5 policy areas addressed in anti-poverty plan
Philadelphias unemployment rate is 10.8 percent, compared to 7.2 percent nationally.
THE CITY'S anti-poverty plan, "Shared Prosperity Philadelphia," focuses on five policy areas:
Jobs and training
Philadelphia's unemployment rate is 10.8 percent, compared with 7.2 percent nationally. The plan calls for the city to focus on those with the "greatest barriers to employment" and add 25,000 jobs, including 1,700 in hospitality, by the end of 2015.
Access to benefits
Many Philadelphians who are eligible for benefits do not sign up to receive them, including about 20 percent of those who qualify for food stamps. The plan recommends establishing "outreach centers" at existing community organizations to educate people about what they can receive.
Learning preparedness
Ensuring children are ready to learn when they enter kindergarten is an important step in escaping the cycle of poverty. Shared Prosperity points out a number of problems in the city's early-education system and promises another citywide plan to tackle the issue.
Housing security
For many Philadelphians, the constant threat of losing housing compounds other problems associated with poverty and becomes a barrier to overcoming them. The plan calls on the city to increase its housing counseling services and assistance for homebuyers.
Economic security
Many impoverished residents fall prey to predatory lending schemes and high-cost financing. As Shared Prosperity points out, "it costs more to be poor." The plan aims to use the city's Financial Empowerment Zones to increase financial literacy and access to low-cost checking accounts.
- Sean Collins Walsh