1 in 4 NYC children lived in poverty in previous years: Study
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- A new study has revealed some concerning statistics about child poverty in New York City.
One in four children in New York City lived in poverty in 2022, according to a report by Columbia University and Robin Hood.
Well, the numbers are staggering," said Robin Hood CEO Richard Buery. "What they really show that not only is New York City in the crisis when it comes to poverty, but due to crisis that is worsening. Well, this report shows is the single largest increase in poverty since Robin Hood began conducting this study 12 years ago."
The number of New Yorkers living in poverty increased by half a million people between 2021 and 2022.
The report defines poverty as not being able to afford basic needs like housing and food.
"There are a number of causes, right," said Buery. "But the one that we would highlight because it drives so much of the work, is the expiration of a range of public benefits that the federal government and the state government created during the pandemic to help stabilize families."
Poverty actually went down because of tax relief, stimulus checks, unemployment checks and forgiven rent.
Nowadays, those checks aren't coming. Rent is due and it's more expensive than ever, and so is childcare.
Robin Hood and Columbia haven't just focused on those who have the least among us, they also look at people barely surviving.
About 56% of New Yorkers are under or near the poverty line.
"Their lives are very much like the lives of those officially living in poverty," Buery said. "They are twice as likely to struggle to pay rent, or to put food on the table, or to pay their bills than wealthier New Yorkers, they are more likely to fall into poverty as a result of some shock in their lives -- like a medical bill they didn't anticipate or a lost paycheck."
The break-even to survive is $88,000 for a family of four.
"If you live in New York and you make less than $88,000 a year for your family of four, you're still very likely to face difficult choices, between am I going to pay the rent, am I going to pay the light bill, am I going to pay for the cell phone, am I going to pay for food, am I going to go to the doctor when I get sick," Buery said.
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