Tag: child poverty

Marriage won’t end poverty

Poverty in Oklahoma is at a six-year high. Recent Census numbers showed that more than one in six Oklahomans – and almost one in four children – live in poverty. Even as we are lauded for our economic successes, the… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma’s Poverty Profile 2011

Poverty in Oklahoma reached a six-year high in 2011, according to data released last month by the U.S. Census Bureau.  The data revealed that more than one in six Oklahomans – and almost one in four children – now live… Read more [More...]

New Census data shows many still left out of Oklahoma's prosperity

Almost 1 in 4 Oklahoma children lived in families that fell below the poverty line in 2011, according to new Census Bureau data released today. The poverty rate for Oklahomans under 18 was estimated at 23.0 percent in 2011, an… Read more [More...]

What welfare? No safety net for Oklahoma's poorest children

Welfare as most people imagine it doesn’t actually exist anymore.  Public discourse conjures images of lazy people scamming the system and living large off their monthly government check.  It’s a popular, but wildly inaccurate narrative.  Welfare reform in the mid-1990s… Read more [More...]

Watch This: Fighting Hunger, Feeding Hope

Oklahoma has the highest rate of households with very low food security in the nation; 7.5 percent of the state’s households reported being hungry at times during the year because they could not afford enough food.  This six minute video… Read more [More...]

New measure provides insights into poverty and public programs

Earlier this fall, the Census Bureau released its annual report on poverty in the United States. In 2010, 15.1 percent of Americans, or 46.2 million persons, lived below the poverty level, which was $22,050 for a family of four. Among… Read more [More...]

Poverty rises in Oklahoma; children especially bearing the brunt

Update: Click here for our 2010 Poverty Profile based on the Census Bureau data Despite Oklahoma’s comparatively modest unemployment rate and steady wage growth over the last two years, many of the state’s low income residents continue to be left… Read more [More...]

Hunger doesn’t take a summer break

OK Policy had the pleasure of meeting with Sara Amberg recently, an advocate for the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma (CFBEO).  Food banks across the state, including the CFBEO and the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and its affiliates,… Read more [More...]

Out of the Mouths of Babes: Legislature moves to cut child nutrition benefits

The Oklahoma legislature is poised to deal a major blow to non-profits and faith-based organizations who help administer the WIC program.  The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program is a federally-funded, state-administered nutrition service for low-income women, infants and children… Read more [More...]

Upcoming Event: ‘The Economics of Oklahoma’s Single Parents’ Practice & Policy Lecture – March 24

The next lecture in the OKDHS Practice & Policy series, ‘The Economics of Oklahoma’s Single Parents’, will be presented by Dr. Larkin Warner and Dr. Jean Warner.  The lecture takes place between 12:00 and 1pm on March 24, 2011 at… Read more [More...]