MIAMI DADE COUNTY, FL

Introduction

Miami Dade is among the counties with the highest levels of overall poverty and child poverty. This paper will try to explain this situation by evaluating sources that have information regarding income, race, education and household composition.

Community living in Miami Dade County

Population Size

Miami Dade County is a predominantly white but racially diverse community in South-Eastern Florida with African American and Hispanics making up sizable percentages of the population. The county is, unfortunately, among the major metro areas which have the lowest median households in America (Miamidade gov., 2013).

Average number of people according to race, ethnicity, etc.

As of July 1, 2017, the county was estimated to have a population of 2,751,796 which was a 10.2 percent increase from the 2,498,018 estimate of April 1, 2010 (Data (DADS), 2018). Of the 78.6% of the population, those of Hispanic or Latino origin make up 68.6%, while African Americans make up 18.2%.  In terms of gender, females make up a slightly higher number of the population at 51.4% while males are 59.6%. The vast majority of the county's population also comprises of people who are over 18 years old with their percentage being 79.4 % (Data (DADS), 2018).

The Problem of Child Poverty in Miami Dade County

Percentage of People living in Poverty in Miami Dade County, FL

As of 2013, 21.3% of the households in the county were living in poverty. (Osterholt & Gomez, 2015) Poverty may be categorized into two; poverty that is viewed in relativity to other and poverty that arises from the absence of resources that are essential for an individual to access resources to fulfill biological, and economic needs. The first form of poverty is mainly subjective since it is concerned with the current distribution of resources in the community. As such, it is the community and societal expectations that determine the level of inequality that is tolerable before people are considered poor. On the other hand, poverty that is based on the insufficiency of resources that would allow an individual or a household to participate in economic life let alone access basic biological or economic necessities is worse because it can be chronic and does not rely on societal views (Osterholt & Gomez, 2015). As of 2013, poverty was defined as a situation where a family of four people has a yearly income of less than 23, 050 dollars even when adjusted for the family size. With this definition, it has been observed that Miami Dade county has the highest levels if poverty in the country. Were there an attempt to lift these families from below the poverty level, each household would have needed an extra 699 dollars per month which would have run into a total of 69.8 million dollars a month. For a household headed by a single female, the monthly amount required to lift her family from the poverty level would have been 866 dollars (Osterholt & Gomez, 2015).

 Often, poverty rate and unemployment go hand in hand. An individual without a stable source of income will have trouble accessing basic necessities such as food, shelter or healthcare. Without income, an individual is also precluded from the very opportunities that would allow one to escape poverty such as saving and investment. As such, this forms a vicious cycle that might be hard to escape. Conversely, the unemployment rate in Miami Dade since 2010 has s continued to fall without the expected decrease in poverty rates in the country (Miamidade gov., 2013).

Percentage of Children Living in Poverty

In the 2012-2016 American Community Survey, 19.9% of the people in Miami Dade live under the poverty level and of the 542,240 children for whom poverty status was determined, 27. 1% lived below the poverty level (Bureau, 2018). Of the 151,800 preschool children below five years old, 30.2% of them experienced poverty with girls being more affected than boys.  As such, it is likely that the households that these children come from may struggle with shelter, electricity, food and other basic amenities.  In comparison, a similar survey conducted in Broward County revealed that only 14.4% of the population lived below the poverty line, and of that figure, 19.5% of the children were below the poverty level. (Broward.org, 2018).)

