By Kayden Stalker

An estimated 32% of people in the Greater Binghamton area were living in poverty in 2021 (“Poverty Rate”). As seen in the previous statistic, a substantial amount of people in our local community are afflicted by poverty. But what is the local government doing to combat poverty? What are nonprofit organizations doing to help? What can we as community members do to get involved and help?

Oftentimes we find the term poverty thrown around, but what does it actually mean? The Institute for Research on Policy states that “Poverty is measured in the United States by comparing a person’s or family’s income to a set poverty threshold or minimum amount of income needed to cover basic needs” (“How Is Poverty Measured?”). These basic needs consist of but are not limited to food, water, housing, education, and healthcare. Poverty can strike suddenly without warning, or it could be a slow drip that eventually leads to something significantly worse, such as homelessness (Stevens 2023). Although some cases of poverty may originate from poor financial decisions, many cases happen because of a sudden replacement at work, a divorce, or other uncontrollable outside factors. When people go into poverty status, it is very difficult for them to get out of their situation. Low-income areas have much worse schools than higher-income regions, making it much harder for children in poverty-stricken families to get a good education. Additionally, a local study found that students suffering from food scarcity often perform worse in school due to the distraction of hunger (Gajewski 2022). This, in turn, ends up with them getting low-paying jobs because they don’t have the necessary schooling for better job opportunities. Without the income of a good-paying, steady job, those living in poverty will often remain in poverty.

So, you may be wondering what sort of policies our government has attempted to put in place to help those in poverty. “Affordable rent is typically defined as being 30% or less of a tenant’s, or a person who pays rent for the use of a room, building, or land’s income, being set as the cap for public housing rent since 1981” (Edson 2011). However, many households in low-income areas of Binghamton far exceed the 30% threshold for affordable housing (O’Keefe 2021). In fact, renter-occupied households in the lowest income quintile (the bottom 20% of earners) had an average cost ratio of 62.7% in 2021 (Mateyka and Yoo 2023). People living in poverty will often have to pay over double the rent designated as affordable at their income level. Not only that, but this percentage is also increasing over time.

There are a large number of organizations that assist poverty-stricken people and help them to live a more stable life for nothing in return. These are known as nonprofit organizations. Some local nonprofits include the Binghamton-Broome Anti-Poverty Initiative (BBAPI) and Habitat for Humanity at Binghamton University (“Binghamton University”). BBAPI is run by a larger organization, United Way of Broome County, which fights poverty across the county and the Southern Tier. They do this by funding many different organizations that also aim to help those suffering from poverty by supplying food, water, clothes, and other necessities. Habitat for Humanity at BU seeks to eliminate homelessness in our local area by providing affordable housing to people struggling with poverty or homelessness. They do this through a combination of donations and volunteer work. The volunteers at Habitat for Humanity build brand-new, good-quality houses in order to help people in poverty to get back on their feet.

So, what exactly can we as community members do to help those struggling to meet basic needs? Well, it may surprise you to find out that there are actually a lot of things we can do. There are many local places that accept community service from volunteers of all ages to help people affected by poverty, such as food pantries (“Broome County”). Also, many churches around the area accept donations of food, clothes, money, and other helpful materials. There are even organizations like soup kitchens, where community members can go to volunteer and feed homeless and poverty-stricken people for free. On top of all of these amazing organizations, there are some associations that provide places to live for families experiencing a financial crisis.

People living in poverty are constantly struggling to make ends meet, but, as seen here, there are many different groups looking to provide assistance. Not only that, but there is so much that we as a community can do to help these people improve their situations. So get out there, do what you can to help, and maybe we can eventually end poverty in our community.

Kayden is a Freshman at Chenango Valley Highschool. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis and golf. He is involved with many clubs such as Drama club, Student Government, Select choir.

References

“Anti-Poverty Work and the Binghamton-Broome Anti-Poverty Initiative.” 2019. United Way of Broome County, February 12. https://www.uwbroome.org/blog/anti-poverty-work-and-the-binghamton-broome-anti-poverty-initiative/.

“Binghamton University Habitat for Humanity.” Center for Civic Engagement, Binghamton University. https://www.binghamton.edu/cce/volunteer/public/organizations/123.

“Broome County Community Service Programs.” Community Foundation of South Central New York. http://www.cfscny.org/about-us/service-programs-broome-county/.

Edson, Charles L. 2011. “Affordable Housing—An Intimate History.” Journal of Affordable Housing & Community Development Law, 20(2): 193-213. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41429169.

Gajewski, Aidan J. 2022. “Food Insecurity in Broome County and its Effect on Adolescent Academic Performance.” Alpenglow: Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal of Research and Creative Activity, 8(1). https://orb.binghamton.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1151&context=alpenglowjournal.

“How Is Poverty Measured?” Institute for Research on Poverty. https://www.irp.wisc.edu/resources/how-is-poverty-measured/.

Mateyka, Peter J. and Jayne Yoo. 2023. “Low-Income Renters Spent Larger Share of Income on Rent in 2021.” Census.gov, March 2. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/03/low-income-renters-spent-larger-share-of-income-on-rent.html.

O’Keefe, Jessica. 2021. “Housing Insecurity in Binghamton.” Alpenglow: Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal of Research and Creative Activity, 7(2). https://orb.binghamton.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1128&context=alpenglowjournal.

“Poverty Rate in Binghamton, New York” Welfareinfo.org. https://www.welfareinfo.org/poverty-rate/new-york/binghamton/.

Stevens, Yolanda. 2023. “The Relationship Between Poverty and Homelessness Among Older Adults.” National Alliance to End Homelessness, January 19. https://endhomelessness.org/blog/the-relationship-between-poverty-and-homelessness-among-older-adults/.