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NLC Helps Local Officials Take Action to Reduce Poverty
Many municipal leaders are facing the challenge of reducing poverty in their city, their town or their region. The number of full time workers considered poor is increasing while income disparities between the haves and have-nots widens. Poverty rates in the suburbs are increasing and, if regional cost of living differences are taken into account, the number of Americans in poverty is higher than assumed.
NLC's Poverty Reduction Strategy recognizes that municipal government can contribute to efforts to reduce poverty by providing key resources and capacities, and that the views and perceptions of local officials are key determinants of local policies and programs that can affect poverty. NLC's recent work in this area suggests that 'systems thinking,' collaborative strategies and collaborative leadership may be key to successful poverty reduction efforts at the local level.
Current Projects
Stimulating Municipal Action to Reduce Poverty
The project provides information, technical assistance and other resources to city officials on strategic approaches to poverty reduction. For more information on project activities, publications and events, click the link below.
Stimulating Municipal Action to Reduce Poverty
Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities
The agenda of NLC's 2006 President, Jim Hunt, Councilmember, Clarksburg, WV, is a partnership of cities and towns committed to promoting inclusion.
Inclusive Community Partnership Recent Projects
Municipal Action to Reduce Poverty (2002-2006)
NLC studied actions municipalities can take to reduce poverty and to promote social and economic equity. The Project research included a re-assessment of city hall capacity for reducing poverty by looking at all functions, decisions and powers of municipalities in terms of their impact on poor residents and communities and studied cities that have used these various functions and capacities in new ways to address poverty. City-hall initiated community building strategies lead to participatory governance, increased trust in local government, increased inclusiveness and equity. NLC’s research suggested basic strategic approaches that municipal governments can take to address poverty, based on city capacities and assets as described in two new publications:
Tapping the Power of City Hall to Build Equitable Communities: 10 City Profiles
Tapping the Power of City Hall to Build Equitable Communities: 17 Promising Practices
Campaign to Resurrect the American Dream
The agenda of Charles Lyons, NLC's 2004 President and former selectman from Arlington, MA, encourages local officials to create practical strategies that build a middle class, create opportunity and reduce inequalities.
Divided We Fall: Inequality and the Future of America's Cities and Towns (2003)
Workforce Development for Poverty Reduction (1998-2002)
This initiative worked with local officials and leaders in five cities -- Dayton, OH; Flint, MI: Oklahoma City, OK; Pasadena, CA and Modesto, CA -- on strategies to help local residents move out of poverty through improved local workforce development systems. Activities included on-site technical assistance to teams in each city on how to improve the effectiveness of local systems that enable people to qualify for, obtain, and maintain living wage employment.
Lessons and Insights from NLC's Workforce Development for Poverty Reduction Project (2002)
Urban Poverty, Economic Development and Cities Project (1993-1997)
NLC provided technical assistance to 12 cities on collaborative team building and strategic planning to reduce poverty through targeted economic development strategies.
Paths to Economic Opportunity (1995)
*To request a copy, contact Phyllis Furdell at furdell@nlc.org or (202) 626-3034.
Background
The picture of poverty is changing
The numbers in poverty have been steadily increasing over the past few years. In calendar year 2001, the poverty rate rose for the first time in five years to 11.7 percent from 11.3 percent in 2000. In 2003 it had risen to 12.5 percent, or 35.8 million people. In 2005, 13 percent of US residents or 38 million people were poor.
The number of full time workers considered poor is increasing while income disparities between the haves and have-nots widens. Total reported income in the United States increased almost 9 percent in 2005, while average incomes for those in the bottom 90 percent dipped slightly compared with the year before, dropping $172, or 0.6 percent. The new data also shows that the top 300,000 Americans collectively enjoyed almost as much income as the bottom 150 million Americans. Per person, the top group received 440 times as much as the average person in the bottom half earned, nearly doubling the gap from 1980.
Although urban poverty has long been assumed to be a central city problem rather than a suburban problem, census figures indicate that the poverty gap between central cities and suburbs is narrowing. Despite the fact that increases in suburban poverty rates were generally modest, by 2000, a greater share of metropolitan poor people lived in the suburbs than in 1990. In 1999 the poverty rate in large cities was 17.9 percent and 8.5 percent in their suburbs. By 2005 the poverty rate in large cities increased to 18.8 percent and to 9.4 percent in their suburbs, and the suburban poor outnumbered their city counterparts by at least 1 million. New approaches needed
Such changes in the picture of poverty on top of what cities have long contended with-racial and economic segregation, concentrated poverty and suburban sprawl-may mean that cities will need to come up with totally new approaches to the problem. NLC offers technical assistance to cities looking for a new approach at its 3-day technical assistance roundtables, Building Equitable Communities.
The second Building Equitable Communities technical assistance roundtable will be held May 11-14, 2008 in Savannah, GA. For more information and to download an application, visit the Stimulating Municipal Action to Reduce Poverty project webpage.
Additional Publications and Resources
Reports & Briefs
Poverty Reduction Initiative Action Plan (Savannah, GA, 2005)
Trends, Policies and Economic Conditions Affecting Poverty in America's Cities and Towns (2004)
Connecting Land Use and Poverty Reduction Strategies, Kalamazoo, MI. (2003)
Fostering Social Equity and Economic Opportunity through Citizen Participation, Rochester, NY. (2003)
Connecting Poverty Reduction, Workforce Development and Economic Development (2000)
Poverty and Equity Update - Archived Newsletters
To subscribe to the Poverty and Equity Update, email Caterina Bummara at bummara@nlc.org. To access previous Poverty and Equity Updates, click the links below.
February 2008
November 2007
Nation' s Cities Weekly Articles
9/11/06 "Baltimore Neighborhood Investment Strategy Paying Off"
8/30/06 "Kalamazoo Tackles Poverty on Multiple Fronts"
8/14/06 "Empowered Residents Key to Equity Agenda in Rochester"
7/31/06 "Charlotte Partners with Business to Address Social, Economic Equity"
7/17/06 "Economic, Social and Political Equity Initiatives Thrive in Burlington"
7/03/06 "Mayoral Leadership Drives Social and Economic Equity Initiatives"
6/19/06 "Burien, Wash., Leaders Embrace Diversity as a City Asset"
6/05/06 "San Jose Residents Working to Build Strong Neighborhoods"
5/22/06 "Collaboration Key to Poverty Focus in Dayton, Ohio"
5/08/06 "Savannah, Ga., Creates Anti-Poverty Initiative with Community-wide Support"
5/01/06 "NLC Study Sheds New Light on Ways Cities Can Address Poverty and Equity"
Related Links
Economy & Jobs
Equity and Opportunity
Family Economic Success
Housing and Community Development
Asset Building
Benefits for Working Families
CityFutures Panel on Equity and Opportunity
Home Mortgage Finance and Foreclosure
City Practices
The City Practice collection, consists of more than 5,000 local government programs and practices from cities across the nation, covering a multitude of topics including poverty reduction issues. A brief program description outlines the basic program information.
City Practices Collection
We welcome your comments.
If you have a strong interest in these issues and would like to share your experience and ideas or would like more information about Poverty Reduction Projects at NLC.
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