PRESS RELEASES
Release Date: November 21, 2003
CONTACT: Lenore Neier, CSSNY, 212/614-5425
CSS Survey Reveals That Low-Income New Yorkers Remain Trapped
in Poverty Despite Full-Time Work
Low
Wages and Few Employee Benefits Result in Serious Economic
Hardships
Related Documents:
New York, NY, November 21, 2003 – Low
wages, few basic employee benefits, as well as recent
measures taken to close the city and state budget gaps,
have compounded the struggle to make ends meet among low-income
New Yorkers. According to the second annual survey of New
Yorkers conducted by the Community Service Society, nearly
half of poor New Yorkers reported three or more serious
economic hardships over the past year, such as falling
behind on rent (27%) or inability to pay for needed medical
attention (27%) or prescription drugs (32%). Even full-time
work did not protect people against hardships: 22% of full-time
workers living below the federal poverty line fell behind
on rent, 21% postponed needed medical care, and 27% were
unable to fill prescriptions.
The survey, The
Unheard Third: Bringing the Voices of Low-Income
New Yorkers to the Policy Debate (PDF), conducted for
CSS by Lake, Snell Perry & Associates, provides an
in-depth perspective on how the prolonged economic
slump has affected New York City residents living below
200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines ($30,520
for a family of three). The survey polled a total of
753 low-income New York City residents and a comparison
sample of 259 moderate and higher income New Yorkers.
David Jones, president of CSS, said, "Despite
recent reports of an expanding economy and increased consumer
spending, our survey tells a very different story,
one in which families are scraping by to survive despite
full-time employment."
The survey revealed that basic employer
based benefits that most middle-income workers take
for granted are often non-existent for low-wage workers
- even among those holding full-time jobs. Among poor full-time
workers, 44% said they are not offered health insurance,
63% don't have a single day of paid sick leave, and
64% don't get a paid vacation.
"Even if our economy continues to rebound, I don't
see that it will change the plight of low-wage workers
unless the government steps in to ensure that a hard day's
work reaps wages and benefits that will meet the basic
needs of families," stated Jones. "These people
need help. It is not surprising that a majority of
our respondents were unhappy with the way our city, state
and federal governments were handling the current economic
crisis."
One positive finding in the survey is that
the people in the category of near poor, or those families
earning between 100% and 200 % of the poverty line,
seem to have rebounded since 9/11, and are reporting fewer
hardships compared to our 2002 survey.
"This suggests that government policies aimed at increasing
the income of the poorest New Yorkers could make a
significant difference in their standard of living. In
the survey, 70 percent of the low-income respondents said
they were registered and are likely to vote. "This
is a large group of voters whose concerns are consistently
ignored by most candidates for public office. Those who
speak to their issues may be able to energize this untapped
constituency," said Jones.
CSS recommends the following
income-boosting strategies to help low-income people
get ahead:
- Increase the minimum wage
- Establish a floor of basic employee benefits and paid
family leave
- Expand access to affordable housing for low-income New
Yorkers through construction, incentives, rent assistance,
and realistic welfare shelter allowances
- Provide property tax relief to low-income New Yorkers
- Fix welfare policies to promote education and training
- Increase funding to improve New York City's public schools
so that graduates are well-prepared for jobs and higher
education
- Expand access to government programs such as the Earned
Income Tax Credit, Food Stamps, Medicaid, and Unemployment
Insurance benefits to help low-income families meet their
basic needs
Telephone interviews were conducted between August 25
and September 9, 2003, with a total of 1,012 New York City
residents age 18 or older, including 753 low-income residents
and 259 higher-income residents. The margin of error for
the low-income component is +/-3.6 percentage points; for
the higher income component +/- 6.2 percentage points.
Topline findings and a more detailed report can be found
on the Community Service Society website at www.cssny.org
or you may tune into the CUNY Urban Agenda TV show
with host David R. Jones as he interviews Lake, Snell,
Perry pollster Dee Brown on survey findings.
The show airs
Wednesday, December 17 at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
It is shown again on Saturday, December 20 at 8:00 p.m.
and Sunday, December 21 at 10:00 a.m. on Cable Channel
75/CUNY.
CSS is an independent, nonprofit organization that for
more than 150 years has provided innovative solutions to
help New Yorkers in need defeat the problems of poverty
and strengthen community life for all. Through a combination
of service initiatives, policy analysis, and advocacy we
bring about systemic change that empowers those in need
to advocate for themselves.
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