Poverty rates for children in Appalachian Ohio up

UPDATE, Aug. 15: The Columbus Dispatch has since deleted the story from its website, because of errors. An editor's note says: "After this story was originally printed and posted online, a data error was discovered in the report on which the story is based. We have deleted the story because the information provided to The Dispatch was incorrect. According to the updated report, the overall child poverty rate in Ohio increased by 75 percent from 2002 to 2012 and rural, non-Appalachian counties’ child poverty rates increased, on average, by 92 percent. Appalachian counties’ child poverty rates increased by 70 percent. (Read more)

Ohio's child poverty rate went up 39 percent from 2002 to 2012, while it went up 136 percent in just the Appalachian counties, according to the Children's Defense Fund report, Jim Ryan reports for The Columbus Dispatch.

"This is the worst I've ever seen it," said Jack Frech, director of the Athens County Department of Job and Family Services.

The report showed that slightly more than 28 percent of children who live in Appalachian Ohio live in poverty and are "more likely to suffer from hunger, obesity and a lack of health care than children in the rest of the state, the nonprofit child-advocacy group reported," Ryan writes. However, rural, non-Appalachian counties have a 19.65 percent poverty rate, which is lower than the 23.6 percent statewide average.

Executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks Lisa Hamler-Fugitt said the group has attempted to solve the hunger problem in various ways. "It sponsors about 2,500 free farmer's markets with surplus goods from Ohio growers," Ryan reports. Hamler-Fugitt said, "The Great Recession didn't end for the people standing in our food lines."

"The Children's Defense Fund report recommended seven state and local initiatives that would help children in need, including state tax incentives that help families make healthy food choices," Ryan writes. "It also called for more child fitness and wellness programs and incentives to encourage doctors to work in rural areas."

Frech said, "The Appalachian area has historically had a problem with poverty because of the lack of jobs—lack of decent-paying jobs—that goes back years and years."