NEW CENSUS NUMBERS released last month saw incomes rise by 5 percent nationally and the poverty rate dropping to 13.5 percent from 14.8. The news made major headlines. Many are celebrating. And yes, it is the right direction, but these numbers paint a misleading picture. A look behind the numbers shows our families are being short-changed. There […]
Elisabeth Babcock
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Coaching can help poor emerge from poverty
ACCORDING TO AÂ new report from the Brookings Institution, Boston has the biggest wage gap in the country. One out of every four Massachusetts residents lives in a working-poor family that cannot afford to meet its basic needs. The current system of public assistance can help poor families survive, but it is not designed as a […]
Posted inEconomy, Education, Opinion
Helping low-income families out of poverty
BUILDING A PATHWAY that leads out of poverty and into economic self-sufficiency requires hard work, resilience and persistence. However, low-income families will do all it takes to reach economic independence if given the means. To create that opportunity, service providers, philanthropy, and government must come together as partners to create the necessary supports needed to […]