Report: More of state’s children live in poverty

About 516,000 children are living in poverty in Georgia, a bump of 3.4 percent from the prior year, according to a report analyzing recent information released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The number of children living in poverty in 2007 represents an increase of 17,000 above the prior year, according to the study by First Focus, a nonprofit advocacy group for children in Washington D.C.

Nationally, census data has found that children have been hit hardest by the recent weakening of the American economy, the report said. The national percentage of children living in poverty rose from 17.4 percent in 2006 to 18 percent in 2007, an increase of over 500,000 children. At the same time, the national average for all Americans only increased slightly.

“Our analysis indicates that a significant percentage of Georgia’s children lived below the poverty line in 2007, a disturbing sign of what may lie ahead in 2008,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus.

He noted that that the 2007 census data does not take into account the last six months of a struggling economy. It is likely, Lesley said, Georgia’s child poverty numbers will see increases in 2008.

“As unemployment rates continue to climb, home foreclosures skyrocket, and the costs of health insurance rises, the number of children living in poverty certainly will not diminish in 2008,” he said.