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When I saw this subject come up on Reddit, I thought surely, this couldn't be true. But sadly, it is. Over half of Shreveport, LA residents live in poverty. How does that even happen in this day and age? All I know is that poverty is a cycle and one that we desperately need to stop.

According to the latest U.S. Census data, of the 184,021 people that lived in Shreveport, LA in 2021, 24.5% of the population lived in poverty, which is defined as having a household income of less than $12,880 for one person, $17,420 for two, $21,960 for three, and $26,500 for four persons. I don't know how that number was arrived at, but it seems obscenely low. On top of that, it doesn't account for what many call the 'working poor.' The latest numbers from the United Way of Northwest Louisiana, referenced in the Reddit post that I made sure to fact-check, show that 55% of people in Shreveport qualify as 'ALICE' or households living in poverty. 'ALICE' refers to someone who is 'Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed.' 

62% of Shreveport’s estimated 187,593 citizens are in poverty
by u/BigRo_4 in shreveport

What does it mean to live in poverty? It means you struggle to meet your basic needs and experience financial hardship. It means you food insecure and probably don't know where your next meal is coming from. It means limited job opportunities and economic disparity. It means challenges when it comes to education and access to healthcare. It also means you probably experience housing issues, higher crime rates, and more safety concerns than the average citizen.

Unfortunately, because we live in Shreveport, we have limited social services to take up the slack, however, I have to believe our community tries to help the best it knows how. And that's the problem, we don't know how to solve the problem. Is it better housing? Transportation? Increasing the minimum wage? Election season is almost here and I sure hope smarter minds than mine are working on a solution.

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