Nearly One in Five Americans Report Inability to Afford Enough Food
FRAC Releases 2011 Food Hardship Data, with Rates for the Nation, Regions, States, 100 Large Metropolitan Areas, and Every Congressional District
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jennifer Adach, 202-986-2200 x3018
Washington, D.C. – February 27, 2012 – New food hardship data from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) show continuing struggles with hunger for millions throughout 2011, as nearly one in five Americans said there were times they didn’t have enough money to buy food that they or their families needed.
FRAC’s food hardship report (pdf) analyzes data that were collected by Gallup and provided to FRAC. The data were gathered as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index project, which has been interviewing almost 1,000 households daily since January 2008. FRAC has analyzed responses to the question: “Have there been times in the past twelve months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?” The report contains data throughout 2011 for every state, region, congressional district, and 100 of the country’s largest metropolitan areas (MSA). Gallup asked the question of 352,789 households in 2011.
Nationally, 18.6 percent of respondents reported food hardship in 2011, an increase from the 2010 level of 18 percent and the highest annual rate in the four years that FRAC has been tracking these data. Food hardship reached every part of the country:
Mississippi has the worst rate among states, with one in four households (24.5 percent) reporting food hardship, but 30 states have more than one in six households answering “yes” and the “best” state, North Dakota, still had one in ten households struggling with food hardship.
While California is home to two of the worst MSAs (Fresno and Bakersfield), 96 of the 100 largest MSAs had at least one in eight households reporting food hardship in 2011.
The five worst congressional districts are in Arizona, California, Florida, New York, and Texas, but 384 congressional districts had at least one in eight households reporting food hardship.
Regionally, the hardest hit were the Southeast and Southwest regions. Every region except for the Mountain Plains had higher food hardship rates in 2011 than in 2010.
“Rising food prices, continuing high unemployment and underemployment, and flat food stamp benefit allotments all contributed to the high food hardship rate in 2011,” said FRAC President Jim Weill. “Particularly challenging was the increase in food inflation, especially for the foods the government uses to construct the Thrifty Food Plan, its cheapest diet. Food stamp beneficiaries lost more than six percent of their food purchasing power because of this increase.”
The report was released as more than 700 anti-hunger advocates gathered in Washington, D.C. for the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, sponsored by FRAC and Feeding America. The conference will culminate on Tuesday (February 28, 2012) with a day on Capitol Hill, and attendees will share state, MSA, and congressional district data with their lawmakers.
Recent polling data, released last month by FRAC, demonstrate the broad support among Americans for the federal nutrition programs and for a stronger role by government in ending hunger. Seven in 10 voters said the federal government should have a major role to ensure that low-income families and children have the food and nutrition they need. Seventy-seven percent of voters say that cutting food stamp assistance (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) would be the wrong way to reduce government spending.
“Even in difficult times, this nation has the resources to eliminate hunger for everyone. It is crucial that the nation strengthen employment and wages, and improve the federal nutrition programs so benefits are more adequate and so they reach more households. These data show that no state or urban area or congressional district is anywhere close to being hunger-free, and that more must be done to solve this problem,” said Weill. “Polls demonstrate that Americans want the government to attack hunger aggressively, and they reject attempts to cut anti-hunger efforts. It is time to demand that elected officials tackle hunger with the zeal that the situation – and the public – demand.”
It really makes a point........How can the housing market really get better when so much poverty exists?
Of course the housing market will "get better soon" for all the nation's hungry and dispossessed, because the way things are headed, they will have lots more company soon.
The "Hoovervilles" of this era, those so called "Occupy" activists, they do not have to pay a lot for that tent. Now that is an "affordable" housing alternative.........Albeit "better" is debatable.
There may be many many more such activists, and larger and larger "occupy" protests before this party is over, IMHO.
And that is the shame of it all, here in the USA, where the Power Brokers are in a position to do something to really fix this mess.
