The number of Ohio residents living in poverty increased for the first time in a decade, according to a new report from the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies.
The report found Ohio's poverty rate increased from 12.7% to 13.4% in 2021, reflecting a national trend.
Chronic poverty, which is defined as being in poverty every month over a 24-month period, has decreased in the United States since 2011.
But the rate of people living in poverty for at least two consecutive months in a 24-month period — referred to as episodic poverty — has remained unchanged and is nearly nine times higher than the chronic poverty rate, according to the report.
On Cincinnati Edition, we discuss why more people are living in poverty and what programs are available to help.
Guests:
- Philip Cole, executive director of the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies
- Mark Lawson, president and CEO of the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency
- Mary Reid, social service director at The Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Cincinnati
Listen to Cincinnati Edition live at noon M-F. Audio for this segment will be uploaded after 4 p.m. ET.
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