2011 CitySquare Annual Report
CitySquare's mission is to fight the causes and effects of poverty through service, advocacy, and friendship. Read more and get involved in the fight against poverty today!
CitySquare's mission is to fight the causes and effects of poverty through service, advocacy, and friendship. Read more and get involved in the fight against poverty today!
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We posed the question, “What if poverty didn’t exist?” We found ourselves<br />
imagining what the world would be like if no one had to worry about having enough<br />
food to eat, a place to call home or finding a place to go when they were sick.<br />
But the sad truth is, poverty does exist and there’s no easy fix. In the Dallas-Fort<br />
Worth Metroplex, more than 918,000 individuals live below the poverty line –<br />
14.6% of the population.<br />
<strong>CitySquare</strong> fights to alleviate the root causes of poverty in our community by<br />
working hand-in-hand with our neighbors -- we do not have clients -- to develop<br />
sustainable partnerships that provide support and encouragement to all so that<br />
everyone has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.<br />
Each year we see more and more neighbors turning to us for help. It often seems<br />
there’s no end in sight during these tough economic times, which have become<br />
the “new normal.” According to the Census Bureau, one out of six Americans<br />
live in poverty and based on the latest Homeless Census, there are nearly 6,000<br />
homeless men, women and children in the Dallas Area.<br />
With an unemployment rate of over 8%, thousands in North Texas have found<br />
themselves out of work, out of savings and out of options.<br />
10 …<br />
State of the Economy – Hard Facts<br />
But despite the tough economy – despite the times, and even because of the times<br />
– <strong>CitySquare</strong> team members, along with our friends and supporters just like you,<br />
are pushing forward, committed to providing our neighbors the encouraging,<br />
respectful hand up they need now as never before.<br />
The sad truth is, poverty does exist…<br />
• Statewide, 4.6 million Texans (18.4%) live in poverty, putting Texas 3%<br />
higher than the national average.<br />
• 97% of those who experienced food insecurity claimed they lacked the<br />
means to purchase more food and did not know where their next meal<br />
would come from.<br />
• According to the Texas Medical Association (TMA), over 27% of Dallas<br />
County’s population does not have any form of health insurance coverage.<br />
• Nearly one-third of Dallas County children live in poverty.