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Many college students complain about an increasing lack of money and resources, or that they cannot afford to go out to a concert or to dinner. What they may not realize is that people throughout Maine have little money and are living under the national income average. That is why the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, along with the Maine Community Action Association, created the second Poverty in Maine Report. The report, which took approximately a year to organize and publish, is designed to educate individuals throughout Maine about the levels of poverty in their counties. It is also a way to find out how many Mainers need assistance and welfare.
Research specialist Dr. Ann W. Acheson hopes the report will give Mainers a better understanding of poverty levels in the state. Acheson created both the current poverty report and the first in 2003. She was in charge of researching the data and statistics for the report. She said one of its goals is to “identify unmet needs throughout the state of Maine and its counties.
“[The report is being] distributed by the MCAA to many places throughout Maine, including people in the Maine state house,” Acheson said.
Charles E. Morris, interim director at the center, said it was “under contract with the MCAA to create the poverty data.
“The new report was very similar to the 2003 report, and so we were able to see trends,” Morris said.
With such reports available, government officials and others are able to keep track of the change in poverty rates throughout Maine. The report features unemployment figures, income levels, and information gathered from all over the state. The report is broken into three sections: a general description of poverty, a statewide view of poverty, and the poverty profiles of each county.
Acheson and Morris encourage students to access the poverty report and the center’s Web site, which offers students leadership opportunities with the Maine government. The Web site will soon have listings of work-study positions available at the center.
Besides issuing the poverty reports, the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center researches interdisciplinary studies that cut across departmental lines. This brings together faculty and external policy experts to address issues confronting both the state of Maine and the nation as a whole. The center also devotes its time to a nonpartisan independent research and public service unit for the University of Maine.
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