What is Poverty?

Nationally

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson laid out a full plan to provide more opportunities and support for our most vulnerable citizens. This plan became The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, and was introduced as part of the War on Poverty.

A report from the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) shows that many of the anti-poverty programs and policies implemented, as a result of Johnson’s plan, have kept an average of 27 million people out of poverty every year between 1968 and 2012.

The U.S. Census Bureau just released their latest study on poverty. Their data says "the official poverty rate in 2016 was 12.7 percent, down 0.8 percentage points from 13.5 percent in 2015. This is the second consecutive annual decline in poverty. Since 2014, the poverty rate has fallen 2.1 percentage points from 14.8 percent to 12.7 percent."

U.S. Census Bureau - Income and Poverty in the U.S.: 2020

According to an NPR broadcast, "the increases came across the income ladder and across all age and racial groups, although the gains weren't quite as strong at the bottom. And of course, there continue to be big levels of income inequality. That being said, 1 in 8 Americans continues to live in poverty. And that's more than 40 million people in all." Our work is far from complete.

Oregon

Today, more than 1 in 5 Oregonians rely on food stamps and 16.6 percent of Oregonians live in poverty.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN YAMHILL COUNTY

McMinnville and surrounding areas are facing a shortage in affordable housing (much like the rest of Oregon). For more information on how McMinnville is addressing this issue please follow the link: