Proclaiming January 2011, as "Poverty in America Awareness Month."

The City Council of Philadelphia designates the Month of January 2011, as “Poverty in America Awareness Month.”

WHEREAS, Today, 37.3 million Americans—and 1 in 6 children (that's 18 percent of all American children)-are living below the poverty line; and

WHEREAS, At the same time,

Catholic Campaign for Human Development

focuses greater attention on the poor and low-income people who are doing something about breaking the cycle of poverty; and

WHEREAS, This is the 7th year in a row that the poverty rate in America has risen; and

WHEREAS, According to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau in August 2010, The official poverty rate in 2009 was 14.3 percent — up from 13.2 percent in 2008; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, 43.6 million people were in poverty, up from 39.8 million in 2008 — the third consecutive annual increase in the number of people in poverty; and

WHEREAS, The ad campaign offers a message of hope by showing children in Los Angeles who once walked in fear after school and now arrive safely home as they are protected from street violence by a dedicated group of volunteers; and

WHEREAS, It also visits Wisconsin where a group of family dairy farmers joined together to start their own cooperative in order to pool production and get a better price for their milk; and

WHEREAS, Finally, the new campaign features young people in New Orleans who are learning from experts in the food service industry the skills they need to find better jobs and build a better future; and

WHEREAS, Between 2000-2008, the number of poor Americans grew by more than nine million; and

WHEREAS, The number of people living in extreme poverty, that is, those with incomes below half the poverty line, rose to over 17 million people. That is the highest level on record since data first became available in 1975; and

WHEREAS, Established in 1970 by the U.S. Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is one of the largest private funders of self-help programs initiated and led by poor people in the United States. Committed to the permanent elimination of poverty and injustice in the U.S., CCHD has supported more than 4,000 programs nationwide that know no racial or religious boundaries - projects that help create jobs, improve neighborhoods and allow people to find a way out of poverty not just for a day, but a lifetime.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PHILADELPHIA, That the Month of January 2011, shall be declared “Poverty in America Awareness Month.”

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