poverty

• Opinion

'Summer SNAP' will help feed low-income kids when school's out

Many Maryland parents struggle to feed their kids when they have to stretch their SNAP dollars during the summer months. A new program will address this.

• Opinion

New rule threatens to undercount families in poverty

If the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has its way, a new federal poverty calculation will underestimate the number of families living in poverty,

• Business

A Trump tax cut meant to help poor areas could pay off for Kevin Plank and Goldman Sachs thanks to misaligned maps

Much of the Port Covington development project in Baltimore qualifies as an opportunity zone for lucrative tax breaks due to misaligned maps.

• Maryland

Dumbarton Middle School to join Student Support Network in September

The move will create resources for students living in poverty at the Towson school.

By Libby Solomon

Jun 12, 2019

• Education

How a nonprofit turned Baltimore County school storage rooms into a free general store for students in need

An advocate started gathering items to help needy high school students six years ago. Today it is a non-profit serving several schools.

• Opinion

No accountability for Baltimore Public Works

Baltimore is obligated to provide water for the health and safety of its residents, yet the Department of Public Works has functioned without accountability.

• Health

Johns Hopkins Hospital sues patients, many low income, for medical debt

John Hopkins Hospital has filed more than 2,400 lawsuits in Maryland courts since 2009, seeking to collect medical debt from its patients, many low income.

• Opinion

College is not as expensive as you might think

Colleges have a responsibility to let potential low-income students know that the real costs of attendance are often much lower than the sticker price.

• Opinion

A better way to track poverty in Baltimore schools

Denying much-needed funds from city schools with greatest burden of low-income students is an outrage. So why is that about to happen?

• Education

Baltimore school with large immigrant population loses vital funding source

Just four years ago, more than 90 percent of students at John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle were identified as low-income — and that qualified the school for $250,000 in badly needed funds. A policy change has made that money disappear — even though the school's student population is no less needy.

By Talia Richman

May 6, 2019

• Opinion

Delaying retirement boosts Social Security checks

It’s no secret that American workers face a major retirement crisis, with more and more retirees relying on Social Security for most of their income. But the average monthly Social Security benefit in Maryland is only slightly above the poverty line. What to do? Use the delay and gain strategy.

• Health

After record year for rain, advocates and lawmakers point to mold problems for low-income renters in Baltimore

After Baltimore’s wettest year on record, housing advocates are seeking more protections for low-income tenants battling mold in their rental homes — and a city councilman is calling for a hearing on the problem.

By Yvonne Wenger

Apr 15, 2019

• Opinion

2023 a long time to wait for $15 minimum wage

It is good that the General Assembly has approved a $15 minimum wage, but it won't go into affect until 2023 and families living in poverty need the increase now.

• Opinion

Baltimore should invest in pro bono test prep

We know that it’s not only the ultra rich or those willing to break the law who have an advantage in college admissions. Many with the means will do all they can to ensure that their children get into the best college possible. Often, this means spending money on standardized test prep.

• Health

Baltimore remains the least healthy place in Maryland, Montgomery the most in latest annual ranking

Baltimore City was ranked the least healthy jurisdiction in Maryland and Montgomery County was ranked the healthiest for the sixth year in a row, according to the latest ranking from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

By Meredith Cohn

Mar 19, 2019

• Opinion

Critical school poverty rate miscalculated in Md; here's how to fix it

Poor children in Baltimore City are being undercounted. This is a systemic problem put in place four years ago, when we stopped collecting lunch applications, used for decades to set poverty rates. The proxy for poverty, critical for determining school supports, is now a flawed measure.

• Opinion

Child support forcing poor families further into poverty

The state's child support system needs to be fixed so that parents aren't punished when they can't afford child support.

• Opinion

Development plan recycles poverty in Baltimore

The Community Builders non-profit development corporation bout 149 properties in Druid Heights in Baltimore for $1 apiece to turn them into high-quality mixed income housing. But that plan now appears to have been replaced with one for low-income rental housing, perpetuating area poverty.

