Salem-News.com Poverty articles Page 30

The Real Battle of Alberta

There is a global recession on and it's going to get worse before it gets better.

(CALGARY, Alberta) - For the well fed and somewhat inebriated, the Battle of Alberta is all about the rivalry between supporters of the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers. But the real, unpublicized, Battle of Alberta is about the actual social war between the Government of Alberta and many of its citizens, particularly the poor and the working poor.

Three months ago Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, assailed the public welfare system, saying that “unwittingly, we have developed a policy that stomps you into the ground.” At the same time he admitted he had no solution to the situation.

One in Six Oregonians Now Count on Food Stamps

The state's need for economic assistance continues to grow.

(SALEM, Ore.) - As Oregon’s unemployment figures hit historic levels, the need for basic economic support such as food stamps and cash assistance continues to grow, the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) announced today.

Need for cash assistance (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families or TANF) increased nearly 30 percent over May of 2008. Only very low-income families qualify for this assistance – the monthly income limit for a family of three is $528 – and currently 25,509 families statewide are receiving assistance.

Will Oregon Human Services...Serve Fewer Humans? (AUDIO)

Critical Budget Vote Expected on Friday.

(PORTLAND, Ore. ONS) - Oregonians who live with disabilities and seniors in need of nursing care are holding their collective breath - waiting for the outcome of a legislative work session and vote this week. If the Human Services portion of the new state budget is approved, 38 percent of in-home care services and 40 percent of nursing home funding will go away.

Bringing Clean Water to the People Who Need it Most (VIDEO)

The Global Water Challenge is a coalition of diverse, non-profit organizations working to provide creative and sustainable solutions for universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

(ATLANTA) - Groups are teaming up to take on water quality problems in the United States and abroad. They say thousands die every day from drinking contaminated water in parts of the world where water is always scarce.

Federal Aid Dries Up for Some Oregon Renters (AUDIO)

The Northwest Oregon Housing Authority says its counterparts in several other areas of the state are having similar problems.

(TILLAMOOK, Ore.) - Oregon's homeless rate has increased at least 35 percent in the past year, and now Oregon families who depend on federal Section 8 vouchers to pay their rent are wondering if they'll continue to receive them, or be among the homeless - and with good reason.

Last week, the Housing Authority for Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties told 285 families that their rental assistance will end as of July 1st.

Oregon Homeless Report Opens a Door at the State House? (AUDIO)

Homeless figures bring new urgency to a legislative proposal to issue lottery-backed bonds to help the residents of manufactured home parks buy the land they've been renting.

(PORTLAND, Ore. ONS) - A 35 percent jump in Oregon's homeless population is a startling statistic, from a state report that shows most of those without homes are families and the number of homeless school-aged children has almost doubled, to nearly 16,000.

Stop Genocide Now Writes Open Letter to Obama to Help End Bloodshed in Chad

"Last weekend you upheld your promise to Michele to take her to dinner and Broadway performance in New York. What about your promise to the Darfuri people?" -Alysha Atma, Stop Genocide Now

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - The group Stop Genocide Now reports that one of the refugee camps in Chad has been bombed.

"Not only is Al-bashir embolden enough to starve his own people by expelling the aid organizations he is now bombing them, AGAIN," they report. The group's Alysha Atma has drafted an open letter to President Obama seeking help for the people there.

UN Deplores Campaign of Violence Against Somali Government

The Security Council has condemned the recent resurgence in fighting in the Horn of Africa nation, and called for the end of all hostilities.

(MOGADISHU) - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today strongly condemned the continuing armed attacks against Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government, expressing concern at the growing numbers of civilians killed, wounded and displaced by the violence.

Intense fighting between the Government and the opposition Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups erupted in several north-west areas of the capital, Mogadishu, on 8 May, uprooting over 67,000 people, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The Hidden Immorality in a Food Bank

The ideal solution is that food banks should be totally funded by government. That way the costs are spread across society and no one free rides.

(CALGARY, Alberta) - I remember when the first food banks were set up in the early 1980s in response to the declining economic conditions. They were supposed to be a temporary measure. Now they’re everywhere.

There are now huge numbers of homeless people—including families with children. In Calgary last spring, an overnight census was done with over 4,000 homeless people counted. But everyone knows the number is higher, perhaps much higher. It’s no different in other large cities across North America.

Op Ed: Half of American
Families Facing Real
Healthcare Hurts

Even “Richies” Feeling Painful Pinch On Med-Matters.

(EUGENE, Ore.) - New studies reported from widespread authoritative sources show that more than half of American families, some now comparatively among our “richies”, already are suffering from rapidly rising healthcare costs.

A recent poll found 57% saying that the economy has affected their ability to take care of their health. ONE-THIRD of those surveyed, with income at $75,000-and-up, admitted they, too, were “feeling squeezed”.