Poverty numbers increase in the past year.

Results of Poll, New Campaign to be Released, National Focus on Solutions to Poverty

Los Angeles -- Throughout the month of January, Americans are urged to focus their attention on poverty in the United States. In a land where many enjoy a comfortable lifestyle, nearly 35.9 million Americans live below the government-defined poverty level, an increase of 1.3 million from the previous year and a number greater than the entire population of the state of California. In America today, one out of every six children lives in poverty and one out of every ten families cannot make ends meet.

On January 11, 2005, in Los Angeles, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) will be releasing the results of its annual public opinion poll that measures attitudes and awareness related to poverty and prosperity in the United States. Also in January, a new national public service advertising campaign will be released to raise public awareness of the growing incidence of poverty in America, but focus even greater attention on community-based solutions to hunger, affordable housing and daycare.

CCHD, headquartered in Washington D.C., selected Los Angeles as the location for this year's national campaign launch because if its high rate of poverty. According to the latest US Census figures, released in 2004, the national poverty rate is 12.5 percent, up from 12.1 percent in 2002. Los Angeles has a poverty rate of 22.1 percent, with a rate of 36 percent for all Female householder families.

Established in 1969 by the U.S. Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is one of the largest private funders of self-help programs initiated and led by poor people in the United States. Committed to the permanent elimination of poverty and injustice in the U.S., CCHD has provided more than $270 million in support to more than 4,000 projects nationwide that know no racial or religious boundaries -- projects that help create jobs, improve neighborhoods and allow people to find a way out of poverty not just for a day, but a lifetime. CCHD's executive director is Fr. Robert Vitillo.

For more information on CCHD's Poverty in America awareness campaign or to arrange an interview with Fr. Vitillo, contact Mary Yerrick at 301-320-6888 or Myerrick@aol.com.

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