Poverty Rising Fast in the Suburbs
Part Two of series

When you look at DuPage County's poverty rate compared to its neighbors, the rate has exploded in the last quarter-century.

According to a 2008 report on Illinois poverty released by the Heartland Alliance's Mid-America Institute on Poverty, twenty-eight years ago, 19,818 residents in DuPage lived at or below the poverty level. Today, there are 44,494 impoverished residents in the county.

And because of sheer size, Naperville has the largest population of poverty in the county with about 1500 victims. But there's good news.

"People come to this area because there is so much economic opportunity,
which provides a little bit of hope," says Phil Smith, director of human
Services for DuPage County.

The federal government defines income poverty by using food cost as a basis.

Each year, the federal poverty line is set, and families are considered poor

if their family income falls below the threshold for their family size.

The Illinois Poverty Summit says the 2008 Federal Poverty Guidelines are:


* Individual: $10,400

* Family of two: $14,000

* Family of three: $17,600

* Family of four: $21,200

* Family of five: $24,800


A recent report out by Choose DuPage, a DuPage economic development

corporation, says twenty-eight percent of all jobs in DuPage are

service-oriented, compared to 20 percent in Lake County and 14 percent in

Will County. Choose DuPage is hoping to bring higher paying jobs back to the
area to combat this.

In the meantime, several organizations around the County and the greater
area are working to provide several options to combat poverty in the county.

One of those groups is DuPage PADS, who is making it their mission to
prevent and end homeless in the county.

"We are focused on results and committed to the promise we made to end and
prevent homelessness in our community. Our donors, partners, and volunteers
make DuPage PADS an agency of positive change in the lives of people in
crisis in DuPage County," says PADS Executive Director Carol Simler.

The group works with area church to provide overnight housing for the
homeless in churches across the county. When someone arrives to the church,
they are greeted with volunteers, have dinner waiting for them and then have
the padded bedding out and ready for them.

PADS also has temporary transitional housing that operates up to two years
for clients that meet requirements and offers permanent housing for those
who suffer from mental illness or have been chronically homeless.

"We want to envision a county where everyone can have a place to call home,"
Simler says.

Lindsey Theis Reports.

VIEW PART ONE