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Proclaiming and designating the month of January 2014, as "Poverty in America Awareness Month" in Philadelphia and encouraging citizens to learn about the City's efforts to strategically combat pervasive poverty by focusing efforts and resources on the five comprehensive goals of the City's Shared Prosperity Plan.
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WHEREAS, Today, 49 million Americans live in poverty including approximately 16 million children (which is nearly 22% of all American children) live below the poverty line. At the same time, 28% of Philadelphians live in poverty compared to 13.1% statewide; and
WHEREAS, This is the sixth consecutive year that the poverty rate in America has risen. According to the U.S. Census Bureau in December 2012, the official U.S. poverty rate in 2012 was 15.9%, up from 14.3% in 2009. Between 2007-2012, the number of poor Americans grew by more than ten million; and
WHEREAS, The number of families in America living on less than $2 per person per day is now 1.46 million which is twice as high as it was 15 years ago, according to a study by the University of Michigan and Harvard University1. This means that 2.8 million children are living on less than $2 a day in America; and
WHEREAS, Children under five make up to the highest population living in poverty in America, nearly one in every four children under five, or 25%, live below the poverty line. In Philadelphia 39% of all children are poor2; and
WHEREAS, Federal and State government officials are considering practical solutions to reducing poverty, such as raising the minimum wage (currently $7.25) and linking the minimum wage to the Consumer Price Index so that wages will automatically rise with inflation. In his recent State of the Union Address, President Obama argued that there is a nationwide need to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 in order to keep pace with the rising costs of living; and
WHEREAS, Some states are seeking innovative ways to reduce poverty such as issuing ...
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