Illinois Poverty News: Weeky Update

Here's the latest roundup of news articles highlighting issues related to our efforts to reduce poverty in Illinois.

Our very own Sid Mohn, Executive Director of Heartland Alliance, wrote an Op/Ed for the State Journal Register highlighting the importance of raising the minimum wage in Illinois. He explains that despite the views of the opposition, raising the minimum wage in Illinois is not bad for business. Raising the minimum wage would create jobs and an influx of money into the state economy while reducing taxpayer costs by moving workers out of poverty"

• Raising the Minimum Wage Isn’t Bad For Business, Sid Mohn, The State Journal Register, 2/22/2013

According to a survey by Gallup, less than 45% of adults are insured by employers. This survey follows yesterdays passage of the Medicaid Expansion Bill (SB26) out of the Illinois Senate and in to the House of Representatives. The bill looks to inact the Affordable Care Act by expanding health coverage to Illinois residents up to 138% of the federal poverty line, which is an annual income of approximately $15,540 for a single adult.

• Less Than 45% of US Adults Insured Through Employers, The Chicago Tribune, 2/22/2013
• State Senate OKs Medicaid Expansion Under Obama Health Plan, Dean Olsen, The State Journal Register, 2/28/2013

According to a new study from the Institute on Assets and Social Policy, The Racial Wealth Gap has tripled since 1984. The study found that the median white family had a household net worth of $265,000 in 2009, while the median black household's net worth was just $28,500. A number of issues contributed to the racial wealth gap including: Homeownership, income, unemployment, college education, and inheritance. The study followed 1700 households from 1984 to 2009.  

• Racial Wealth Gap Tripled Since Reagan Era as Whites Increased Large Lead Over Blacks: Study, Bonnie Kavoussi, The Huffington Post, 2/27/2013  

Housing for low-income residents on the North Side of Chicago is slowly disappearing according to an article in National Public Radio Affiliate WBEZ. Many North Side SRO's in popular neighborhoods are being vacated by the current low-income tenants, and renovated into current rate market apartments. A larger concentration of resources are provided on the North Side such as food pantries, soup kitchens, and medical clinics, making the potential closure of affordable housing particularly problematic.

• The Slow Disappearing Act of the Chicago SRO, Odette Yousef, WBEZ, 2/28/2013