And yet the mess is continuing, even perhaps getting worse. The foreclosed upon and otherwise dispossessed are shunned in our society of greed.
03-02-201207:02 AM - last edited on 03-03-201203:43 AM by SheilaM
Yes, “Food Hardship”, that is why we hear from the media just about every day how fat we are, how fat our children are and how type 2 diabetes is going to be at epidemic proportions in the next few years.
03-02-201201:05 PM - last edited on 03-03-201203:45 AM by SheilaM
Hiya RE-Guy,
Nice to see you back here again.
IMHO, this RE market and the economy in general is tepid at best. We will probably now see one of THE MOST DISAPPOINTING selling seasons in decades, despite lending rates not seen since the 1950's. Equity Sellers are staying out of the market, there is a raft of distressed property everywhere, and the Bankster Gangsters are scared. They should be, as should anyone with sense enough to get out of the rain.
Hyper inflation or perhaps stagflation, and Euro size gasoline prices of 6$/gallon (and up) are lurking just around the corner.
You can deny all you want to, but there are many needy people living in this land of greed right now. The media and all other vested interest parties will not tell truth to The Sheeple. The vested interest parties intend to get more for themselves and sell the rest of the country down the river.
Glad I don't have to worry about it, but I think all our kids and grandkids have something very big to worry about.
The housing market will not get better soon. Especially in overpriced OC.
I have no doubt that there are many needy people living in theU.S. Just trying to point out the inconsistency in much of our media’s messages. You cannot, on one hand consistently talk and talk about how fat and lazy we are and they turn around and say we are all starving. Or these days, maybe you can. Anyway, we know this is all George Bush’s fault.
Having worked extensively with the homeless in the O.C., I can testify that there are many, many free food sources in the OC. As of today, nobody, and I mean nobody needs to go hungry in the O.C. If there are individuals that are hungry it is by choice – and yes, I have seen choice it that they do not want to take charity. Food is NOT the issue in the OC, but shelter and housing are a very big issue. We are feeding our homeless, but not sheltering them.
As far as real estate goes, January was my worst month ever. I took one listing. February was not much better. I wrote one offer. I should be very ashamed of myself. This business is about production, and if I don’t produce I am one step away from those free food sources. I failed, but I have always thought they you got to fail a lot to be successful.
However, I do see some relief in real estate. In the OC inventory is tightening, but it has a long way to go before becoming a sellers market. As of the end of January, the number of homes being offered for sale have been the lowest they have been in 15 months. (I am waiting for February numbers that should be available in a few days.) Home prices while still declining are declining as a lesser rate and that may indicate the beginning of some market stabilization (or possibly just some seasonality).
However, with the government wanting higher gas prices this mild recovery will probably go in the crapper again.
Anyway – my last forecast was the forecast of an idiot, which I admit so don’t take anything I post as credible.
Of course all this is just my opinion.
and PS - remember the world is suppost to end this year so bring on the wine, taco's and dancing girls.
Groundhog stated: "We will probably now see one of THE MOST DISAPPOINTING selling seasons in decades."
OBVIOUSLY, you haven't been paying much attention to all the real estate sales activity that has been taking place for the last month and a half.
There is NOTHING that has been happening in the local real estate market, since January 15th, 2012, that even begins to approximate your above prediction of gloom. The ONLY thing I see as being a disappointment, is that today's buyers don't have enough houses to choose from, as they scamper over one another trying to get into escrow.
Soon enough, sellers will begin to notice that 1.) All the available listings are selling - quickly, and 2.) Prices are starting to firm up, if not even rise a skosh, due to that clamoring, and then THEY will scamper, to join the festivities.
That hustle and bustle will UNDOUBTEDLY continue into July, perhaps even August, before slowing down, to catch its breath.
All this, of course, is merely MY opinion. Thanks for reading.
Bob Phillips - Realty ONE Group - South Orange County, CA
Thanks for the response........Many of the folks on this Forum love to hear from you, I know I do.
