Broadcast date: 11/19/15
Almost 1 in 3 San Luis Obispo County households are struggling to meet their basic needs, according to a report, was released recently by United Ways of California.
The report, entitled Struggling to Get By, introduces the Real Cost Measure, a new tool that provides a more realistic picture of poverty than the Federal Poverty Line. The Real Cost Measure allows us to better understand the challenges families face. It takes into account different costs of living in different communities and also conveys a better sense of the hardship for families because it invokes the notion of tradeoffs between competing needs—if you have an inadequate level of income, do you sacrifice on food, gas, or child care? The report finds that 3.2 million California households do not earn enough income to account for the types of expenses—food, rent, health care—that are essential to maintain even an adequate level of economic security.
Join host Fred Munroe as he speaks with representatives from United Ways of California, Pete Manzo, President & CEO with the United Ways of California, Rick London, CEO with the United Way of San Luis Obispo County, and Eddie Taylor, CEO with the Northern Santa Barbara County United Way as they take an in depth look at the Real Cost Measure.
Central Coast Voices is sponsored by ACTION for Healthy Communities in collaboration with KCBX and made possible through underwriting by Joan Gellert-Sargen.
