Experts had predicted a big increase in the poverty rate. Sure enough, the poverty rate increased to 14.3% last year nationwide, up from 13.2% in 2008.
The growth was even more dramatic in Delaware: from 9.6% in 2008 to 12.3% in 2009.
Along with the poverty rate growth, the report showed what we could all feel in our own wallets. Inflation continues to eat away at our earning power, which has dropped by thousands of dollars in the past decade.
And when people lose their jobs, they also lose health insurance. In Delaware, 13.4% of residents lack health insurance, the highest figure since the Census Bureau began tracking the number in 1999.
Those are the numbers. But I wanted to meet the people behind them, so I went to Kingswood United Methodist Church on Thursday to talk to the folks who came for a meal at Hope Dining Room. The volunteers -- who come from a variety of churches in the Newark area -- were serving meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans for lunch. As always, I met some people who made a lasting impression on me.
There was Gwen Barrett, who has been looking for work for several months. And John Heron, who has two associates degrees (in culinary arts and hospitality management) but still can't get a job. Both said they were suffering from depression, and I could see it in their eyes and hear it in their voices. But only Gwen was taking medicine for it; John was trying to cope on his own because he doesn't have insurance. They've both been on my mind since meeting them the other day. I hope they find jobs soon.
Here's the story, Poverty climbed during crunch.
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