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Old 08-29-2007, 05:56 AM
 
Location: Sheeptown, USA
3,236 posts, read 6,642,633 times
Reputation: 907

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Nearly 1 in 6 poor in city
BY NICHOLE DOBO
STAFF WRITER
08/29/2007

Scranton has the lowest poverty rate of the state’s seven largest cities for 2006, but has a higher rate than the state and national average, according to U.S. Census figures released Tuesday.



Nearly one of six Scranton residents are living below the poverty level, according to the American Community Survey, a branch of the U.S. Census.

The city’s poverty rate has decreased from 2005, when nearly 23 percent were in this category. The median household income has increased 9.9 percent to $31,090 during the same time period.

“You’d never know it,” Steve Nocilla, executive director of Catholic Social Services, which provides services to the poor and needy. “It is extremely busy here.”

In the last year, Catholic Social Services has spent more than $115,800 on housing assistance — up 41 percent from the 2005-06 fiscal year. The social service agency also spent nearly $104,769 on food — up 75 percent during the same time period.

The need has been sparked by increased costs for housing, utilities and medical assistance, Mr. Nocilla said.

“It’s getting worse,” Mr. Nocilla said. “They need at least over $10 an hour to just survive so a lot of them are not making a living wage.”

A family of four is considered to be living below the poverty level if they make less than $20,614.

Even those living above the poverty rate have difficulty making ends meet, Karen Chapple, Ph.D., a professor of city and regional planning at the University of California, Berkeley. The poverty rate is based on a 1950s formula that assumes one-third of income needs to be spent on food.

“The poverty line is based on this fallacious concept,” Dr. Chapple said. “It’s just been historically set much, much too low.”

The poverty rate in the state’s seven largest cities — Scranton, Allentown, Bethlehem, Erie, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Reading — are all higher than the state average of 12.1 percent. The highest rate was in Reading, where about 30 percent are impoverished.

The nation’s official poverty rate declined last year for the first time this decade from 12.6 percent in 2005 to 12.3 percent in 2006. The median household income increased by 0.7 percent, to $48,200, during the same period.

The Census figures released Tuesday only include areas with a population of 65,000 or more. Three Northeastern Pennsylvania counties and one city, Scranton, meet this criteria.

The region’s poverty rates include:

¦ Luzerne County, 13.3 percent. Nearly one in five children in this county are living in poverty.

¦ Lackawanna County, 12.9 percent. Most are children.

¦ Monroe County, 10.6 percent. Children are the mostly likely to live in poverty here.

In Scranton, the largest percentage of the impoverished are between 18 and 64 years old. About 7,500 — or 18.5 percent of this age group — are living below the poverty level.

Those older than 65 had the lowest level of poverty at 12.8 percent. Children had a rate of 17.5 percent.

While lower than 2005, Scranton’s poverty rate for 2006 is still higher than its 2000 rate of 15 percent.

For Margie Suarez, a case worker at the Salvation Army on South Washington Avenue, there are many families — more than 15 a day — who come seeking help. Many are unable to keep up with increasing costs of housing and utilities, she said.

“We have been really swamped down here,” said Ms. Suarez, the only case worker at the office. “Everyone is just having a rough time.”
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Old 08-29-2007, 06:09 AM
 
Location: Drama Central
4,083 posts, read 9,075,536 times
Reputation: 1893
Does this surprise anyone?, really? There are no family sustaining jobs in this area. There are no true employers, this area and this admin needs to stop worry about parks and stupid condos for those that do not even live here and they need to start to concentrate on bringing business here for the people of the city of Scranton as well as the residents of Lackawanna County. It's a shame but its the truth, this admin could careless about the residents and the Chamber of Commerce and their ass of leader Austin Burke is too busy putting companies up in Archbald and Dickson City. The only problem is that unless the sheep want to pull the wool from their eyes and vote for some real change we are going to continue to be fleeced and run into the ground while they all get rich and we all get poorer.
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Old 08-29-2007, 06:40 AM
 
Location: Sheeptown, USA
3,236 posts, read 6,642,633 times
Reputation: 907
Doesn't surprise me Dan. There is no real industry in Scranton since the coal mine days. The city and county need to bring something substancial job wise to this area.
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Old 08-29-2007, 06:56 AM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,613 posts, read 77,432,847 times
Reputation: 19101
Quote:
Originally Posted by weluvpa View Post
Does this surprise anyone?, really? There are no family sustaining jobs in this area. There are no true employers, this area and this admin needs to stop worry about parks and stupid condos for those that do not even live here and they need to start to concentrate on bringing business here for the people of the city of Scranton as well as the residents of Lackawanna County. It's a shame but its the truth, this admin could careless about the residents and the Chamber of Commerce and their ass of leader Austin Burke is too busy putting companies up in Archbald and Dickson City. The only problem is that unless the sheep want to pull the wool from their eyes and vote for some real change we are going to continue to be fleeced and run into the ground while they all get rich and we all get poorer.

