Woe is Cleveland, city named Poorest in U$
by cleveland imc newswire Sunday, Oct. 10, 2004 at 5:24 AM

As many were focused on the major RNC protests in NYC, the u$ census bureau released new statistics on poverty. Cleveland was on the top of the heap in many categories leading it to be named the new "Poorest Big City" in the country.

31.3 percent of Cleveland's households live below the poverty line according to the survey, and almost half of the city's children are "poor". But, according to a report from Cleveland-based research institute Policy Matters Ohio, the entire state is in an equally depressed condition..

Mayor calls for "Poverty Summit"

The new status was not a surprise for many who know the city from the bottom up, but seemed to be a wake up call to local policy makers. Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell called for a "poverty summit" of government, business, and nonprofit bigwigs to address what the PD is calling "a quiet crisis."

Cleveland beat out another bombed-out rustbelt city, Detroit and other cities like Newark, NJ and Fresno, CA for this years top (dis)honor and took over from perennial poverty leader Miami, FL. This may be rock bottom for a city that has been in a downward spiral for some time, but for Clevelanders there be nowhere else to go but up. How far the city bounces back will depend on how seriously the city's leaders are about the problems that hurt its poorest residents.

Stay tuned...

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