The State of Childhood Poverty

A recent VCU study found that a child growing up in Richmond’s Gilpin Court neighborhood, where poverty is endemic, has approximately the same life expectancy as a child growing up in Haiti—the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. We know there are many factors that contribute to family poverty, and thankfully there are numerous nonprofit and public sector organizations working to counter them—by improving access to gainful employment, quality educational opportunities, better housing, safer neighborhoods, and the critical tools that families need to attain financial stability (financial literacy, savings, assets, etc.). Clearly, though, much work remains to be done.