A plethora of high-tech, white-collar, family-sustaining career opportunities doesn't necessarily mean an end to poverty either though, Dan. I actually think this story was good news for the city---we have the lowest poverty rate out of the state's seven largest cities. Allentown and Bethlehem, which seem to have better overall job opportunities, are higher on this list, as well as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, both of which have headquarters for major companies. As you can see in those four cities, having a lot of well-paying jobs doesn't quell poverty---one's own motivation (or lackthereof) to rise out of poverty is a better indicator of this.

There are poor people living in Boulder, Colorado, Newport, Rhode Island, Beverly Hills, California, and Greenwich, Connecticut as well. A poverty rate of around 16% could be better but could also be a whole lot worse---a third of the city of Reading is living in poverty. Boeing could announce tomorrow that they're opening a new facility in CenterPoint in Pittston Township, yet the poverty rate in Scranton, just ten minutes up I-81, might not even be nudged a measly 0.1% if the residents there opt to not pursue these jobs.

One must also take educational attainment into account here. It's been proven that those with higher educational levels will most certainly outearn their less-educated peers over time---those who invest the time and effort into obtaining a Ph.D. should net more than those who drop out of high school, for example. Scranton has a horrendous overall educational attainment, which is why the only companies that seem to be moving here as of late are distribution centers who are hiring forklift operators, assemblers, and those with CDLs as opposed to a firm like Microsoft, which could offer hundreds of positions as systems analysts, managers, web designers, etc. all paying at least $50,000. A firm like the latter will not move here unless the locals improve their educational levels or unless the local governments try to "woo" them in with all sorts of taxpayer-funded incentives (neither scenario is likely to occur in Scranton).

I continually hear this whining about "no high-paying jobs," yet most of those doing the whining don't even possess a GED for crying out loud. If you want NEPA to become Wall Street West or Silicon Valley East, then we have to make ourselves more marketable towards prospective new employers. If I owned a Fortune 500 company, why would I move to a city like Scranton, where I'd have to either invest millions of dollars in training the existing workforce or invest in relocating existing employees from other areas to fill mandatory positions when I could move to the Philly 'burbs and have piles of applications from well-qualified individuals to choose from? People continually whine about the local economy when they don't realize that the problem is largely their own fault. There is no exuse in 2007 why I should be looking in the social section of the Scranton-Times and be seeing local couple after local couple marrying when each one has no vocational-related training or college-level educational beyond high school. Generous scholarships, financial aid packages, and reasonable student loan interest rates are out there for the taking if the locals would consider it. Oh, that's right! The locals would rather have a job fall right into their laps! That doesn't even happen in Manhattan, let alone in Scranton! If you want this city to pull itself out of having 1/6 of its residents living in poverty, then by all means encourage those folks to better themselves to make themselves more presentable and attractive to job recruiters. Why must the blame ALWAYS fall upon "the system?"

My parents aren't high-earners, yet I'm receving $13,000 per year in financial aid from King's due to my high grades in high school, scholarships, etc. that bring my overall student debt to only about $5,000 per year. As an accountant, I'll be able to pay off my $20,000 or so in student debt within a couple of years, after which I'll be able to live quite comfortably. Everyone in the Electric City had the opportunity to do the same (barring some sort of physical or mental disability). Why should I feel sympathy for those who live in the projects for year after year after year on the taxpayers' backs simply because they refuse to make life better for themselves? Public housing is only supposed to be a TEMPORARY place to hang your hat until you put yourself back onto your feet---not a free ride. It irritates me to no end to hear so many in this city whining "Gimme, gimme, gimme" instead of actually taking the initiative to do something about their problems!

