Area Expert Says Joblessness Is Swelling Nation's Poverty Rolls
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - With recent Census Bureau figures indicating that one in six people in the United States are now living in poverty, a Philadelphia expert says that's no surprise.
The US Census Bureau reports that in 2010, more than 46 million people were living in poverty -- an increase of 3 million in just one year, and a 27-year high.
"Things have been very bad in this country for the past couple of years now," says John Dodds, director of the Philadelphia Unemployment Project. "Unfortunately, it doesn't seem they're getting any better. It's very understandable that we have so many more people that are in poverty, and until we start putting people back to work in significant numbers, it's going to continue, I believe."
The census figures also show that the number of people without health care insurance is now approaching 50 million, the largest number in more than two decades.
Reported by Lynne Adkins, KYW Newsradio 1060
