MCF NEWS ARCHIVES
3/29/05

Poverty-reduction efforts need better coordination to be successful in the long term, according to a new report commissioned by the Northwest Area Foundation in St. Paul. The report examines causes of poverty and the programs designed to alleviate its effects on people in the northwest region of the United States.

The report, "On Getting Out—and Staying Out—of Poverty: The Complex Causes of and Responses to Poverty in the Northwest," is based on examination of federal and state information, including U.S. Census Bureau data, federal processes for measuring poverty, descriptions of alternative poverty measures, identification of causes of poverty and governmental approaches. The study focuses on the eight-state region which includes Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Analyses are presented on two levels: As a region compared to the nation, and state-by-state within the region.

The core finding of the report is that too often, well-intentioned programs focus on one element of poverty, overlooking the multiple factors that cause poverty and failing to collaborate with other efforts so that the complexities of poverty can be addressed. Additional findings include:

• The northwest area pattern varies somewhat from that of the rest of the nation. In the northwest, poverty in central cities is lower, and poverty in suburban areas is higher, than the national average. Higher urban property values have sent people who are poor on a search for lower cost housing in outlying areas.

• The poverty rate in the northwest is highest in the mostly rural states of Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota; it is lowest in Iowa, Minnesota and Washington. Oregon and Idaho fall in between.

• The current Federal Poverty Level standard contains severe limitations and does not accurately calculate the number of people who are poor. Alternative measures suggest that a more accurate gauge would double the current estimate of the poverty level.

The report also describes successful poverty-reduction efforts, finding that collaboration is the common characteristic of successful programs, where communities, governments and nonprofits work collectively to alleviate poverty.

Download the free report (PDF, 68 pages) from the foundation's Web site. Or contact the Northwest Area Foundation at 651.224.9635 or 888.904.9821.

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