Posted: | January 31, 2020 02:42 PM |
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From: | Representative Malcolm Kenyatta |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Recognizing January as Poverty Awareness Month |
At times, we may take for granted the amenities we have become accustomed to: a hot meal, a warm bed, our health, and a place to return home to every night. This is not the reality for the 38.1 million people in the U.S. currently living in poverty. Even more heartbreaking is the 1 in 6 children living in poverty or economically unstable conditions. You might be shocked to know that in our very own state, almost 1.55 million Pennsylvanians are living in poverty. Minorities are disproportionally affected by this, as nearly 1 in 4 African Americans and 29% of all Latinos in Pennsylvania are living in substandard situations. While the expansion of Medicaid helped insure thousands of people, many residents are still struggling to maintain their physical, mental, and financial health. For this reason, I plan on introducing a resolution recognizing January 2020 as Poverty Awareness Month in Pennsylvania. It is critical for those of us with the means to do so to advocate on behalf of those less fortunate right here in our own communities. Please consider supporting this resolution. |