Saturday stats: The shutdown lumbers on
Posted January 19, 2019 in eNews
2,000: More than 2,000 women state legislators were swept into power as a result of the 2018 midterm elections. And at every level of government there are now more black, Muslim, Latinx, Native American, LGBTQ officials than ever before. As Amy Hanauer wrote in this winter’s edition of The American Prospect, in many states power shifted last year. For many Americans, that means a more inclusive government with more equitable policies.
Amy was a panelist at Teaching Cleveland’s event Cleveland: Politics, Progress, and Promise. Teaching Cleveland is an organization that connects students in the classroom with Cleveland history.
2.1 percent: In 2018, Ohio had a job growth rate of 2.1 percent. That was the state’s best year since 1994’s rate of 3.6 percent. Last year is also the first year since 2010 that Ohio outperformed the nation’s job growth average. However, the state’s unemployment rate remained at 4.6 percent last month -- higher than the national rate of 3.9 percent, according to Hannah Halbert.
15,000: Despite Ohio’s relatively strong growth, more people have not been pulled into the labor force. Rather, 15,000 fewer people were working or looking for work this December than last.
29: The federal government shutdown is now the longest ever – at 29 days and counting. Caitlin Johnson described some of the harm it’s done to Ohioans—including 7,000 who are furloughed or working without pay—and the harm it will do to thousands of others, if it goes on much longer.
25,000: That’s how many people are served each year by Ohio’s 67 domestic violence shelters, according to Ohio Domestic Violence Network. At any given time, the shelters house between 5,000 and 10,000 women and children. The shutdown has put them at risk because many shelters rely heavily on federal dollars, which will stop flowing next month.
229,000 low-income Ohio households got federal housing assistance in 2016. Since 95 percent of the staff at the Department of Housing and Urban Development are furloughed during the shutdown, their homes aren’t getting health and safety inspections. According to the Coalition on Housing and Homelessness in Ohio (COHHIO), rental assistance contracts for 77 Ohio properties with 2,000 units either expired in December or will expire in January or February. It’s unclear what will happen to the people who live there.
1.4 million: That’s how many Ohioans use federal food aid to get enough to eat. Because of the shutdown, the United States Department of Agriculture has already issued February benefits, anticipating that it won’t be able to issue them next month.
14.9 percent is the share of Ohioans who lived in poverty in 2017 – up from 13.3 percent in 2006. Even though the need has grown, Wendy Patton’s report shows how funding for crucial antipoverty services has been eroded.
19: The number of months the average person waits to hear if they are approved for Social Security Disability Insurance. Ohio used to provide modest assistance to help these folks bridge the gap, but eliminated that program, even though the federal government reimbursed the state for the assistance when beneficiaries were approved.
5 percent of eligible Ohio mothers and babies benefit from home visiting programs. That number should be a lot higher, because home visits have been shown to reduce infant mortality – a serious concern in Ohio, which has some of the highest infant mortality rates for black babies in the nation. Governor Mike DeWine announced that he aims to triple the number of mothers who receive home visits, a nice first step.
12.3 percent: According to analysis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the poorest fifth of Ohioans pay 12.3 percent of their income in state and local taxes – about double the share paid by the most affluent Ohioans who make at least $456,000 a year. Zach Schiller shows how Ohio’s tax code perpetuates structural racism because black Ohioans and Latinos are more likely to be low-income, and therefore pay more in taxes.
27 percent and 40 percent: The respective shares of black people and Latinos who are in the poorest fifth of Ohio tax payers. Only 8 percent of black Ohioans and 7 percent of Latinos are in the top fifth of all earners. By contrast, 18 percent of white Ohioans are in the poorest fifth and 22 percent are in the richest fifth.
17,000 Arkansans have lost their health care since June because of new Medicaid requirements, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Ohio is waiting for federal approval for a similar proposal that would strip Medicaid coverage from people who can’t get 80 hours of work a month. Amanda estimates that if it’s implemented here, about 300,000 people could lose health coverage.
Thousands of direct and indirect jobs will be lost if General Motors closes the Lordstown plant. The community is fighting back. Join them at for a town hall meeting Thursday, Jan. 24, 6 p.m. at Lordstown High School 1824 Salt Springs Rd, Warren, OH 44481.
13th: January 25 marks the 13th National EITC Awareness day, when community organizations, government officials and others join forces to raise awareness about the Earned Income Tax Credit. Kalitha Williams will be a featured speaker at an event sponsored by the United Way of Summit County. The event takes place from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Mandel Community Center at The Sojourner Truth Building, 37 North High Street. Akron, OH 44308. To register for this event, email Rebecca Miklos at rmiklos@uwsummit.org
11 a.m.: The third Women’s March rally in Cleveland begins today at 11 a.m. in Public Square. Cynthia Connolly will be a featured speaker.
Cynthia spoke to students at Hawken Lower and Middle Schools about the use of Native American imagery and names in sports.