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Ohioans suffer worse economically than most Americans
Dayton, one of 17 urban districts most affected, saw a 13.3 percent income decrease in the last decade.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Ohioans have suffered worse economic times than most Americans since the decade began, according to a report released Monday by an association of Ohio anti-poverty organizations.
The Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies is recommending a series of state government actions to improve conditions for the poor in Ohio.
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Phil Cole, executive director of the association, acknowledged that the proposals would cost money at a time when state budgets are pinched.
"But what should be a higher priority in the state than its people, especially the people who are struggling to make it?" Cole said.
The Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies in Columbus is an association of anti-poverty groups across the state and includes the Community Action Partnership of Greater Dayton. The Association partnered with the Community Solutions, a Cleveland-based research and advocacy group, to study changes in economic conditions in the state since 2000.
The report said the nation went through a recession in the early 2000s, but as the rest of America began to recover, Ohio continued to languish economically.
"Job growth in Ohio has lagged behind the national average every month for the last 11 years," Cole said.
The report said median incomes adjusted for inflation fell in 17 of the state's 18 urban school districts from 1986 to 2004. The decrease in the Dayton district was 13.3 percent, and five districts had income drops of 17 percent or more. Only Cincinnati experienced an increase.
To ease the impact on the state's poor, the association recommended six state initiatives ranging from a earned income tax credit to increased funding for food stamps. The association also recommended that the state's program for retraining displaced workers be moved from the Department of Jobs and Family Services to the Ohio Department of Development.
"The department of development has the experts on job creation," Cole said. "Jobs and Family Services just doesn't seem to be focusing on that part of their mission."
Cole said the results of the study will be presented to Ohio legislators and other office holders in an effort to persuade them to shift attention and resources to the worsening plight of Ohio's poor.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2395 or jcummings@DaytonDailyNews.com.
