The map also illustrates changes in where poor Washingtonians live over the last two decades. Slide the bar to compare 1990, 2000, and the most current data (2005-09). You'll see that the spatial concentration of black poverty remains largely unchanged over this period, and that poor whites remain widely scattered across the region's neighborhoods. These maps also illustrate the substantial growth in the number of Latino poor people living in the close-in suburbs of both Maryland and Virginia.
If you click on the "District View" option at the bottom of the map, you'll see the dense cluster of poor Latinos living in the Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods of DC in 1990. Today, this cluster is far less dense, reflecting the dramatic revitalization and gentrification that area has undergone. Now, poor Latinos are almost as widely dispersed as poor whites, living in suburban neighborhoods throughout the region (and few poor blacks remain in the Mount Pleasant — Columbia Heights cluster).
Why do we care? Many people assume that poor people "naturally" live in poor neighborhoods, and that anti-poverty programs — like emergency food banks, job training centers, and affordable housing — should be concentrated there as well. But in fact, the vast majority of the Washington region's poor people live in non-poor neighborhoods. They may need information and assistance finding the support services they need, especially if they live in car-dependent suburban communities or if they don't understand English well. But poor families generally benefit from living in well-off neighborhoods where streets and parks are safe, grocery stores sell healthy, affordable food, and the public schools perform well.
Poor people often suffer more when they live in very high-poverty neighborhoods. These are typically places where few people have steady jobs, where crime and violence are commonplace, where the schools are chaotic and ineffective, where there are few safe places to exercise, and where healthy groceries are unavailable or over-priced. Kids growing up in high-poverty neighborhoods face terrible risks and challenges that undermine their chances of escaping poverty as adults.
High-poverty neighborhoods — like those east of the Anacostia River in DC — didn't occur "naturally" nor do they reflect the "choices" of poor families about where to live. Instead, these places represent the legacy of decades of racial discrimination, legally sanctioned segregation, and public housing policies. And our map shows just how stubborn this legacy is; despite dramatic demographic and economic changes sweeping the Washington region over the past two decades, poor Black families have remained highly concentrated in DC neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.
Tackling poverty in the Washington region poses multiple challenges for area policymakers. It's not just a city problem; suburban communities need to deliver support and opportunity too. It's not just a neighborhood revitalization problem, although overcoming the legacy of segregation in the District's poorest neighborhoods is critical. It's not just an English-speaking problem; communities across the region have to reach out to a growing population of immigrants, many of whom speak little English. And it's not somebody else's problem; explore our map and you'll likely see that poor people are among your neighbors.
In today's tough economy, these families need help - not just help getting by, but also opportunities to escape poverty through education, work, and savings.
