb. 7 from 8-10 a.m. at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center in Columbia.
Brook Hubbard
8:31 am on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
How about we not label people anything and just see if they are making enough to live comfortably within their means? What does it matter if a family makes $63k, $72k, or $100k? Do you have food on the table? Utilities? Transportation? Ok... then you're probably doing alright.
The only reason I see to label people "working poor" is because you're trying to insinuate they need some sort of handout. Guess what, my household "only" makes $69k a year... do we need a handout? No! Because we know how to handle our finances. We own a home, we have two vehicles, plenty of luxuries, and are doing alright living in a decent part of Columbia.
The only help we need with "workforce issues" is less stupidity when it comes to government economics. Maybe when we fix issues involving greedy politicians and those abusing the system (at both ends of the economic spectrum) then we can worry less about whether a household making $60k a year is doing alright.
And no... we do ~not~ need more affordable housing in downtown Columbia. "Affordable housing" simply means more apartments (increasing transient population) and Section 8 assistance. Neither of these are good for the local community and will only increase the problems we have. How about we focus our concerns on things like law enforcement, public transportation, and a green community rather than trying to get more money from extra population?
H.R. Pufnstuf
7:06 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Extremely well stated!
Tammy
10:14 am on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
I agree with Brook. I am a single mom but by no means consider myself the "working poor". I bust my butt to provide for my boys and as long as they have a roof over their head, food in their bellies and do not have to go without I find us to be in a classification that suites us just fine!
I find "studies" like this to be completely stupid!!! Just another reason for a someone to label another person. The kids have enough with peer pressure and trying to be like everyone else. Now to worry that someone may be calling them poor because they are not in a certain income bracket is ridiculous.
hmj
1:05 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
No more freeloaders. This study is nonsense and just an effort to fleece Howard County taxpayers. If you cannot afford to live in Howard County and pay your own way, you can move to another nearby less expensive area.
USA Forever
3:48 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Government is not the solution. The poor will be with us always. We are the citizens within our religious and social groups need to reach out and help those that are truly hurting. A help out instead of a hand out is what is needed. Brook stated it well that you need to live within your means. Home and car ownership, cell phones, Xbox, and eating out are not guaranteed under the constitution.
ABC
7:45 am on Thursday, February 9, 2012
I don't think that anyone who makes $72,000 a year can be called a "low wage earner". I think that people have lost sight of what it means to be poor. Making less than your neighbors doesn't necessarily make you poor.
H.R. Pufnstuf
7:56 am on Thursday, February 9, 2012
Agreed. Also, the $72,000 figure was what a single parent with two kids needs to make to live in Howard County. If you're a single parent with two kids to pay for, I wouldn't expect that it would be (nor should it be) particularly easy to move into one of the richest counties in the nation, especially if you're not getting child support. People need to be more realistic with their expectations.
I'd like to live in a penthouse in Hawaii, but I can't afford it. Maybe I should ask the local government there to help me out!