Poverty in Saratoga County

A glimpse into poverty in Saratoga County:

· 22.4 percent of African-Americans in Saratoga County are living in poverty;

· 8 percent of non-elderly residents in Saratoga County lack health insurance;

· 248 housing units in Saratoga County lack plumbing; and

· More than a quarter of all households in Saratoga County pay more than 35 percent of their income for rent, which is considered unaffordable by the federal government.

In addition, new high-priced condominiums in downtown Saratoga Springs are putting pressure on rents throughout the city and forcing out low-income residents.

Catholic Charities encourages parishioners to call on local leaders and state and federal legislators to address the needs of struggling constituents.

This blog is participating in Blog Action Day, an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. The aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion: this year the issue is poverty. Between now and October 15, we will be posting about poverty in our diocese, with material provided by Catholic Charities in its report Poverty in the Diocese of Albany: A Threat to the Common Good. The report, and additional information, is available here.