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What We Measured:

• Bankruptcy and Foreclosure
• Food Bank
• Food Stamps
• Income by Racial Classification
• Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP)
• Median Family Income
• Medicaid
• Per Capita Income
• Poverty
• Students Eligible for Reduced/Free School Lunch
• Self-Sufficient Wages
• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)

Outside Compass:

• Cost of Living Calculator
• Federal Poverty Guidelines

Highlights:

• From 1999 to 2008, the number of foreclosure filings in Larimer County increased 584%. The biggest year-to-year increase (33%) occurred between 2005 and 2006. From 2000 to 2005, the rate of bankruptcy filings in Larimer County increased by 128%, while the state rate increased by 154%. Between 2005 and 2006, the rate of bankruptcy filings decreased drastically due to major changes in bankruptcy law. (Bankruptcy and Foreclosure)
• The Food Bank for Larimer County has seen a 25% increase for its Food Share and Kids Café programs between 2006 and 2008. (Food Bank)
• As the economy worsened throughout 2008, the number of applications, cases, and expedited issuance of food stamps has increased significantly. (Food Stamps)
• When examining local Median Family Income (MFI) by racial classification, there are discrepancies in Larimer County among incomes of different races. According to the United States Census, variations in MFI by racial category included 'Whites' at $49,956, 'Asians' at $47,563, and 'Hispanics or Latinos' at $36,884. (Income by Racial Classification)
• From FYE 2000 to FYE 2009, the number of Larimer County households submitting applications for heating assistance increased 190%. (Low Energy Assistance Program - LEAP)
• The Median Family Income (MFI) in Larimer County grew 8.7% between 2005 and 2009. The 2009 MFI for Larimer County is $75,200. (Median Family Income)
• As the economy has worsened throughout 2008, the number of individuals on Medicaid has steadily increased. (Medicaid)
• In 2007, per capita personal income in Larimer County ($35,397) was similar to the national average ($38,611), but lower than Colorado ($41,042). Colorado's personal per capita income ranked seventh highest in the nation in 2006. (Per Capita Income)
• Larimer County poverty rates for all people registered a slight decline, from 12.9% in 2007 to 12.4% in 2008. Larimer County poverty rates for children decreased from 11.7% in 2007 to 10.4% in 2008. Although rates have declined slightly between 2007 and 2008, poverty remains an ongoing issue for the residents of Larimer County. (Poverty)
• From 2003 to 2008, Larimer County's three school districts experienced steady increases in the percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced lunches. The average increase for that period was 8%, although Larimer County remained consistently lower than the statewide average (13%). (Students Eligible for Reduced/Free School Lunch)
• A family of four in Larimer County (consisting of two adults working full time plus an infant and a preschooler) needs a minimum of $55,584 (2008) annually to afford food, shelter, transportation, health and child care, among other basic necessities. (Self-Sufficient Wages)
• From 2006 through 2008, there was a 60% increase in applications for TANF benefits, but a 55% decline in the number of households receiving TANF cash assistance. (TANF)

Related Studies:

• The State of Children and Youth in Larimer County (July 2009) [pdf], this report, prepared by Healthier Communities Coalition of Larimer County, offers a snapshot of how children and youth in Larimer County are doing at the beginning of the 21^st century.
• 2008 Kids Count [pdf], this report, released by Colorado Children's Campaign, states "Between 2000 and 2006, Colorado had a 73 percent increase in the number of children living in poverty, putting our state first in the nation for the fastest growing rate of children in economic distress."
• Poverty and Philanthropy: Strategies for Change [pdf] was published in October 2008 by MDRC.
• The High Cost of Being Poor [pdf] reveals that low-income Americans pay substantially more for goods and services like credit, home-ownership, banking, shopping, and medical debts than those who are financially stable. (Annie B. Casey Foundation, AdvoCasey, Winter 2005, Vol.7, No. 1)
• Illness And Injury As Contributors To Bankruptcy (MarketWatch, Health Affairs, February 2005) finds that about half of the 1.45 million personal bankruptcies filed in 2001, cited medical causes for their financial problems. Most debtors with medical causes owned their home, were middle or working class, and had health coverage at the time of filing.
• Married and Poor: Basic Characteristics of Economically Disadvantaged Married Couples in the U.S. [pdf], this report published in July 2004 by MRDC is part of the research phase of the Department of Health and Human Services' Supporting Healthy Marriage program.
• A Profile of Families Cycling on and off Welfare (April 2004) analyzes the experiences of welfare "cyclers," families who repeatedly return to welfare assistance. (published by MDRC, a non-profit, non-partisan, social policy research organization)
• Working Hard, Falling Short: America's Working Families and the Pursuit of Economic Security [pdf] - (October 2004) - this report aggregates studies from 15 states (including Colorado) that examine the conditions of low-income working families and public policies that could help improve their lives. (Working Poor Families Project, a non-partisan initiative supported by the Annie E. Casey, Ford and Rockefeller foundations)
• Opportunity Lost: When Hard Work Isn't Enough for Colorado Families [pdf] - (April 2004) - this report examines the effects of Colorado's budget decisions such as cutting adult and higher education funding levels and failing to appropriate enough state dollars to draw down federal child care assistance funds. (Authored by the Bell Policy Center with support from the Chambers Family Fund, the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado, and the Rose Community Foundation)
• Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007 [pdf] - (August 2008) - this Census Bureau report compares state and national averages for items such as median household income, lack of health insurance coverage, and poverty rates.
• The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado 2008: A Family Needs Budget [pdf] - this report, produced by the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, uses the Self-Sufficiency Standard to calculate the income needed by families in each Colorado county to meet basic needs without public or private assistance. (For comparisons, see The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado - 2004.)
• FDIC State Profile - Colorado [pdf] - This quarterly report contains updated information about single-family mortgage foreclosures and personal bankruptcies, among other economic indicators.
• Federal Poverty Guidelines
• MDRC - this non-profit, social policy research organization publishes numerous reports about family self-sufficiency issues.

Related issues within Compass:

• Average Teacher's Salary
• Business Economy
• Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)
• Crime
• Housing
• Teen Fertility & Birth Rates
• Unemployment Rate

Additional Resources:

• The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website hosts a slide presentation 'Tour of Poverty' that illustrates the budgeting choices facing families in poverty. Another section of the site, Poverty USA, contains educational and advocacy information.
• Larimer County Human Services - operates programs for low income, elderly, disabled and minority residents, providing financial assistance for shelter, food and medical care.
• Larimer County Workforce Center - provides employment and training services to residents of Larimer County through partnerships with county, state and local agencies.
• The Rising Prevalence of Severe Poverty in America, A Growing Threat to Public Health found that the increase of families in severe poverty will in turn increase the prevalence of chronic illness, putting pressure on already stressed public and private health care systems. (Woolf, et al., American Journal of Preventive Medicine, October 2006, Vol. 31, No. 4)