Nearly a quarter of California children 5 years old and younger live in poverty, according to a new report that examines the impact of the cost of living and family income on the state’s youngest residents.
The report, titled “Reducing Child Poverty in California,” found that 31 percent of “poor” families spend more than half of their income on housing, making it difficult to meet basic needs, such as food and health care. Five percent of families in the state live in “deep poverty,” meaning they have less than half the resources they need, states the report, published by Public Policy Institute of California.
The Public Policy Institute of California, which released the report in November, is a nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization. Bohn said the report focuses on children who are newborn to 5 years old because it’s a critical developmental time in a child’s life. It’s also one of the most expensive times for families who are navigating work and child care costs, she said.
The report finds that while the challenges that families face differ across the state, families who live in counties where the cost of living is lower, such as Fresno, Tulare and Kern, are more likely to work in low-wage jobs. Families who live in counties where the cost of living is higher, in urban or coastal areas such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, are more likely to pay a large share of their income toward housing, the report states.
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