One large problem in any area is poverty. Because of the shrinking manufacturing industry in the midwest, the poverty rate is often higher here than across the nation. The poverty rate in Columbus is less affected by shrinking manufacturing jobs because that industry is not as large here. In fact, Columbus has the lowest poverty rate in Ohio of cities in the Brookings report. However, the number is still 23.9%, and poverty is still an issue here. Three Ohio cities, Cleveland, Toledo, and Cincinnati, all rank in the top five cities for lowest income bracket.

The current governor, John Kasich, has a plan in Ohio for how to help those in poverty, and it starts with the youth. He specifically wants to target teens and young adults, aged 16 to 24. A large reason why people can’t get jobs is that they can’t pass drug tests, and education is the beginning to fixing this and other poverty-related issues. The main goal of this initiative will be to increase economic independence in the young people of Ohio, specifically those who aren’t going to college and/ or did not receive a high school diploma.

One of the largest issues with poverty is that it is a reoccurring cycle where the fact that one is already in poverty prevents one from succeeding in things such as obtaining a job or providing healthy food and spaces for them and their families. Kasich believes that economic independence is the beginning to breaking this cycle. He wants to remove barriers to success and give people a possibility of stability, and caseworkers will be assigned to smaller groups of people than in the past to complete this.

Sources:

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/04/15/povertys-end-costly-goal-study-finds.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/06/16/columbus-has-lowest-concentration-of-poverty-among.html

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2011/12/27/Americas-Best-Kept-Secret-Rising-Suburban-Poverty

Today, I went to the Short North for a day of studying and running some errands. I get out of class before 3 PM on Tuesdays and took a “2” on the COTA to run a few errands and go to the grocery, Kroger, to pick up snacks for my dorm and my favorite comfort food, potato soup. A dollar tree is situated right across from this Kroger and homeless/poor people are often outside that particular store and also in the surrounding blocks, which is important to note because there still is a large population of people in poverty, so close to the bustle of the city. For the next two hours, I spent my time in a small coffee shop called Impero and watched the customers as they came in and out and interacted with each other.

What is so interesting about the area in the Short North is that it is a very liberal, generally young, part of town that has a thriving LGBTQ community. This part of town is also very dog-friendly, so now of my favorite parts about visiting is seeing all sorts of dogs, big and small, for the couple hours that I am there. Another thing that is noticeable is the fact that everyone in the area is very friendly and familiar with each other. About half of the people that came into the coffee shop knew the one barista working and had lively conversations about their days and their lives. Looking out the window, I could see many people, usually the dog walkers, that were familiar with each other. By the dress of the people that seem to be living in the area, it is obvious that this neighborhood is full of people with a decent amount of money. They mostly dress well and in a modern, “hipster”-dress.