More Missourians are living below the poverty line. New census figures show there are 83,000 more impoverished Missourians than in 2006. That means for a family of three the monthly income is $1,400 or less. Executive Director Amy Blouin with the Missouri Budget Project said the increase in poverty isn’t the only thing that concerns her.
"We’ve seen dramatic increases in the poverty level in Missouri and we’ve seen a decrease in income in real income for families and an increase in the number of uninsured," she said. "We’re worse off today than we were prior to the last recession."
The Missouri Budget Project is a non-partisan policy research organization. Part of the problem is that prices of everything from gas child care have gone up hurting these families even more, Blouin said.
"If families cannot purchase those things they many times go without," she said. "People are hungry people are struggling to make it and we need to do better than this."
Blouin said she is encouraged that the candidates for governor are discussing crucial poverty topics like healthcare.
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