Dear Commons Community,

The New York media yesterday focused on a recent report conducted by the Center for Economic Opportunity that concluded that 45.6% of all NYC residents live in poverty and were struggling to make ends meet.  Just as startling was the fact that Asian-Americans were the largest group of New Yorkers living in poverty having surpassed the Latino/a population.  As reported in The Huffington Post:

“Despite a rise in employment, nearly half of New York City’s population is living near poverty levels — a problem that is particularly striking in the city’s Asian population, which has surpassed Hispanics as the city’s poorest group…

The study revealed 45.6 percent of New Yorkers are barely making ends meet, even with more adults working full-time since the recession. A combination of low wages, rising rents, and a lack of benefits is largely to blame.

The dismal numbers, presented Tuesday to City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, follows a growing number of studies showing the harsh realities of income inequality in New York. Just last week, city comptroller Scott Stringer released a study showing just how unaffordable the city has become, with the median rent in New York City rising a staggering 75 percent from 2000 to 2012.

The annual study also showed significant shifts within racial and ethnic demographics. As the report indicates, the poverty rate of Asians and Hispanics were “statistically identical” in 2008, at 22.4 percent and 23.5 percent, respectively. But by 2012, the rate surged to 29 percent for Asians, more than 3 percent higher than Hispanics.”

These are stark findings and will challenge Mayor Bill de Blasio to develop a comprehensive solution to the problem.

Tony