Poverty and Children

After reading an arcticle known as “the economic cost of childhood poverty in the United States” by Harry J. Holzer, Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, Greg J. Duncan, and Jens Ludwig, we began to reflect over the issue of poverty in our Chicago neighborhoods. Amongst our group’s selection of neighborhoods, the amount of poverty varies incredibly. In Humboldt Park, the poverty level is about 30%, and currently has about six different tutoring programs available for children. On the other hand, in a neighborhood such as the Ukrainian Village, where the poverty level is significantly lower, there are only about two tutoring programs in the area. Despite this connection, there is still Albany Park, which has a slightly lower poverty level than Humboldt Park with an average of 20%, and yet only has about two programs.

Around the neighborhoods within Chicago’s northwest side, help has not been provided equally, leaving several neighborhoods without the amount of tutoring and mentoring programs needed. Although the poorest neighborhoods need the most help with keeping children out of trouble, other areas should not be forgotten. Albany Park and other neighborhoods like it should not be overlooked. Even low poverty neighborhoods such as Logan Square and the Ukrainian Village deserve some more programs. As of right now, no one can predict how low this economy will sink, and being able to prevent any further problems will make a big difference.