Poverty Forum

St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church

March 12th, 2011

David Blatt
Director, Oklahoma Policy Institute
dblatt@okpolicy.org; www.okpolicy.org
918-794-3944
 In 2009, a U.S. family of four with an income of $22,050 was
Poverty considered to be poor, or below the poverty line.
Oklahoma’s poverty rate (13.2 percent) is 2.5 percentage
Economic Policy Institute
(EPI)
points higher than the national average (15.7 percent).
U.S. Census Bureau

Persons below poverty level, percent, 2009

U.S. 13.2%

Oklahoma 15.7%

0 5 10 15 20 25
 The poverty rate for children (22.0 percent) is higher than that of
working-age adults (15.2 percent) or seniors (9.5 percent).

Families with children, especially young children, are likeliest

Status of to live in poverty. Oklahoma families headed by single
Children and mothers are five times as likely to live in poverty as
Families families headed by married couples (ACS 2009).
American Community Oklahoma Poverty Rate by Age, 2009
Survey 2009 25.0%
22.0%
U.S. Census Bureau
20.0%
15.2%
Poverty Rate

15.0%

9.5%
10.0%

5.0%

0.0%
Children 18 and Adults 19-64 Elderly 65+
under
 A majority of Oklahomans in poverty are White (62.9
Poverty percent).
American Community
Survey 2009 Population in Poverty by Race, Oklahoma 2009
U.S. Census Bureau
 Within Oklahoma, African-Americans, Hispanics, and
Poverty Native Americans have the highest rates of poverty.
American Community
Survey 2009 Poverty Rate by Race and Hispanic/Latino Origin, Oklahoma 2009
U.S. Census Bureau

Status of
Children and
Families
Oklahoma Institute for
Child Advocacy (OICA)
http://oica.org/fastfacts
Oklahoma is ranked 5th highest (worst) in the nation in the teen
birth rate for 15-19 year-olds.
Oklahoma’s infant death rate ranks 40th.
Nearly half of the mothers giving birth in Oklahoma receive
inadequate prenatal care.
 Nearly one-third of the state’s children, ages 10-17, are
overweight or obese.
 Three of every hundred children in Oklahoma has a mother,
father, or both in prison.
 There were 8,605 confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect
in Oklahoma in 2009.
 The number of Oklahoman’s receiving food stamps grew 11.7
percent from October 2009 to the same month in 2010. More
Status of than 30 percent of the state's children received food stamps in
Children and December 2010.
Families
OKDHS Oklahomans on the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP)
620,000 610,995

600,000
# Enrolled in SNAP

580,000

560,000
546,988
540,000

520,000

500,000
October 2009 October 2010
 Status of
Children and
Families
OICA
KIDS COUNT Factbook
2010
 Status of
Children and
Families
OICA
KIDS COUNT Factbook
2010
150 babies are born
7 of the babies are born to children
62 of the babies are born without adequate prenatal care
12 of the babies are born too small
84 children are investigated for allegations of serious child abuse and/or neglect
24 children are confirmed to be victims of child abuse and/or neglect
  Revenue drop was more than twice as severe as during the
downturn of 2001-02;
 FY ‘10 General Revenue 23 percent below pre-downturn (FY
‘08) levels;
 FY ‘10 GR collections less than FY ’01 – without adjusting for
inflation or population growth.
State
Budget
Crisis
  Funding of state services is 6 percent below FY ‘09

 Over half of all state agencies have been cut by more than 15 percent

 Most state agencies and school districts are struggling to accomplish their core
missions with significantly reduced staffing and resources

Impact of
Budget Cuts
 Oklahoma Dept of Mental Health and
Substance Abuse Services
 Budget cut by $25 million over the last 18 months
Impact of
Budget Cuts  Eliminated
 28 beds at Griffin Memorial Hospital
ODMHSAS Budget  80 substance-abuse beds in Norman and Tahlequah
Request FY '12
 35 children's mental health beds
 26-bed enhanced residential treatment center

 70% needing treatment for serious mental illness & 77% in

need of substance abuse treatment are not receiving
appropriate care

 More than 40% of youth who need mental health services and
80% who need substance abuse treatment not receiving care
 Dept of Human Services
 Loss of approximately $94 million in state and federal funds
for FY'10-FY '11
Impact of  Eliminated
Budget Cuts  An estimated 1,186 full time employees
 320 beds from therapeutic foster care and group homes
OKDHS Finance Division
and NewsOK
 Reductions in workshops, community integrated employment
programs, and emergency services for people with
developmental disabilities

 Senior meal program cut by $7.4 million ($5 million restored in

FY '11)

 Increasing need for human services

 1/3rd of Oklahomans on food stamps or Medicaid
 Oklahomans receiving DHS services increased by 18
percent in 2009
 Public Health
 Oklahoma is ranked 49th in overall health of its citizens
Impact of
 The Health Department has been cut by 15 percent in two
Budget Cuts years, forcing 300 layoffs
NewsOK
 If the Health Department budget is cut by 5 percent or more
this year, it will eliminate the Office of Child Abuse Prevention

 Further cuts to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA)

would threaten payments for kidney dialysis, prescription
drugs, and wheelchairs for low-income residents

 Oklahomans receiving Medicaid assistance are at an all-time

high of 885,000 and expected to increase to 950,000 by 2012
 What Can We Do?

 Insist that our budget reflects our values

 Defer or repeal additional tax cuts while budgets are
Impact of being cut
 Examine tax credits, exemptions and deductions
Budget Cuts  Prioritize prevention and treatment

NewsOK
 Promote family financial security across the entire population
 Matched saving accounts for families, children and
students
 Tighter financial regulation of high-cost loans
 Elimination of asset tests in public programs
 Require employers receiving public incentives to provide
retirement benefits