KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Kalamazoo City Commission will get a full report on just how deep poverty runs in the city this evening, and is expected to take at least one action to partially address it.
The United Way issued their latest report on ALICE households in April. That’s families that are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, or simply put, above the federal poverty guideline, but still can’t make ends meet.
Vice Mayor Don Cooney has made it clear that he isn’t satisfied with the city’s efforts to reduce poverty, and has asked that they get a briefing on exactly how acute the problem is.
He says the stats he has seen on ALICE households in Kalamazoo are disturbing. Those stats show that 56% of the city’s households meet ALICE guidelines, a number that hasn’t improved in the last nine years.
Also on the agenda is a proposal to spend $1.5-million in federal COVID-19 relief dollars to expand the number of housing vouchers available, and to make repairs to 48 rental units for low income families.
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