Last edited by SteelCityRising; 08-29-2007 at 06:58 AM.. Reason: Typo
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Old 08-29-2007, 07:10 AM
 
Location: Sheeptown, USA
3,236 posts, read 6,642,633 times
Reputation: 907
I do agree with you Paul about the educational attainment factor in Scranton. That's why this area isn't getting the high end jobs like you stated. There are a lot of warehousing and distribution jobs though, because you don't need much skill to do those. We need companies like Microsoft or Dell or even a big pharamaceutical comapny like Pfizer here. But first we must educate ourselves better.
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Old 08-29-2007, 08:21 AM
 
Location: Drama Central
4,083 posts, read 9,075,536 times
Reputation: 1893
A college degree does not promise anything! I have a friend that graduated top in his class at the U and went on a FULL, 100% scholarship, even books and housing free!!!!!!!!!! He is a waiter. Truck drivers w/CDL class A license make good money, some over that 50K you talked about. Just remember because someone does not have a college degree does not mean that they are unable to make money. Many men have built business's from the ground up on sweat and hard work and they have never seen the inside of a college class room. Book smarts do not always add up, I know alot of people that are as dumb as a box of rocks and gave degrees. You need to have initative and the ability to problem solve and there is nothing you can't do. But if there is nowhere for you to go after a job or at least a good job then what? Its not always about the people, sometimes the enviroment is at fault as well. Look in the paper, if you do not have a CDL or you are not a RN, LPN there is no where to work for more than $9 a hour. Honestly this is what really aggrevates me when it comes to this downtown "restoring the pride" BS, no ones pride is restored because Nay Aug and the downtown have been cleaned up when they are having a hard time finding a job to provide for their families. You want to see pride, give a man a good job and the chance to make something of himself and you will see pride, the kind of pride that no building or trail, condo, bus station or a train can ever bring to this city. Thats the problem with the mayor he has never had to work for one thing his entire life not one thing, he was basically handed his seat on council then the mayor's seat and wait his fathers company while he only had to get a assoc. degree because he never hads to worry about where his next check was coming from or how was he going to make the bills at the end of the month. We need a mayor that knows what is like to want for something other than power, someone that knows what its like when you get laid off and are scared about how you are going to get by and pay for everything. How your son or daughter is going to suffer because you cannot find a job. What has the mayor ever wanted for besides power? What has he really ever worked for? This man cannot understand what the people want or need because he has been sheltered from the people and or their plight his whole spoiled life. Thats why condos for the wealthy are a priority and not jobs for the poor. Paul I had along discussion with Ken Smith and the director of PHEAA and I can tell you this your one of the lucky ones with assistance for school most students do not get what you did and even then when the cost of college increases lets say 10% the amount of assistance stays the same, thats wrong. If this country and this city and state want the quality of our work force and the quality of our residents and citizens to improve then they should make college available to everyone and not make it such a hard thing to obtain in life. Its not the people, its the system that has let thenm down, instead of giving them money they should put them in school and give them a education.
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Old 08-29-2007, 09:22 AM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,613 posts, read 77,432,847 times
Reputation: 19101
Quote:
Originally Posted by weluvpa View Post
A college degree does not promise anything! I have a friend that graduated top in his class at the U and went on a FULL, 100% scholarship, even books and housing free!!!!!!!!!! He is a waiter. Truck drivers w/CDL class A license make good money, some over that 50K you talked about. Just remember because someone does not have a college degree does not mean that they are unable to make money. Many men have built business's from the ground up on sweat and hard work and they have never seen the inside of a college class room. Book smarts do not always add up, I know alot of people that are as dumb as a box of rocks and gave degrees. You need to have initative and the ability to problem solve and there is nothing you can't do. But if there is nowhere for you to go after a job or at least a good job then what? Its not always about the people, sometimes the enviroment is at fault as well. Look in the paper, if you do not have a CDL or you are not a RN, LPN there is no where to work for more than $9 a hour. Honestly this is what really aggrevates me when it comes to this downtown "restoring the pride" BS, no ones pride is restored because Nay Aug and the downtown have been cleaned up when they are having a hard time finding a job to provide for their families. You want to see pride, give a man a good job and the chance to make something of himself and you will see pride, the kind of pride that no building or trail, condo, bus station or a train can ever bring to this city. Thats the problem with the mayor he has never had to work for one thing his entire life not one thing, he was basically handed his seat on council then the mayor's seat and wait his fathers company while he only had to get a assoc. degree because he never hads to worry about where his next check was coming from or how was he going to make the bills at the end of the month. We need a mayor that knows what is like to want for something other than power, someone that knows what its like when you get laid off and are scared about how you are going to get by and pay for everything. How your son or daughter is going to suffer because you cannot find a job. What has the mayor ever wanted for besides power? What has he really ever worked for? This man cannot understand what the people want or need because he has been sheltered from the people and or their plight his whole spoiled life. Thats why condos for the wealthy are a priority and not jobs for the poor. Paul I had along discussion with Ken Smith and the director of PHEAA and I can tell you this your one of the lucky ones with assistance for school most students do not get what you did and even then when the cost of college increases lets say 10% the amount of assistance stays the same, thats wrong. If this country and this city and state want the quality of our work force and the quality of our residents and citizens to improve then they should make college available to everyone and not make it such a hard thing to obtain in life. Its not the people, its the system that has let thenm down, instead of giving them money they should put them in school and give them a education.
I do agree with you to a point. I didn't mean to imply that one "must" need a degree in order to make it in life (even though you can't argue that the better your educational level, the more likely you will be to land a better-paying job). Most in my development don't have an education beyond high school, yet they are still far above the poverty level. There is a huge shortage in many parts of this nation for trade school graduates (electricians, welders, plumbers, auto mechanics, etc.) I consider these people to be "professionals" as well, as it takes quite a bit of time and effort to learn a skilled trade like this. I'm midly-mechanically-inclined, but I still couldn't rewire my own home or hook it up to the city's public water mains if I tried. That's where the need for qualified, licensed tradespeople comes into play. If someone feels as if they can't afford today's skyrocketing college tuition, then what is stopping them from taking a vo-tech program through high school, landing an apprenticeship, and then making something of themselves as a mason or carpenter? I can recall visiting Wilkes-Barre Area Vo-Tech a few years ago, and one of the masonry instructors there said he had built his own home from the ground up thanks to his expertise in the field, and that it now has a market value of around $750,000 (part of this was bragging rights, but a lot of it was to encourage my peers to consider a career in a manual trade).

