New Report Reveals Urgent Child Poverty Crisis in Westchester – Families at Risk

The Westchester Children's Association (WCA), a leading advocate for the county's youth, has released its quarter Poverty Pulse report offering real-time insights into the state of poverty in the County.

“Our country has always struggled with finding a current and accurate reflection of the status of our children. We need up-to-date economic, demographic, education, and health data to ensure that we are continuing to protect their well-being. Together, this information forms the mirror that provides the reflection we need to answer, ‘Are our children safe?’” stated Limarie Cabrera, Director of Data, Operations & Finance at WCA. “The information is challenging to come by with the U.S. Census Bureau, which releases child poverty data one year after it is collected. Yet, we receive daily and even hourly updates on the stock market and the price of eggs—why don’t we have more current data on the state of our children?” she added.

Additionally, WCA is concerned that with the new administration removing and/or altering data sets at will, “this week’s cut of almost half the workforce of the Department of Education including the Office of Civil Rights will be detrimental to children’s well-being" says Executive Director, Allison Lake. The current administration is beginning to take the first steps in slashing programs that serve those in need including Medicaid, SNAP, and Head Start. What is particularly alarming is the elimination of breakdowns that the Administration is doing by race and ethnicity. Without those breakdowns, the often different educational, health and economic outcomes that people of color experience are at risk of being swept under the rug,” worries Lake. “Now more than ever the Westchester Children’s Association Poverty Pulse report is needed to ensure we are focused on the needs of our community.” And those needs are very real as shown by Feeding Westchester’s feeding a staggering 80K families a month.

WCA is calling for the following actions and is advocating with the Governor’s office and both houses for these changes:

• Passage of the Working Families Tax Credit

• Establishing a Statewide Housing Voucher Program

• Expanding SNAP benefits

• Funding Universal School Meals

• Enhancing Cash Assistance Programs

About Westchester Children's Association 

Westchester Children's Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of young people in Westchester County. By shaping policies and programs to meet their needs and keeping decision-makers and the public informed about issues affecting youth, WCA strives to ensure that all children are healthy, safe, and prepared for life's challenges.