Nearly 90 percent of the children living in concentrated poverty in Illinois are nonwhite, according to a recent report by a child advocacy group.
Concentrated poverty by the definition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation is when 30 percent or more of the population in a neighborhood is impoverished. The Foundation’s report was released this week.
It shows there are about 300,000 children living in concentrated poverty in Illinois.
Bill Byrnes, project manager for Voices for Illinois Children, which collaborates with the Casey Foundation, says children living in those areas have less access to healthy food, quality schools are medical care.
“They also have – it turns out — more exposure to environmental hazards such as high lead levels and poor air quality.”
The Casey Foundation also notes that children living in higher levels of concentrated poverty also tend to end up earning less money later in life, Byrnes said.
“This is the legacy of historical race and class discrimination that has taken place not just in Illinois but throughout the nation.”
Byrnes says that class discrimination limits access to job and wealth creation through home ownership.
The report found the highest concentrations of poverty in Cook County.
