A yearlong study by The Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty concluded that one McHenry County homeowner in three, and more than half of renters, do not have affordable housing

Illinois has embarked upon an ambitious plan to dramatically cut poverty rates in the state. Leading the charge is the Commission on the Elimination of Poverty, a panel created by the General Assembly last year.

Poverty rates for many counties in East Central Illinois were up in 2008, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

According to a 2008 survey by the Social Impact Research Center, the level of poverty in Champaign County rose from 16 percent in 2000 to 20.2 percent in 2008. With this rise in homelessness across the county, Champaign community members said it does not have the resources necessary to assist the homeless.

In the short term, federal dollars will buoy and even benefit some homelessness-prevention agencies in the city.But what will happen when the stimulus funds run dry?

Statewide budget cuts threaten to leave as many as 150,000 Chicago area children without the daycare subsidies that allow their low-income parents to work, advocates say.

If it seemed like Illinois' financial outlook couldn't get any gloomier, consider this point: For every $1 that the state cuts for programs like homelessness, child care, or domestic violence, agencies who perform those services could forfeit as much as $4 in federal matching funds.

At the end of June, Illinois' current fiscal year will run out. And that's a frightening prospect for non-profits and other state agencies who still aren't certain what sort of funding they'll receive

It is time for our leaders to do the right thing and vote for the revenues needed to maintain the state’s crucial services.

Here's a brief update on the collection of bills we've been tracking this session.

Despite slight improvements in graduation and teen pregnancy rates, poverty continues to grow here.That mixed bag was the prognosis for Knox County in The Heartland Alliance’s annual poverty report, released last week.

Unemployment and poverty rates are so high in Kane County, the county has been placed on a "poverty watch list" by the Heartland Alliance MidAmerica Institute on Poverty.

According to Heartland Alliance's report, more than 253,000 people in the city and suburbs, including 87,000 children, could fall into poverty as a result of the current recession.

The 2009 Report on Illinois Poverty released Thursday reveals signs of increasing poverty throughout the state.

Chicago’s poor population could grow by 253,000 if the nation’s unemployment rate reaches 9% this year.

According to a study released this week by the Chicago-based Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty, more than 400,000 people have fallen into poverty in Illinois since 2007, an increase of about 27 percent.

The recession likely has pushed hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans into poverty, according to a Heartland Alliance study released Thursday.

Stagnating wages and higher costs for health care, housing and college leave many struggling for American Dream

If you are one of the “unlucky” staying behind this spring break, I have a worthwhile read for you: the executive summary of “McHenry County: A Place to Call Home, A Call to Action.” It talks about our poverty problem in McHenry County and how affordable housing can help.

Amy Rynell, director of the Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty, answers listener calls and emails on Chicago Public Radio's Eight Forty-Eight program.

What Blagojevich has done to serve the underserved

The first demographic portrait of smaller-sized counties and cities since Census 2000 shows that Central Illinois was losing ground economically even before the current downturn.

The Knox County poverty task force is ready to hit the ground running in 2009, and plans to hire a full-time staff member, and have a budget of between $50,000 and $150,000 for the next two years to begin to address area poverty issues.

As the number of needy families increases in the metro-east, the resources of food pantries and charities are being stretched thin.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.