Point agreed just as you said, many folks are getting public assistance food relief thank God. My point was simply that it's symptomatic of the size of our problem that so many do not have sufficient money to buy enough food with. NOT THAT ANYONE IS STARVING IN LARGE NUMBERS. The reported numbers in the article on the original post in this thread are staggering, it appears to be a credible report with strong references.
Accordingly, how those folks gonna' buy a home, they can't even afford food for Gods sake? And there is a lot of them.
THIS IS BADDD NEWS INDEED.
Here is an excerpt from the original post on this thread..........
Nearly One in Five Americans Report Inability to Afford Enough Food
FRAC Releases 2011 Food Hardship Data, with Rates for the Nation, Regions, States, 100 Large Metropolitan Areas, and Every Congressional District
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jennifer Adach, 202-986-2200 x3018
Washington, D.C. – February 27, 2012 – New food hardship data from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) show continuing struggles with hunger for millions throughout 2011, as nearly one in five Americans said there were times they didn’t have enough money to buy food that they or their families needed.
FRAC’s food hardship report (pdf) analyzes data that were collected by Gallup and provided to FRAC. The data were gathered as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index project, which has been interviewing almost 1,000 households daily since January 2008. FRAC has analyzed responses to the question: “Have there been times in the past twelve months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?” The report contains data throughout 2011 for every state, region, congressional district, and 100 of the country’s largest metropolitan areas (MSA). Gallup asked the question of 352,789 households in 2011.
Nationally, 18.6 percent of respondents reported food hardship in 2011, an increase from the 2010 level of 18 percent and the highest annual rate in the four years that FRAC has been tracking these data. Food hardship reached every part of the country:
BTW................can you recommend an EZTDBW realtor in the Temecula area, especially one who knows how to work with grumpy old seniors, and who specializes in foreclosure and short sale properties?
It really is nice to see you on this Forum again, even if only for today. I am truly sorry business is so crappy these days. We must just keep the faith and keep on dancing, albeit very slowly so as to not break a sketchy old leg!
I dunno, Bob. As a potential buyer who's been very actively looking -- I've seen more than 60 houses in the last year -- I agree with you about the increased activity this January. More people out there than for many long months, and some deals are closing remarkably fast. And it's without question true that the selection is awful. Most weeks I survey everything in the county on Redfin and there is *nothing* that interests me enough to even drive by.
But I'm not so sure it's going to translate to increased prices. What it looks like is that anything that comes on the market that is in tip-top shape and reasonably priced, in the sense that even a 5% hit over the next few years still leaves it fairly reasonable, is getting snapped up. But stuff that is still priced like it's 2010 is still just sitting there. Lots of traffic, but no offers, and price reductions are continuing.
And I have to question your logic, really. When I see nothing I really like for sale, my impulse is not to settle for what I kind of sort of don't mind too much. Not when it comes to forking out north of half a million dollars I have to earn one hour at a time. My reaction, on the contrary, is to conclude this is just not the year for buying. I feel no sense of urgency. Nobody in his right mind thinks this is 2005 and prices will be going up 10-20% a year, and if I stay put, that's just a bit more I'll have saved up to put down, and a better salary to make the mortgage easier, too. What's the downside?
"I feel no sense of urgency. Nobody in his right mind thinks this is 2005 and prices will be going up 10-20% a year, and if I stay put, that's just a bit more I'll have saved up to put down, and a better salary to make the mortgage easier, too. What's the downside?"
If prices are the same, this time next year - which is my prediction - but interest rates nudge up, even half a percent, your monthly payments will be higher - for the same house.
I agree that there is no need for a sense of urgency, UNLESS a pretty much perfect house pops up, at a good price point, then I humbly submit that THAT is a good time to pull the trigger, and buy, at today's interest rates, and today's prices.
All this, of course, is merely MY opinion. Thanks for reading.
Bob Phillips - Realty ONE Group - South Orange County, CA
