The Facts on Homelessness and Poverty in the USA

Average life expectancy of a resident of Lyndhurst : 88

Of Hough : 64

Distance, in miles, between the two (CommonHealth ACTION) : 8.5

Percent of people nationally with incomes above the federal poverty level who struggle with hunger (Feeding America Foundation) : 45

Percent more likely that a food insecure adult is obese than a food secure adult (Martin & Ferris) : 100

Percent of Ohioans who are either overweight or obese (TFAH) : 65.3

Percent of American adults who say that they themselves are overweight : 39

Percent of American adults who say that most Americans are overweight (Pew Research Center) : 90

Annual medical cost of obesity-related problems in children (Food Research & Action Center) : $14,000,000,000

Number of Ohio counties with at least 25% of children living in poverty in 2008 : 15

In 2009 : 31

Percent change in the overall poverty rate for Ohio children from 2009 to 2010 : +16.8

Percent change from 2001 to 2010 (Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio) : +45.9

Ratio of CEO compensation to average U.S. worker pay in 2009 : 263-to-1

In 2010 (Institute for Policy Studies) : 325-to-1

Percent income tax paid by Warren Buffett for 2010: 17.7

By his secretary (Warren Buffett) : 30

Federal income tax rate for the top 1% of Americans in 1986 & 2008, respectively : 33.1%, 23.3%

Amount lower the federal debt would be today if the top 1% had kept paying 33.1% (Bruce Barlett) : $1.7 trillion

Ratio of that to the cost so far of the Iraq & Afghanistan wars & related expenses (NYT 9/11: The Reckoning) : 1-to-1

Cost to al-Qaeda of executing the 9/11 attacks (9/11 Commission Report) : $500,000

Annual cost that NYC spends on one-way air, bus, & train tickets to send homeless people out of town (Dept. of Homeless Services-NYC) : $500,000

Number of the 25 wealthiest U.S. counties by median household income that were affected by Hurricane Irene (American Community Survey) : 17

Number of volumes the Suffolk County, NY (the Hamptons) hurricane plan runs : 6

Number of provisions in the 2005 New Orleans evacuation plan for the 27,000 residents without cars (Greg Palast) : 0

Percent of people who most trust Fox News for news who believe that discrimination against whites is as big a problem as it is for African-Americans & other minorities (PRRI) : 68

Number of times that Obama made any explicit reference to people of color in his 9/8/11 ‘American Jobs Act’ speech to Congress (Drotar) : 0

August unemployment rate for African-Americans : 16.7%

Last year that the African-American unemployment rate was that high (B. of Labor Statistics) : 1984

Percent change in women staying at the Community Women’s Shelter in August (MHS) : +33

Number of people who called 2-1-1 First Call for Help in August asking for shelter : 1,000

Percent who called from the suburbs : 28

Change between July & August in unique users of the affordable housing listing website HousingCleveland.org : +2,000

Percent change in FY ’12 Congressional appropriation to the national Emergency Food & Shelter Program (United Way) : -40

Amount of public money (kept secret until recently) lent to banks & other companies from 2007 to 2010 to keep them afloat during the financial crisis (U.S. Treasury) : $1.2 trillion

Ratio of said amount to the unpaid principal on all American mortgages currently delinquent &/or in foreclosure (Lender Processing Services Inc.) : 1-to-1

Number of times that $1.2 trillion in $1 bills laid end-to-end would stretch from the earth to the sun (NSFA) : 1.25

 Copyright Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless and The Street Chronicle published Sept. 2011 Cleveland, Ohio