Yesterday, we found out that billionaires like Tea Party fan David Koch and Mayor Bloomberg are getting more billionaire-y. Now the U.S. Census reveals that one in five New York City residents lives in poverty. The NY Times reports, "From 2009 to 2010, 75,000 city residents were pushed into poverty, increasing the poor population to more than 1.6 million and raising the percentage of New Yorkers living below the official federal poverty line to 20.1 percent, the highest level since 2000. The 1.4-percentage-point annual increase in the poverty rate appeared to be the largest jump in nearly two decades." more ›

Carl Paladino, provider of wonderful headlines, has done it again. This time the gubernatorial candidate has a fresh new idea about what to do with all of those pesky poor people: put them in prison! Ok, it's not that bad. Paladino wants to turn some state prisons into dormitories for welfare recipients, where they can work for the state and learn important skills like "personal hygiene." He told the Post, "Instead of handing out the welfare checks, we'll teach people how to earn their check. We'll teach them personal hygiene...the personal things they don't get when they come from dysfunctional homes." more ›

The Women’s Center for Education and Career Advancement recently released their Self-Sufficiency Standard for New York City report. And, according to data that will shock absolutely no one, they've discovered living expenses have been outpacing earnings. Seriously, rent is too damn high. more ›

Sketchy Harlem dental clinics aren't the only ones paying low-income New Yorkers to undergo teeth cleanings, the mayor is doing it too! Results are in for Mayor Bloomberg's Family Rewards Program, an effort to promote good habits among poor people by handing out cash. Since the program began two years ago 2,400 families took part receiving a total of $14 million to do responsible things like getting health insurance and attending parent-teacher conferences. There has been some success—10% more families got dental check-ups and others opened bank accounts, instead of immediately cashing checks—but other areas didn't improve enough, and the city will not expand the privately-financed program (which the Post describes as "bribes") into a publicly-financed one. more ›

With the economy the way it's been, many young folks are now finding themselves—by IRS standards—quite poor. Poor enough to be eligible for things like food stamps paid by your taxpayer dollars, which they are using to buy Japanese eggplant. Salon writes about the latest trend of the nouveau pauvre: young graduates applying for the benefits in overwhelming numbers. more ›

To keep their unsold merchandise from being worn or put on the market by other sellers, Manhattan clothing retailers are shredding their excess merchandise instead of donating it, according to the Times. Scavengers have started sifting through the trash bags piled up behind the H&M's 34th Street shop in search of garb that hasn't been destroyed with box cutters or razors. A few doors down, a company contracted to work for Wal-Mart allegedly covered the sidewalk with trash bags stuffed clothing that had been punched with holes. Onlookers spotted gloves with the fingers cut off, shoes with scissors taken to the instep and jackets slashed across the arms and body. Both H&M and the company working with Wal-Mart are located around the corner from a major collection point for New York Cares, which conducts a coat drive every winter. more ›

According to a survey of low-income New Yorkers, Crain's reports that "two-thirds have less than $1,000 in savings to fall back on should even tougher times hit, while one-third have no savings at all." more ›