MEDIA ALERT

JANUARY IS POVERTY IN AMERICA AWARENESS MONTH
U.S. poverty numbers increase for
fourth straight year.
Results of Poll, New Campaign to be Released, Special Grants to Assist Gulf Coast Region

New Orleans -- 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, 37 million Americans live below the government-defined poverty level, an increase of 1.1 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. According to the latest US Census figures, released in 2005, the national poverty rate is 12.7 percent, up from 12.5 percent in the previous year.

On January 19, 2006, in New Orleans, 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 employment, child safety and small business survival.

In addition, CCHD will be announcing 19 special grants totaling more than a half million dollars that have been recently distributed to community groups in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas who are helping the Gulf Coast’s poor and low-income population address and solve their unique long-term needs.
 
CCHD, headquartered in Washington D.C., selected New Orleans as the location for this year's national campaign launch, according to Bishop Howard Hubbard, Chair of the CCHD Committee, “because no city in recent history has brought greater public attention to the issue of poverty like New Orleans has done following Hurricane Katrina.” Bishop Howard Hubbard, also noted that, “The Catholic Campaign for Human Development stands in solidarity with the poor and low-income people who lived along the Gulf Coast and we pray for them and their return. We also pray that the spotlight that now shines on our nation’s poor in the aftermath of Katrina will not grow dim too soon. They need a place at the table as the Gulf Coast plans to rebuild. There is much work to be done and we need to listen carefully to their voices and see clearly their needs.” 

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 $280 million in support to more than 7,000 community-based 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 Timothy Collins.

For more information on CCHD's Poverty in America awareness campaign, contact Mary Yerrick at 301-320-6888 or Myerrick@aol.com.