Escalating Poverty in California

Ethel Long-Scott reports for KALW News that poverty in California reflects or may be even worse than the circumstances in Michigan. Poverty is one of the nation's largest problems that society faces today. There are homeless shelters and charities, but it doesn't seem to be quite enough considering the ever increasing statistics. Long-Scott reveals that,

"Nearly 1 in 4 California residents lacked health insurance for part or all of 2009, that is roughly 8.2 million people. California also has the third highest rate of official unemployment at 12.6% and the fourth highest rate of home foreclosures at 12.4%, even worse than Michigan. When we look closer in particular locations, the numbers are even worse. Cities like Richmond, Hayward, and Oakland have unemployment and poverty rates well above the state and national average."

With the budget cuts to Universities, young people are having a harder time paying for an education. The increased tuition forces many people to drop out of school. Those lacking a college degree struggle getting a job which initiates their fall toward homelessness. The instability of the economy is having a negative influence on the poverty situation all over America and especially in California.