Will Philadelphia's Poverty Action Plan succeed in raising 100,000 residents out of poverty by 2024?

A review of Philadelphia's anti-poverty efforts

Authors

  • Bryan Wilkinson University of Pennsylvania

Abstract

Despite efforts to combat poverty and its effects on our City, Philadelphia continues to have the highest poverty rate and deep poverty rate among the nation’s 10 largest cities - nearly 1 in 4 Philadelphians live below the poverty line.   Under the Shared Prosperity Plan the Mayor's Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO) has been responsible for leading the City's anti-poverty efforts since 2103.  The poverty rate decreased from 28.4% in 2011 to 24.5% in 2018 - a decrease of 3.9%, which equates to less than 50,000 people across seven years.   The Poverty Action Plan issued in March 2020 has a stated goal of reducing the number of residents living below the poverty line by 100,000 by 2024.  This report is an evaluation of the latest plan, expected obstacles it faces, and includes recommendations to improve its chances for success.

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Published

2020-07-08

How to Cite

Wilkinson, B. (2020). Will Philadelphia’s Poverty Action Plan succeed in raising 100,000 residents out of poverty by 2024? A review of Philadelphia’s anti-poverty efforts. Social Innovations Journal, 2(2). Retrieved from https://socialinnovationsjournal.com/index.php/sij/article/view/412