New social contract needed
Posted on 05/16/12
Download press releaseBack to full reportReport finds that Ohioans struggle through slumps and recoveries with less relief than in the past
Ohioans are finding it harder to thrive economically and are slipping into poverty amid the destruction of vital services that were once a pathway to the middle class, according to a new study by Policy Matters Ohio. Poverty is high through slumps and recoveries, the study shows, and both work and the safety net do less to meet basic needs than they once did in Ohio. Wages have stagnated and benefits once common, like health insurance and pensions, are increasingly scarce.
“Too many working Ohioans cannot make ends meet,” said Amy Hanauer, report author and executive director of Policy Matters. “Many jobs no longer cover the essentials for a family, and fewer options are available for those who lose jobs and need short-term help.”
The study is based on surveys of 150 non-profit groups that serve more than 100,000 Ohio families, and of 2,000 northeast Ohioans who have needed help affording food, clothing, day care and other essentials during the recession. It also analyzes public policy decisions that have affected modest-income families. Key findings include:
- Caseloads increased by an average of 60 percent between 2008 and 2011, with providers of emergency food and shelter reporting the biggest jump. Many people seeking help were turned away because staffing and other resources were inadequate to meet demand.
- To make ends meet, families skipped health care, rent payments or meals; sold vehicles; exhausted savings; borrowed money; and even left children unattended because child care was not available or affordable when they worked.
- Organizations said the public sector should provide more funding, make health care affordable, better fund safety net programs and expand eligibility for services, among other reforms;
- The vast majority of individuals surveyed, 92 percent, were employed, but 80 percent earned $30,000 or less and had difficulty affording essentials. Three in five could not get health care, through employers or Medicaid. More than one in five said they often had to skip meals.
Many try to cover the basics through work, but wages have been stagnant even as American productivity has increased dramatically and families have sent more adults into the workplace. Provision of health and retirement coverage through the workplace has declined precipitously over the past generation.
Because work does not help all families escape poverty, state and federal services were put in place to provide security and opportunity, allowing Ohioans to stay in the workforce and afford necessities as they try to move up to better-paying jobs. But these services are under siege and leaving far too many behind:
- The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) helps very low-income households