Poverty Rates Surge in American Suburbs | MetroFocus

On this edition of MetroFocus, PBS NewsHour Weekend's Megan Thompson reports on the growing problem of poverty in America's suburbs. On the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson's declaration of a "War on Poverty," Thompson takes us to Suffolk County, Long Island to meet Leigh Scozzari, a mother of two, living below the poverty line.

"Poverty in these kinds of communities can be hidden," Elizabeth Kneebone, a fellow at the Brookings Institution and co-author of "Confronting Suburban Poverty in America," tells Thompson. "It can be harder to identify or even understand the extent to which need has grown, because it may not be easily visible."

In a conversation with MetroFocus host Rafael Pi Roman about her reporting on Long Island, Thompson says she found local officials struggling to help the suburban poor while the federal and local governments are facing huge deficits. Thompson says, "This is obviously a huge problem for Suffolk County and localities across the country. I think one issue is changing perceptions, so when it's time to allocate this limited pot of money it's going to the people who really need it."

Read more on the MetroFocus website: http://bit.ly/1hnVcMa

Видео Poverty Rates Surge in American Suburbs | MetroFocus канала THIRTEEN