Human Resources Subcommittee hearing probes local solutions to poverty

The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources held a hearing on Wednesday to explore solutions needed to combat poverty with a recognition that the problem vexes not just urban areas but a broader range of communities.

Subcommittee Chairman Adrian Smith (R-NE) convened the hearing to learn about how the geography of poverty has changed in recent years, often shifting from cities to the suburbs. National, one-size-fits-all solutions to poverty are not an effective response, he argued, when local flexibility is needed.

During the hearing, U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) highlighted the need for more targeted public transportation funding to address poverty in the suburbs of South Florida.

“I represent a largely suburban district and you discussed the migration of poverty from the urban cores out into the suburbs, and of course, this is a major concern for me,” Curbelo said. “I think one of the aggravators, or the factors that contribute to this phenomenon is the lack of transportation out in the suburbs. Most urban cores have fairly sophisticated public transportation grids, but as low-income individuals move from the urban cores out to the suburbs, does that lack of public transportation aggravate their circumstances?”

Curbelo also pointed to a lack of recognition for career and technical education opportunities as a potential contributor to suburban poverty.

Tammy Slater, the CEO of Goodwill Industries of Greater Nebraska, which oversees poverty reduction efforts in 55 counties, said, there has to be flexibility to provide services that meet individual needs.

U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) asked Slater which collaborative strategies have been successful in Nebraska that could be replicated across the country.

“It’s about people. It’s about people working together that are there to actually serve the people we are seeing every day,” Slater replied. “… It’s asking for help, it’s actually acknowledging what your core is and what cores come from other agencies.”