Suburban poverty rates are outpacing Dayton’s

Shift in poverty to suburbs creating social service challenges

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By Ken McCall, Staff Writer Updated 12:47 AM Saturday, January 23, 2010

DAYTON — More than half of all poor people in large metropolitan areas now live in the suburbs, according to a report released this week, and Dayton is at the forefront of that trend.

“We’ve noticed quite a few folks dealing with job losses,” said Nick Osborn, associate pastor of the First Baptist Church of Kettering. “Even within the past two to three weeks, we are aware of eight additional families in our congregation that have lost jobs.”

The nationwide study by the Washington D.C.-based Brookings Institution found that the number of suburban residents living below the poverty line grew by 25 percent from 2000 to 2008 — almost five times the rate of growth in the primary cities.

Ohio had five primary cities in the national top 10 in increase in poverty, and three in the top 10 for growth in suburban poverty.

Dayton made both lists.

Deb Downing, assistant director of Montgomery County Job and Family Services, said her office has seen an “astounding” 23 percent increase in the number of households getting food stamps over the last year. Many, she said, are from the suburbs.

“In total number of individuals on food assistance, we had 75,263 at the end of December,” Downing said. “It’s pretty incredible.”

The Brookings analysis found that while almost 39,000 Dayton residents lived below the poverty level, many more — 64,000 — lived in the suburbs.

Elizabeth Kneebone, a senior research analyst at the Brookings Institution and co-author of the study, said metro areas that specialized in auto manufacturing have been hit “particularly hard.”

“The experience in Dayton mirrors a lot of what’s happening in Midwestern metro areas,” Kneebone said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2393 or kmccall@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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