Poverty Resources from the UNC Poverty Center

Val also sent along a link to the UNC Center on Poverty, Work, and Opportunity, where Gene Nichol is now the Director.

Two parts of the site immediately present themselves as a great wealth of information:

*Poverty Resources - with Quick Facts, statistics, and links to other reliable sources. Example:

Rising Costs

The rising cost of food and fuel are frequently the two major reasons cited for the growing reliance on food stamps and/or food pantries.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks the Consumer Price Index, reports that nationally the cost of "food at home" went up an average of 5.8% between May 2007 and May 2008. However, the price of some essential grocery items has skyrocketed well beyond that rate.

• Cereal and bakery items are up 10.5%
• Bread is up 15.9%
• Eggs are up 18.2%
• Milk is up 10.2%
• Rice is up 19.9%

Moreover the cost of household energy has risen 11.9% (with states that depend on oil and kerosene for heating especially hard-hit). And no one needs to be told that the cost of regular unleaded gas has jumped--20.5% on average.

*Publications and Video - with links to many "policy briefs" written by the faculty.