• Opinion

Poverty measures don't reflect reality, educational needs

In a recent discussion about concentrated poverty and our public schools, a colleague mentioned that, “poverty was going down,” in an attempt to de-emphasize the need for greater education funding. Problem is, official definitions of poverty often don’t reflect the reality of day to day life.

• Poverty

Kirwan: Maryland education commission 'potentially the most important thing I have ever been involved in'

William "Brit" Kirwan says the work of the education commission that bears his name may be the most meaningful of his many years in education.

• Opinion

U.S. can do much more to address global poverty

Why isn’t the United States doing more to address global poverty? The general public drastically overestimates what is being done to address global poverty. Americans incorrectly estimate that 20 percent of the federal budget goes to foreign aid.

• Maryland

Proud Boys, black nationalists and Klan among new hate groups in Maryland, Southern Poverty Law Center reports

The number of hate groups in Maryland and across the country grew in 2018 to its highest level on record, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported Wednesday. In Maryland, new groups included four black nationalist groups, the Proud Boys and a mix of Ku Klux Klan, neo-nazi and white nationalists.

By Catherine Rentz

Feb 20, 2019

• Opinion

Baltimore drug organizations are well financed when compared to the police

Part of the difficulty in fighting crime in Baltimore is that the drug organizations have more money and resources than the police.

• Opinion

Baltimore's poor deserve safe homes

Raising standards for rental housing may displace some low-income tenants, but the answer isn't allowing landlords to rent out squalid apartments.

• Business

Report shows investment in Baltimore African-American neighborhoods hasn't overcome racist policies of past

A new report from the Urban Institute shows that Baltimore has not overcome the racist policies of the past and investment in poorer African-American neighborhoods is woefully lagging.

By Meredith Cohn

Feb 7, 2019

• Opinion

What if we just focused on poverty to solve the city's issues?

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• Maryland

Baltimore among five communities chosen for four-year anti-poverty initiative

A $25 million anti-poverty initiative is launching in urban, suburban and rural areas, including Baltimore.

By Yvonne Wenger

Feb 4, 2019

• Commentary

Zirpoli: Invest in our nation’s children   

Imagine what America could do if we invested $1.5 trillion in our children, instead of tax cuts going mainly to the rich. That kind of money could provide appropriate nutrition and preschool experiences to all of our nation’s children.

• Opinion

How to help with escalating water bills

City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young and the city’s Department of Public Works have competing proposals on how to make water bills more affordable for those who have the toughest time paying them.

• Opinion

William Barr would bring more of the same to DOJ

During this week’s hearings to confirm William Barr for the U.S. attorney general position, the Senate must bring Mr. Barr’s positions on important civil rights issues into sharper focus.

• Maryland

Baltimore water rates will increase 30 percent in next three years

Water rates in Baltimore will go up 30 percent over the next three years after a vote by the city’s spending board Wednesday. The vote followed a Department of Public Works presentation in support of the increase and public testimony against it.

By Colin Campbell

Jan 9, 2019

• Opinion

Low-income moms shouldn't have to worry about getting diapers for their babies

Too many moms are bleaching and reusing diapers because they can't afford enough of a supply for their babies. The federal government needs to seriously consider covering the cost.

• Maryland

Baltimore City Council members call for independent study of recently announced increase in water rate

Five members of Baltimore’s City Council are demanding that the Department of Public Works launch an independent study to justify a recently announced water-rate increase. 

By Christina Tkacik

Jan 8, 2019

• Opinion

As long-lasting birth control becomes more popular, make sure it's not forced on low-income women

For women trying not to get pregnant, long-acting reversible contraceptives, or LARCs, are among the best options available, but we need to make sure low-income women aren't coerced into using them.

• Politics

Maryland education commission's ambitious proposal for new state aid for schools is delayed another year

A much anticipated proposal to significantly increase state aid to Maryland’s local school systems has been delayed yet another year, to the dismay of many teachers, parents and education advocates.

