(Des Moines, Iowa) Many Des Moines suburbs are noticing a trend, more pockets of poverty in suburban communities. Renee Miller of the United Way of Central Iowa says Polk County is short about 7,000 affordable housing units. She says there about three thousand people on a waiting list for subsidized housing, also known as Section 8 housing.
These findings are in a new United Way report, which also finds the percentage of financial self-sufficient families in Polk, Warren, and Dallas Counties has increased, to nearly 66-percent. The United Way has a for 2020 of increasing the percentage to 75-percent.
Miller says the news is encouraging, noting in 2016, 1,265 fewer individuals lived below the federal poverty level, an 11-percent decrease from 2015.
The number of children (ages 18 and under) living below the FPL decreased to 14.9-percent of the population, from 15.7-percent in 2015.
The number of seniors (ages 65 and older) living below the FPL increased to 7-percent of the population, from 6.5-percent in 2015.
The number of African Americans living below the FPL decreased to 32-percent from 36.8-percent the previous year.
The United Way reports an increase in adults taking advantage of post secondary education, which has been a key strategy of the organization, to increase families' incomes and help local employers fill a need for skilled workers.
The region had a 7.8-percent increase in the number of individuals with some colleges and/or associates degree, and a 13.9-percent increase in the number of people with a bachelor's degree or higher.
From 2015-2017, United Way of Central Iowa-funded programs reported more than 14-hundred individuals achieved a high school equivalency diploma, more than 14-hundred earned a work-related credential, and nearly 4,000 were placed on employment.
Miller says while they are pleased with the gains, there's still one-third of individuals in central Iowa living in poverty.
The United Way is also announcing its 2018 legislative agenda, to view the agenda, click HERE.
Here a discussion with Renee Miller of the United Way during the Focus public affairs program on Newsradio 1040 WHO, Sunday, December 31st, beginning at 6 a.m.