Purdue News

February 11, 2000 Despite prosperity, 11% of Hoosiers live in poverty WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – While most of the state is reaping the rewards of record-level economic growth, higher incomes and a low unemployment rate, an estimated 680,000 Hoosiers – more than a third of them children – are living in poverty, according to a Purdue University report on Indiana families. That number equates to about 11 percent of the state's population. The poverty rate is just one of the indicators included in "Status of Indiana Families 1999: Living Poor in Indiana," a comprehensive assessment of poverty in the state. The report is a collaborative effort by the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, the Purdue Center for Families and the Indiana University Business Research Center. "We're looking at Indiana's entire population and focusing on one specific issue – poverty," said Aadron Rausch, Purdue Extension specialist and assistant director of the Center for Families. While Purdue Extension has published "Status of Indiana Families" for several years, the 1999 issue is the first report that focuses entirely on one theme. "Recent policy changes have reduced welfare dollars to families and forced educators and human service providers to rethink the ways that they work with families," Rausch said. "We need to understand how policy changes affect families in poverty." Purdue Center for Families director Shelley MacDermid said she hoped that the report would provide decision-makers and practitioners with accurate information about families as they create and modify policies, as well as develop and implement intervention programs. "Welfare reform has presented major challenges to state legislators and other professionals who are working to reduce poverty and government assistance among Indiana's families," MacDermid said. "Still, significant numbers of people continue to live at or below the poverty level. More than 45,000 Hoosier families received some kind of public assistance in 1997." The report divides data into three areas: • "Indiana and Its Neighbors" compares Indiana to other states in terms of population trends, health and well-being, poverty and welfare, education and employment, and income and consumption. • "Rankings of Indiana Counties" contains county-by-county information on a wide variety of indicators related to family economic well-being, including employment, child care, education and health. • "Profiles of Individual Counties" provides an in-depth view of each county and includes information on poverty and welfare, education and employment, and health and well-being. The profiles also provide a list of local resources and identify major issues in each county. The material is available in three formats: the full "Status of Families" profile, which includes state comparisons, county rankings and profiles of all 92 Indiana counties, for $69; an abbreviated version, which contains all the information except the individual county profiles, for $25; and individual county profiles, priced at $2 each. Materials can be ordered from the Purdue School of Agriculture’s Media Distribution Center, 888-EXT-INFO. Sources: Aadron Rausch (765) 494-9516, aadron@cfs.purdue.edu Shelley MacDermid, (765) 494-9878, shelley@cfs.purdue.edu Writer: Olivia Maddox, (765) 496-3207, om@aes.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page