Contrary to the belief of many in our society, poverty is not the result of laziness. Rather, a study published recently by the Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty finds that disability, job loss, earnings decline, having children, not finishing high school and living in a female-headed household are most likely to push to people into poverty.

As the state's unemployment rate continues to climb, researchers from the Heartland Alliance's Mid-America Institute on Poverty (MAIP) say that an increasing number of Illinois households are now teetering on the brink of poverty.

The weak economy could send more people in Illinois into poverty according to a report released Friday by the Chicago-based Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty.

Coles County moved off the poverty warning list compiled by the Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty earlier this year. Because of increased graduation rates and decreased teen pregnancy rates, Coles County's quality of life has increased. Such factors lead to lower unemployment rates, according to the institute.

More residents spending more than 35% of income on homes

An 11-month study released this month found a serious shortage of affordable housing in far northwest suburban McHenry County. The study, conducted by the Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, found that one of five households in the county has an annual income of less than $35,000, making it difficult for those residents to find housing in a county where just 10.3 percent of single homes are valued at less than $150,000.

QC DollarWi$e will continue its efforts to help Quad-City families focus on credit, debt and personal saving as the organization holds its third annual QC DollarWi$e Week, Sept. 20-27. Chris Giangreco, a policy coordinator with Illinois Asset Building Group/Heartland Alliance, will discuss the asset poverty index. The index tracks the number of households that do not have sufficient cash reserves to get by for three months if their primary source of income is eliminated.

An estimated 42,197 Lake County residents were living below the poverty line in 2007 and most experts expect those numbers to increase this year. Lake County's poverty rate jumped to 6.1 percent in 2007, up from 5.6 percent in 2006, according to just released Census data, compiled in a report by the Chicago-based Heartland Alliance.

Nationally, the number of people without health insurance jumped 5 percent from 2005 to 2006 and 22 percent since 2000, according to data released last week from the U.S. Census Bureau. The number of uninsured in Wisconsin has remained basically unchanged for the period, largely because the availability of state-sponsored insurance has offset the trend of reduced employer-provided health benefits in private industry, according to Amy Rynell, director of the Chicago-based Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights, which provides a variety of services for the needy.

Tough economic times tend to hit older people especially hard. An analysis recently released by the Consumer Bankruptcy Project shows bankruptcy filings by those 55 and older showed the sharpest increase of any age group from 1991 to 2007. A separate study by the Heartland Alliance says the poverty rate in Illinois has risen 19 percent since 2000. About half of those in extreme poverty are seniors, children or the disabled.

A yearlong study found that McHenry County has a lack of affordable housing.

It has been conventional wisdom for years among McHenry County leaders that there isn’t enough affordable housing in the county, but they never had solid numbers aside from the occasional analysis.

About one in three McHenry County homeowners, and more than half the county's renters, are living in homes they cannot reasonably afford, leaving many struggling to make ends meet, according to a study released Tuesday.

Green Bay's poverty rate continues to outpace the state rate, but reasons for the local increase are unclear. The city's poverty rate increased from 10.5 percent in 2000 to 16.3 percent last year, according to information released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

More people in West Michigan are bottoming out. The U.S. Census Bureau shows the number of Grand Rapids residents in extreme poverty -- at $10,325 or less for a family of four and half the federal poverty line -- climbed from 13,957 in 2000 to 22,497 in 2007, a 65 percent increase.

Between 2006 and 2007, the average household income rose, levels of poverty remained essentially unchanged, and more people got health insurance. But viewed long-term, that data doesn’t shine so bright.

America's poverty rate remained flat, but the median household income reached $50,233 in 2007, a modest increase of 1.3 percent from 2006 after adjusting for inflation, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released Tuesday.

Kendall County has one of the state's highest median household incomes and the lowest poverty rate, according to U.S. Census data released Tuesday.

When Ed Lewandowski got laid off from his job as a motel front desk manager three months ago, he thought he’d be back on his feet rather quickly.

The poverty rate in Lake County rose slightly over the last 12 months, as the state average went in the opposite direction.

Indiana saw modest growth in household income and a slight drop in the poverty rate in 2007, according to new census data, but Hoosiers are still worse off than they were in 2000, and economic conditions could get even tougher this year.

Food pantries across Northern Illinois find it hard to keep up with people who need their help.

Poverty rose and incomes fell in Michigan last year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday, providing further evidence of the economic downturn gripping the state.

As the economy falters and the ranks of the poor multiply, states for the first time in recent memory are mounting high-profile, comprehensive campaigns aimed at radically reducing poverty — many with an emphasis on children.

When living on the streets, the most people can bear to think about is where their next meal and bed will come from. And that seemingly simple task becomes more of a challenge if someone suffers from a mental or physical illness.