Contributing Factors to Child Poverty

Several things are deemed as contributing factors to the comparatively higher level of children living below the poverty level within Miami Dade. To start with, according to Osterholt & Gomez (2015) the rate of poverty among single female households has steadily increased from 2007 to 2012. More so, kids in such households add to the overall percentage of children living in poverty. 21.5% of non-family households have an annual income of less than 10,000 US dollars while the median household income of the country is 44,224 US dollars (DADS, 2018). Children from this category are more likely to be under the poverty line. Of those living below the poverty level, Black or African American families that had a female householder and without a husband had a 34.5% level of poverty as compared to the 13.6% level among married couples (Data (DADS), 2018). It is evident that black/African American households either married or led by a female householder have a higher likelihood of living under the poverty line as compared to other races. Minority communities such as the Blacks and Asian are also comparatively less educated than Whites. Attainment of a higher level of education increases the prospects of earning a better income and, consequently, reduces the chances of being poor. Between 2005 and 2012, the statistics have shown that those with a bachelor’s degree were four times less likely to fall below the poverty line as compared to those whose education level was lower than a high school degree. This only compounds the problem of childhood poverty due to the fact that there is a sizable number of households that are led by a woman without a husband and majority of these households are black or African American that are in turn more likely to live under the poverty line.

Journals Used

The two journals; (Miamidade gov., 2013) and (Osterholt & Gomez, 2015), primarily used here evaluate the aspects that surround and influence poverty such as income, age and race. It is not surprising then that the journals have the same conclusions about poverty since they both review and summarize data derived from the American Community Survey

Possible Solutions to the Problems

            To alleviate poverty, the county together with other relevant institutions such as banks can carry out financial literacy campaigns. This would go a long way in educating people, (especially those with low income) how to save and invest wisely so that they cannot rely on paychecks alone. More so, much of the county's income is reliant on tourism and construction projects which are all seasonal sources of income (Miamiherald, 2015). At the same time, more innovative ways to take advantage of the tourism season can be adopted and income derived from the service industry can be fed into projects that continue to grow and sustain themselves even after the end of the seasonal income (Lipscomb, 2017).

The county must also acknowledge the demographic aspect of poverty within the county. 29.1% of Black or African Americans live below the poverty line as compared to people who are white alone who are far less at 11.3% (Data (DADS), 2018). Racial disparity in income and education levels must be addressed in order to eliminate the inequality between races. Actions such as subsidizing quality education and making it even more accessible may go a long way in reducing poverty in the long run. In the short run and more urgently, members of the community who are well-off or who might be charitable might be encouraged to conduct charity drives to help children in need food and other amenities such as clothes. Health insurance is another major area where the county might need to improve on with the aim of alleviating poverty and the problems that arise in relation to same. Households living below the poverty level might have a hard time acquiring healthy diets; this is particularly problematic for children who require proper nutrition for growth and immunity against diseases (Miamiherald, 2015). By subsidizing health care services and educating poor households on dietary needs, Miami Dade would reduce the burden placed on both the households and the county itself. County officials and other people responsible for policy formulation might benchmark other counties in the state which are faring better or those that have pulled themselves from similar circumstances in the past. Sound policies would guide the implementation of programs and policies that address not only the high levels of poverty in the county but also the specific problem of child poverty.

Conclusion

Other than the general negative side effects of poverty, the situation in Miami Dade needs to be quickly rectified, if only for the sake of children currently living in poverty and those who will be born into it. Children, being more fragile, require better resources to keep safe, well-fed and within reach of life-improving social services.

References

Osterholt, J., & Gomez, L. (2015). Income & Poverty in Miami-Dade County: 2013. Department of Regulatory & Economic Resources Planning Research & Economic Analysis.

Data (DADS). (2018). American FactFinder. Data (DADS).  Retrieved from http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml

Lipscomb, J. (2017). Miami Ranks Second-Worst in Nation for Income and Poverty Level, Census Survey Says. Retrieved from https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/miami-ranks-second-worst-in-country-for-income-and-poverty-level-census-survey-says-9689540

Miamiherald. (2015). In Miami-Dade, almost a third of preschoolers live in poverty. Miamiherald. Retrieved from https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article29502721.html

Miamidade gov. (2013). Poverty in Miami-Dade. Miamidade gov. Retrieved from http://www.miamidade.gov/planning/library/reports/at-a-glance/2012-poverty.pdf

Broward.org. (2018). Broward County Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Broward.org. Retrieved from http://gis.broward.org/browardfacts/