Childhood Hunger

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Despite the richness of its culture and the state’s natural bounty, Louisiana is not always an easy place to grow up.

August 4

A lot of Ground to Make up

EDITORIAL: A lot of Ground to Make up
The Times Picayune

There has been modest improvement in recent years, but children here are worse off than in any other state except Mississippi, according to the 2009 KIDS Count data book. The survey, which is done annually by the nonprofit Annie E. Casey Foundation, found that Louisiana has one of the nation’s highest percentages of low-birthweight babies, infant mortality and teen death.

Louisiana’s child poverty rate remained steady, but it is 27 percent, which is disturbingly high.

While there were some positive signs in the KIDS Count report — dramatically fewer teens who are out of school and out of work, for instance — the overall picture of child well-being in Louisiana was grim.

Other recent findings have documented similarly troubling conditions.

A recent study by Feeding America found that Louisiana has the highest rate of hunger for children age 5 and younger. Eleven states had rates of 20 percent or higher, but Louisiana’s was the worst at almost 25 percent. The not-for-profit advocacy group based its findings on 2005-07 data from the U.S. Census and the Agriculture Department. The loss of $4.5 million in state funding for food pantries for the upcoming budget year complicates the issue. That is a 90 percent reduction, leaving only $500,000 to be shared by Second Harvest and other food banks statewide. More than a dozen New Orleans chefs donated their time Sunday to a fund-raiser by Share Our Strength at Redfish Grill. The proceeds will go to local hunger relief efforts by Second Harvest, marketumbrella.org and Bread for the World.

Still, it is going to be difficult to make up for the loss of $4.5 million — especially when the economic downturn and the strain of hurricane recovery are weighing on so many families in South Louisiana.

Hurricane Katrina also left more people in this region homeless or in subpar temporary housing. That’s reflected in a March report from the National Center for Family Homelessness that ranked Louisiana among the worst in the nation for child homelessness.

The study acknowledged that Katrina somewhat inflated our state figures and said that other states had a higher risk of child homelessness. Still, the high rate of poverty here adds to the risk.

All these indicators ought to be a call to action for public officials and individuals alike. At the state level lawmakers and the Jindal administration need to keep pressure on public schools to improve — and keep standards high. The state also needs to work with local agencies to get Road Home property back into commerce. And federal officials must ensure the redevelopment of New Orleans’ Big Four housing complexes is completed promptly and that housing vouchers are handed out in an efficient and timely manner. The ultimate goal is for fewer families to need crisis services. But that will require a more vibrant business climate, top-notch public schools, affordable health care and safer neighborhoods.

Louisiana has a long way to go on those fronts — but we must keep pushing.

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