Chicago-based Heartland Alliance has released "Cycle of Risk: the Intersection of Poverty, Violence, and Trauma," its report detailing poverty throughout Illinois.
Among other things, the report found:
Poverty continues to pose barriers to a substantial number of Illinoisans. More than one-third of Illinoisans and nearly half of Chicagoans are considered low-income or living in poverty. The number of poor people has grown by 384 percent since 2000.
People living in poverty experience violence at high rates. Nationwide, households with very low incomes experience a rate of violent victimization that is 206-percent higher than people with household incomes of $75,000 per year or greater.
Violence is an issue in all types of communities. The largest income disparity in victimization rates is in rural areasthe rural poor experience violent crime at a rate 192-percent higher than high-income people in rural areas.
The report also offers approaches to battle the poverty cycle, such as reforming the criminal justice system and reducing the collateral consequences of criminal records; investing in educational achievement and healthcare; and incorporating a trauma-informed approach to care regarding public services, schools, criminal-justice settings, and health and human services.
See ILPovertyReport.org .