Poverty survey shows working families struggle to buy food
A picture of poverty in Lincoln emerged Monday as the Center for People in Need released the results of a December survey of low-income people.
The survey, translated into four languages, was completed by 1,923 families participating in the annual Toyland for Kids gift distribution at the Center for People in Need. Respondents represented 40 percent of the nearly 4,600 families living in poverty in Lincoln.
The majority of respondents and their families live at or below the federal poverty level. At least half were families of four living on $10,000 a year or less.
Through the survey, said Beatty Brasch, executive director of the Center for People in Need, the center learned that more than 150 respondents — 8 percent — had at least one of their utilities shut off the day they filled out the surveys, shortly before Christmas, Brasch said.
Seventy-six percent of those surveyed said they had trouble buying enough food and 26 percent coped by skipping meals.
A little more than half of families were using food stamps, but 31 percent still didn’t have enough money to buy food, the survey showed.
Brasch said people line up more than two hours ahead of time at food distributions around the city.
“We’re seeing more desperation,” she said.
Many people cannot afford $5 for a 31-day bus pass, she said.
The survey showed 24 percent of adults had no health insurance. One-third of those with health insurance don’t get care because, even with insurance, Brasch said, they can’t afford the co-pay for an office visit.
More than 60 percent of people taking the survey had at least one person in the household working, and the majority of those had a full-time job.
“The perception that low-income people are lazy and unwilling to work is simply wrong,” Brasch said.
Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.
The survey, translated into four languages, was completed by 1,923 families participating in the annual Toyland for Kids gift distribution at the Center for People in Need. Respondents represented 40 percent of the nearly 4,600 families living in poverty in Lincoln.
The majority of respondents and their families live at or below the federal poverty level. At least half were families of four living on $10,000 a year or less.
Through the survey, said Beatty Brasch, executive director of the Center for People in Need, the center learned that more than 150 respondents — 8 percent — had at least one of their utilities shut off the day they filled out the surveys, shortly before Christmas, Brasch said.
Seventy-six percent of those surveyed said they had trouble buying enough food and 26 percent coped by skipping meals.
A little more than half of families were using food stamps, but 31 percent still didn’t have enough money to buy food, the survey showed.
Brasch said people line up more than two hours ahead of time at food distributions around the city.
“We’re seeing more desperation,” she said.
Many people cannot afford $5 for a 31-day bus pass, she said.
The survey showed 24 percent of adults had no health insurance. One-third of those with health insurance don’t get care because, even with insurance, Brasch said, they can’t afford the co-pay for an office visit.
More than 60 percent of people taking the survey had at least one person in the household working, and the majority of those had a full-time job.
“The perception that low-income people are lazy and unwilling to work is simply wrong,” Brasch said.
Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.
Copyright © 2002-2008 Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved.