Wisconsin ranks 19th nationally in child poverty

Associated Press

Child poverty, across the country, increased in 38 states from 2000 to 2009, according to a recent report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Wisconsin fared better than the national average, but followed the same trend, with children in poverty rising from 10 percent in 2000 to 17 percent in 2009, putting the state at No. 19.

Researchers concluded that low-income children will likely suffer academically, economically and socially long after their parents have recovered. The annual survey monitored by policy makers across the nation concludes that children from low-income families are more likely to be raised in unstable environments and change schools than their wealthier peers. As a result, they are less likely to be gainfully employed as adults.

The report found some bright spots. In the two decades since researchers began compiling the annual report, infant mortalities, child and teen deaths and high school dropout rates have declined. Programs such as food stamps, unemployment insurance and foreclosure meditation have acted like a dam against the flood of poverty, but that assistance has been threatened by federal and state government budget cuts.

The report also had child welfare rankings, determined by a state's achievement in 10 indicators that reflect child poverty, such as undernourished infants, infant mortalities, teen births and children in single-parent families. Wisconsin came in 12th, showing improvement in teen birth rate and infant, child and teen mortality rates. However, the amount of low-birthweight babies, children in poverty and children in single-parent families grew.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110822/GPG0101/108220483/Wisconsin-ranks-19th-nationally-child-poverty?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|GPG-News|s



Wisconsin urged to apply for $8.9M Women, Infants and Children nutrition grants

Proposal to seek Federal funds was rejected


Advocates for a nutrition program aimed at low-income women and their children want Wisconsin to reconsider its decision not to seek almost $9 million in federal grants to make the benefits more convenient and less open to fraud. The decision by Dennis Smith, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, will "diminish the capacity to serve the 120,663 participants currently enrolled," Barbara Sheldon, chairwoman of the Wisconsin Women, Infants and Children Association, said in a recent letter to Smith.

Earlier this year, Smith rejected a proposal from Patti Hauser, who directs the state WIC program, to submit an $8.9 million grant application to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to convert to a system that allows swipe cards as required of all states by 2020 by the federal government. The WIC program is for low-income women who are pregnant, nursing or who have children up to age 5. A family of three, for example, that earns up to $34,281 a year is eligible. In Brown County, WIC program at the N.E.W. Community Clinic serves about 6,000 area residents. "We're all disappointed. Everyone was looking forward to it, both our WIC families and the grocery stores were looking forward to using the cards and not the checks because it makes the process easier," said Judy Brose, director for the Brown County program.

Program recipients in Wisconsin receive paper checks that they present at the grocery store to obtain staples including milk, cheese, eggs, cereal and peanut butter. The new system, already in place in several other states, would allow these purchases to be made using a swipe card. Unlike paper checks, which can be traded or sold for noneligible purchases, the cards create an electronic record for each transaction, making fraud easier to detect, according to the USDA.

Smith, an appointee of Republican Gov. Scott Walker, said he rejected the grant request because there are still too many technological and policy problems that the USDA needs to work out. He added that "the most cost-efficient, best way to do this procurement is at the national level." "People want to boil it down to, we turned away money," said Smith, adding that the funds would not have gone to Wisconsin but to "one of the vendors who do EBT benefits."

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110822/GPG0101/108220482/Why-won-t-state-apply-8-9M-nutrition-grants-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|GPG-News

"People want to boil it down to, we turned away money," said Smith, adding that the funds would not have gone to Wisconsin but to "one of the vendors who do EBT benefits."


(And yes I know how to spell "cook" in German, in case you're wondering.)

and all the detours to Steven's Point... That time period had people lining up around the block for food assistance in Milwaukee. Unfortunately food was only being handed out for flooding victims only... This community has been dealing with outrages unemployment before the bankers received their bailout... They had both Scott Walker and President Bush... This recent rejection to help women and children is just over the top irresponsible.... Walker and co. need to assist and work with other segments of the population that don't fall into the club for growth, or chamber of commerce...

Republicans would cut the whole country off of food stamps and housing assistance and social security and medicaid and medicare (including disability) in a heartbeat- and watch the people who depend on those programs, including the children, die in the streets, if it were totally up to them. Its that "entitlement culture" that's ruining the country's economy, according to people like Johnson and Ryan.