CLEVELAND — On Wednesday, the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies (OACAA) released a new report looking at child poverty in the state.
It states while Ohio’s poverty rate is 13.4%, the childhood poverty rate is 17.7 %.
The OACAA said the U.S. Census Bureau data doesn’t include families who experience temporary loss of income (episodic poverty) and excludes children under 15 from the poverty rate if not related to the primary householder with whom they live.
The study found Cuyahoga and Gallia Counties as the two worst in the state in terms of the metrics of poverty rate, unemployment rate, percentage of students receiving free and reduced-price lunches at schools and 4-year high school graduation rates.
Taisha Suggs lives in Cleveland. The mother of twin 7-year-olds and an 8-year-old has worked in customer service for a decade. She’s held titles such as pharmacy technician, customer service representative and sales and marketing representative.
“We don’t get paid enough,” Suggs said. “I hear from so many people all the time about how difficult it is just to survive in today's economy. It's really rough, especially for people that don't have the education, don't have the knowledge, and don't have the things to grow and develop and be able to bring in funds into their home.”
She said covering the costs of housing, utilities, and food for her family has been next to impossible.
“Through the state… they do give you SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Benefits,” Suggs said. “I am not eligible for them. And I haven't been eligible, so food has been one of my biggest things probably with affordability for my family.”
A caseworker referred Suggs to Step Forward to inquire about getting help paying utility bills.
The nonprofit in Cuyahoga County works to help low-income families obtain self-sufficiency. It operates Head Start and a variety of emergency assistance and development programs.
“This is a spotlight that should have been shined years ago,” Dr. Jacklyn Chisholm, president and chief executive officer of Step Forward, said about the OACAA taking a deeper dive into childhood poverty.
“We talk about all the time… children are our future. Well, what kind of future do they have if they're in poverty? They start out behind,” Chisholm said.
The latest report illustrates how the working poor, often those working two jobs or more who make minimum wage- even more- can’t meet basic needs.
It also dives into how a lack of affordable housing, food insecurity and access to health care impacts children, leading to delays in academic performance, delays in reaching developmental milestones, increased risk of behavior and emotional problems and social and emotional trauma.
The report states Ohio has the 12th highest poverty rate in the nation, where nearly one in four children live in cost-burdened households. It said Ohio also has the fourth highest drop in child enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP programs.
“How do we turn the tide?” I asked Chisholm.
“Head Start,” she said. “Head Start, we feed the children; we educate the children. We even educate the parents on how to parent better. But we also do pre-and post-testing, so we know it works. So that's one way: fund Head Start, create more programs like that.
Chisholm also said businesses play a role.
“Businesses have to look at the whole person. Not just the person who comes to work,” Chisholm said. “Do they have to take public transportation? Can you give them bus tickets? Can you make it easier for them to get to your job? How much are you paying them? Are you providing childcare as a benefit? Those are retention issues. The more benefits that you provide to one of your employees, chances are they feel more loyal to the organization.”
She added that more protections are needed to help families in poverty from losing critical benefits if they start earning more income often referred to as the benefits cliff.
"For many of these people, they're working harder than you and I combined. But we don't celebrate that, we don't support that. We make it harder for them,” Chisholm said.
Suggs is working toward her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and recently finished Step Forward’s Global Support Services/Customer Service Training I & II professional development course. She’s earned certifications in customer service and financial literacy.
Suggs said she's optimistic that her family will be better off with Step Forward’s help and her degree, which she anticipates receiving in 2026.
“You really gotta be willing to research, get out here, network and do the things that you need to do to be able to help yourself and your family,” Suggs said. “And hopefully, I can get more people to come to the program.”
Chisholm encourages anyone facing a difficult time to reach out and inquire about Step Forward’s services.
“The reason we exist is really to create success stories,” she said.
