PHOENIX – Poverty in Arizona has declined slightly, but the rate of residents living in poverty in the state is still among the highest nationwide, according to a report just released.

The Arizona Poverty Snapshot from Protecting Arizona's Family Coalition and the Coalition on Human Needs finds nearly 15 percent of Arizonans are living in poverty.

That's higher than the national average of just over 13 percent.

African-Americans, Latinos and Native Americans in the state are disproportionately affected, says Shannon Schell, executive director of the Protecting Arizona's Family Coalition. She says it's important for lawmakers to examine why certain populations are struggling more than others.

"When you talk about restrictions on people who maybe have undocumented status, that can be a barrier to accessing services,” Schell points out. “Or when we talk about our tribal communities, transportation plays a barrier when you might not have access to services because they're 100 miles away."

The poverty threshold for 2017 was just over $25,000 per year for a family of four.

The Poverty Snapshot shows children in Arizona are the most likely group to be impoverished. That includes more than 27 percent of the state's African-American and Latino children and more than 45 percent of Native American children.

The report shows the majority of Arizonans in poverty do have jobs.

But Deborah Weinstein, executive director of the Coalition on Human Needs, says even with a paycheck, it can still be difficult for working people to get by.

"They may have many expenses, no benefits, no sick leave,” she states. “And all of these things make it very hard for people to work in a stable way that's going to deliver the kinds of earnings they need."

About 470,000 Arizonans are also considered to be in deep poverty, surviving on incomes less than half of the poverty line.

The report says Social Security, low-income tax credits, housing subsidies and food assistance are some of the most effective programs for bringing people out of poverty.


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Advocates for low-income workers in the Commonwealth said today is a reminder of the need to continue to advance Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of economic justice for all, including an increase to the minimum wage and more affordable housing.

The Poor People's Campaign was mobilized by Dr. King in 1967 and helped low income workers in cities like Boston to demand better wages, unemployment insurance and education.

Shailly Gupta-Barnes, policy director at the Kairos Center and the Poor People's Campaign, said Massachusetts has seen decades of little progress, and still has a long way to go.

"People are living in the state of almost constant, precarious insecurity, and that's about two-and-a-half million people in the state of Massachusetts," Gupta-Barnes pointed out.

Gupta-Barnes argued lawmakers need to renew the successful pandemic-related programs that led to a dramatic decline in poverty in the Commonwealth, including the expanded Child Tax Credit.

In his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, King said, "There is nothing new about poverty. What is new is that we have the resources to get rid of it."

Gupta-Barnes sees last year's passage of the Fair Share Amendment, which created a new tax on million-dollar incomes to pay for public education and transportation, as one example of those resources, and the organizing efforts it took to make it happen.

"Building up the power and organizing, and the leadership of poor and low-income people, and becoming the kind of force - what he called a 'new and unsettling force' - to wake this nation up," Gupta-Barnes urged.

Gupta-Barnes added Dr. King was ahead of his time in uniting various communities to work for economic justice and equity, and today the Poor People's Campaign works to continue his legacy.

Community service agencies say many low- and moderate-income homes in the Commonwealth are unprepared for the winter cold and could benefit from a number of free weatherization and heating services, including window sealing, attic insulation, new appliances and repairing or replacing home heating systems.

Eva Haynes, who lives in Brockton, said she is grateful for the help she received two years ago, when her furnace stopped working, and she spent nine days at home alone in the cold.

"I had googled, 'How to keep your house warm when you have no heat,' " Haynes recounted. "I mean, people didn't know what I was going through. I just was ashamed."

Homeowners like Haynes, as well as renters who are eligible for heating assistance, are also automatically eligible for the energy audits and can find out more heatinghelpma.org.

The website is run by the Massachusetts Association for Community Action, a coalition of more than 20 agencies throughout the Commonwealth, which are reporting unprecedented requests for home heating assistance, and have found many people are unaware of the free home energy audits.

Jonathan Carlson, CEO of Self Help, which serves communities in southeastern Massachusetts, said both the audits and the savings are extensive.

"You know when we leave, that house is about as efficient as it can get, as far as holding in heat," Carlson asserted.

Carlson pointed out it also keeps homes cool in the summer, adding up to even more savings over time. The average single-family, weatherized home saves at least $283 a year on energy costs.

The benefits of weatherizing a home go beyond the pocketbook. Improving the energy efficiency of older homes in low-income neighborhoods means more jobs and a cleaner environment.

Research indicates for every dollar invested in weatherization programs, nearly three go back into the community.

Liz Berube, executive director of Citizens for Citizens, serving the greater Fall River and Taunton area, said agencies statewide have jobs to offer.

"Electricians, plumbers, there's a lot of money in energy efficiency," Berube noted.

Berube added weatherizing older homes means people, especially seniors, can stay in their homes longer and communities stay intact. In addition to federal funding, the group has requested an additional $50 million from the state to ensure people have access to energy-saving programs.

Community service agencies say requests for home heating assistance were increasing even before National Grid - the power company that serves many in the area - announced energy prices could jump nearly 60% by November 1.

Requests for help with the cost of delivered fuels like home heating oil are also unusually high, with prices expected to jump 30% in the next few months.

Mary Knittle is director of energy resources at Worcester Community Action Council, which serves western and central Massachusetts.

She said on top of the thousands of applications already processed, the number of first-time applicants asking for help with delivered fuel costs compared to last year is up more than 200%.

"It's palpable, really, how anxious people in the community are about it," said Knittle. "And probably a lot of folks who maybe never really thought they would need the help are going to apply for the first time."

But Knittle said she wants people to know the income eligibility to participate in the fuel assistance program is quite high. A family of four can earn up to $81,000 and still receive a benefit.

She encouraged people to call their local service agency, or to apply at 'HeatingHelpMA.org.'

The federal government has allocated an additional $37 million to Massachusetts for energy assistance, but those who field calls from working parents and retired seniors looking for help predict they'll need more.

Joe Diamond is the executive director of Massachusetts Association for Community Action (MASSCAP), a coalition of more than 20 Community Action Agencies.

He said MASSCAP has requested the state tag on an additional $50 million to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to help people stay warm through the winter.

"We don't ask them every year, but in years when there is a crisis, we do," said Diamond. "And the legislature and the governor have been so responsive."

Diamond said his agency is streamlining the application process for heating help through 'HeatingHelpMA.org,' working to ensure that anyone who qualifies for public benefits automatically becomes eligible for heating assistance.