After Hurricane Katrina, Habitat for Humanity built 100s of houses in the Gulf area. But for one state, many of the houses built still haven't been occupied.In Mississippi, the rising insurance coasts have kept the people out. Only 6 out of the 30 houses have been filled. The people have been having trouble saving for the first year taxes and insurance that Habitat requires. In this Associated Press story found in the Desoto Times, the prospective homeowners have had to apply for other grants to raise the money. "It is a struggle. That is not unique to Habitat families. It's a struggle to most first-time buyers," Monforton said.But Hurricane Katrina, which hit in 2005, has exacerbated the average challenges homebuyers face.The storm nearly wiped out Mississippi's coast, taking with it...
from WDAM This story details the state's efforts on fighting poverty. A recent report omitted Mississippi from it's findings, despite it's having the highest poverty rate in the US. - Kale The report from the Center for Law and Social Policy, or CLASP, discussed Connecticut's initiative to cut child poverty in half by 2014, and Louisiana's goal to do the same thing by 2018.Mississippi hasn't set a target date for reducing poverty in any demographic. It has created legislative committees and task forces to look at the issue - an approach that's yielded few tangible results.In 2006, the Legislature created the Delta Revitalization Task Force to focus on a region of the state that's cursed by high poverty and illiteracy rates. The multi-county area also has inadequate health care and...
from The ReflectorState's poverty levels increasing due to general low education levelDan MaloneThe poverty rate in Mississippi is still on the rise, according to a census released last week.While national poverty rates are declining, Mississippi's rate is up from 19.9 percent in 1999 to 21.1 percent. Mississippi has led the nation in poverty for several years.The Mississippi Economic Policy Center released a report in April that showed almost 130,000, or 39 percent, of Mississippi's working families live in low-income households. The report also indicates that 35 percent of the state's jobs are low-wage occupations.It is a centuries-old problem that has proven to be a continuing trend for the state, said Charles Campbell, an MSU finance and economics professor.Campbell said he agrees...
from Northeast Mississippi Daily JournalEdwards' visit last week only the most recent of many by national figures.By SHELIA BYRDAssociated Press WriterWhen politicians want to talk about poverty, Mississippi, especially the Delta, has been a jumping off point.In 1968, Democrat Robert Kennedy's 200-mile poverty tour included stops in Mississippi. The late Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., came through in 1997, followed by President Bill Clinton in 1999.The latest political figure to launch a poverty tour was Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards. The former North Carolina senator said during stops last week in Canton and Marks that he wanted to shine a light on the nation's poor and find ways to end economic stagnation.These tours reminded the nation, albeit briefly, about the...