Far too many people in Scranton whine about not being able to "make a decent wage," yet I don't see these same people committing themselves to making the situation better. I don't know of a single tradesperson who is living in poverty---that should say something. Considering my ex was a truck driver, I also know that they earn a great living, as do those in the nursing field. There are PLENTY of job opportunities in NEPA if people would make a concerted effort to match their skill levels to the requirements. It's called adaptability. When my father was laid-off from IBM he completed tests to earn his insurance licenses to temporarily sell insurance until he was able to find another job in the I/T field. What's to stop these Scranton "strugglers" from heading to Borders a few hours every weekend, studying up on real estate terminology, and then pursuing their real estate license? I likewise don't know of any realtors living in poverty. There are just so many options to make life better for yourself---I don't see why it should always be the government's problem to bail people out.

As an upcoming college graduate myself, if I can't locate a position locally as a CPA (which I doubt I'll have trouble with), I'd gladly consider working elsewhere temporarily while amassing enough savings to eventually open up my own firm to support myself and become an entrepreneur. I'd eventually hope that the firm would grow large enough to support several employees, all of whom would likewise be local college graduates. If the local marketplace doesn't offer what you want, then why not create it yourself?

By the way, while many people consider themselves to be "above" retail, I'm earning $10/hr. at Lowe's, and I know that many department managers there make $16-$18/hr. There are many opportunities in retail as well to earn a decent living for your family if you don't have a formal education. I'm just tired of the "enablers" making excuses for those who are "struggling to make ends meat" in the city of Scranton for year after year after YEAR while not considering all of the options that are available to them to climb upwards on the socioeconomic ladder. Did people ever stop to consider the fact that if your financial hardships are long-term, then perhaps it might be YOUR fault instead of the city's? I worked my tail off all summer so that I now have enough in savings to live off of until I can secure full-time employment in my field of study. Now that I've quit my job to focus moreso on community service work, clubs/organizations, and improving my GPA to make myself a better candidate for graduate school, I expect no sympathy if I should start to deplete my savings, as it was my OWN choice to quit my job. Why should I expect sympathy? Why do the 1/6 living in poverty in Scranton expect MY sympathy for not grabbing life by the horns and improving themselves? They could very easily snag a job at a place like Lowe's, Home Depot, or another decent-paying big-box retailer, they could obtain their real estate license, they could obtain their CDL, they could go to nursing school, they could learn a skilled trade, etc. The possibilities are endless. We have to stop blaming the city all the time just because some people are lazy (Ex. What does Ray Lyman do for a living besides whine about how he can't afford to pay his taxes?)
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