New York’s Low-Income Latinos Facing Crisis

All low-income New Yorkers without regard to race or ethnic group face difficult choices in everyday life. But low-income Latino residents face extraordinary risks and challenges surviving in New York City. That difference is reflected in the responses to a question about the direction of New York City asked in the latest Community Service Society (CSS) survey of low-income opinion in New York, entitled “The Unheard Third.”

Every year, the Community Service Society (CSS) conducts a survey of low-income New Yorkers to determine their concerns and opinions on the most important issues affecting their lives and life in New York City. The survey is called “The Unheard Third” because about one in three voters in the city live under or near the federal poverty line. The difference in responses between low-income White New Yorkers and low-income non-White Latino New Yorkers is one of the striking features in the results of the latest survey.

Savings for Emergencies

One of the most glaring differences is the amount of savings low-income working New Yorkers have to fall back on in case of an emergency. Even though they have jobs, 38 percent of Latinos have no savings at all, compared to 21.9 percent of low-income Whites. In these households, any disruption of life – an illness, the loss of a job – could precipitate a crisis leading to homelessness and the breakup of the family.
Hardships

Forty-one percent of low-income Latino New Yorkers experienced at least three hardships in the past year – they postponed medical care, were unable to fill a prescription, fell behind in rent payments, had their utilities or phone turned off – because of a lack of money. Thirty-four percent of low-income Whites experienced three or more hardships.
Job Benefits

Only 40 percent of low-income Latinos get paid sick leave on the job, compared to 56 percent of low-income Whites. Since only 44 percent of low-income Latino New Yorkers get health coverage through their employer, it follows that a large percentage - 76 percent - think that state health programs should cover everyone, regardless of immigrant status. Only half of low-income White respondents agree.

Non-Banking “Services”

With 38 percent of low-income Latinos reporting that they had no savings to fall back on in an emergency, it is not surprising that many use non-banking financial services – check cashing places or payday loans - more often than Whites. Sixty-one percent of low-income Whites say they never use such services, compared to 49 percent of Latinos. Low-income Latinos often have no alternative but to go to these places, which routinely charge exorbitant fees for their services.

Reentering Society

More than half of low-income Latinos strongly favor removing legal barriers that prevent people released from prison from holding some occupations, such as barber or plumber; only a third of low-income Whites are strongly in favor. And while nearly half of Latinos strongly favor providing financial incentives to business to hire qualified job seekers with a criminal record, only one-third of Whites are strongly in favor.

The survey’s results are a reflection of a Latino community that suffers from large numbers of high school dropouts with little or no job skills, jobs that offer few benefits, and concentrations of men recently released from prison. Their responses reflect the necessity for policies that include skills-based training for young people not enrolled in the traditional public school system, more inclusive work supports – such as health insurance and paid sick leave – that would improve low-wage workers’ economic security, and reforming parole as a workforce development system. What is needed now is a bit of foresight and the political will to make these things happen.

To view “The Unheard Third,” visit our website at www.cssny.org/research/unheardthird/index.html.

From El Diario/La Prensa
March 13, 2008