By Luke Broadwater

Dec 19, 2018

• Opinion

A 'more just water system' in Baltimore

We broke ground to elevate Baltimore as a model for the country by banning water privatization, and with the introduction of the Water Accountability and Equity Act, we are taking the crucial next step toward realizing a more just water system. Now the real work begins.

• Maryland

What new Census data reveal about wealth, diversity, and connectivity in Maryland

New datasets from the U.S. Census Bureau cover poverty, home ownership, languages spoken at home, and, for the first time, broadband internet use.

By Christine Zhang

Dec 7, 2018

• Opinion

Morgan president: We're open for billions

Johns Hopkins University was in the news recently as the result of a $1.8-billion gift from Michael Bloomberg. When I read about it, I immediately emailed Hopkins President Ron Daniels, and joked that perhaps Mr. Bloomberg should have invested at least $100 million of that in Morgan State.

• Maryland

Plan would raise Baltimore water rates over next three years, offer poor residents help with monthly bills

Baltimore water rates would rise 9 percent each of the next three years under a Department of Public Works proposal. It also creates a new assistance program for poor customers that would help with their monthly bills. The proposal will go before the city's spending board on Jan. 9.

By Jean Marbella

Dec 1, 2018

• Maryland

Before shutdown, Baltimore Bike Share vendor billed city more than $500,000, sought insurance payment for lost bikes

As the Baltimore Bike Share system languished again this summer, the program’s vendor billed the city more than half a million dollars for operational costs “highly beyond the initial level” and asked the city to bundle bicycle theft reports to exceed the company's $10,000 insurance deductible.

By Colin Campbell

Nov 19, 2018

• Maryland

Editorial: Thumbs up to S.O.S., adult education, a dental do-gooder and low-cost veteran internet

Who received thumbs up from the Carroll County Times this week?

• Opinion

'Pandering to racial prejudice' in Baltimore County executive race

Pandering to racial prejudices is the last thing that Baltimore County needs from a candidate for county executive. The county has made some progress toward building more affordable housing and integrating neighborhoods; reversing course now would be tragic.

• Opinion

Baltimore police and prosecutors know how to cut crime, do politicians?

Recent FBI data show that Baltimore has the worst homicide rate in the nation, and the second highest violent crime rate, yet we shouldn’t worry, counsels Mayor Catherine Pugh, because she's "attacking the root causes of poverty." Lip service to this tired cliche will not help the city.

• Maryland

Editorial: Use ALICE data for planning programs, giving

A few years ago, the United Way developed a statistic called ALICE, which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. Essentially, the moniker is to paint a more realistic picture of how many people are struggling to make ends meet in a community, even though they have a good, steady j

• Maryland

Fewer people are struggling financially in Carroll, but ALICE is still here

A decade on from the financial crisis of 2008, and many economic indicators seem pretty good: Maryland’s unemployment rate has held steady at 4.3 percent over the summer, while U.S. second quarter growth hit 4.2 percent, the highest rate since 2014.

• Maryland

In wealthy Howard, 25 percent of families struggle to make ends meet, survey finds

United Way of Central Maryland released its latest ALICE report, which defines residents whose income is above the federal poverty line but cannot support to afford basic household items.

By Jess Nocera

Sep 13, 2018

• Opinion

What happened to the American Dream?

Social mobility — the idea that you can erase class lines, move up in the world, do better than your parents did — has all but disappeared. Inequality has reached historic proportions in today's America.

• Politics

Ben Carson falls from grace in Baltimore, the city that once proudly claimed him

Carson's story of climbing out of poverty to become a world-renowned surgeon was once ubiquitous in Baltimore, where Carson made his name. But his role in the Trump administration has added a complicated epilogue.

• Opinion

SNAP food program at risk in House Farm Bill

SNAP is at risk as Congress attempts to reconcile two very different versions of the Farm Bill, one passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and the other, far superior bill that passed the Senate earlier this summer.

• Opinion

Ask the candidates: How will you preserve Social Security?

Of the many important decisions policy makers face this election season, one of the most critical is how to strengthen and preserve Social Security to ensure its availability for future generations.