Diocese of Youngstown Seeks Support for Poverty-Reduction Campaign

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Youngstown announces its supoprt for the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America, a multi-year initiative launched by Catholic Charities USA earlier this year.  The goal of this initiative is to cut poverty in half by 2020.  The Campaign urges Congress and the Administration to give a much higher priority to the needs of the poor in budget and policy decisions on issues such as health care, housing, nutrition, and economic security.

In order to achieve its goal, Catholic Charities USA is leading a broad effort that will involve partners in social service agencies, the faith community and other groups in a sustained effort to convince government officials of the importance of making systemic changes in government programs to help the poor and most vulnerable in our society.

Local endorsement of the national Catholic Charities USA effort could not have come at a better time.  While statistics released by the U.S. Census bureau last week show a marginal decrease in the national poverty rate last year, all of the six counties in the Diocese of Youngstown experienced increases.  Mahoning and Portage Counties endured the most dramatic changes.  Mahoning County's poverty rate jumped from 13.4% in 2005 to 15.8% in 2006.  Portage County's rate rose from 11.4% to 13.8%. Columbiana County suffers the highest poverty rate in the diocese -- 17.2%-- up from 16.3% in 2005, followed by Ashtabula County, whose poverty rate rose from 16.1% to 16.7%.  Stark County experienced a slight increase in its poverty rate from 12.0% to 12.3% in 2006, while Trumbull County, with the lowest poverty rate in the diocese, experienced an increase from 10.7% to 11.1%.

"It is always encouraging to see a headline that announces a decrease in our country's poverty rate," explains Brian R. Corbin, Executive Director of Catholic Charities Services and Health Affairs for the Dioccese of Youngstown.  "However, when you start to look beyond the surface and see that the number of people without health care is up, and that children represent 35.2% of the people in poverty, you understand that while we are making progress there is more work that needs to be done.  We can certainly see the work that lies before us in attempting to substantially reduce poverty in the Diocese of Youngstown."

The Catholic Charities USA Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America is one way to help make strides to alleviate the effects of poverty in our country and in our diocese.

Catholic Charities is encouraging people living and working in the Diocese of Youngstown to support the CCUSA Campaign.  One simple, yet important way for individuals and organizations to get involved is to endorse the Campaign.

"The CCUSA website provides access to an Endorsement Form that can be filled out and submitted to Catholic Charities USA electronically," Corbin explains.

For more information about Catholic Charities USA Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America, contact the Diocesan Office of Social Action at 330-744-8451 or visit the poverty section of our website.