Delmarva Today: 12-18-20
In September 1967, a commission on rural poverty convened by President Lyndon Johnson released a report called The People Left Behind. It cited a rural poverty rate of 25%, which was almost double the urban rate. Research indicates that rural poverty declined in the 1960s but has remained steady since the mid-1970s at a level 3% higher that urban poverty. Who are these rural poor, how are they different from their urban counterpart, and what impact does the pandemic have on their lives today? In 1967 they were the people left behind. Are they the forgotten poor today? To discuss these issues, Harold Wilson’s guest on Delmarva Today is Lance George, Research Director at The Housing Assistance Council, a national housing and rural development organization.