For most members of the University community, Charlottesville represents a center of intellectual pursuit and learning, a city of privilege and status. However, for many community lawmakers, activists and citizens, Charlottesville is also the regional center of something far less prestigious: poverty.
According to the U.S. Census Board Report for 2002 on regional income and poverty, the most recent regional report, approximately 16 percent of Charlottesville residents live in poverty, compared with 7.2 percent of Albemarle County residents and 9.6 percent of Virginia residents.
According to Charlottesville Vice Mayor Kevin Lynch, living in poverty in America is currently defined as earning a household income of less than $18,000 annually.
Additionally, while the median household income is $48,224 for Virginia as a whole and $52,365 in Albemarle County, the number drops to $32,785 in the City of Charlottesville.
Local service organizations also said they saw a high level of poverty in the City.
According to Sarah Althoff, a programs services specialist at the Thomas Jefferson Branch of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, while the extent of poverty in Charlottesville may not be widely known, the high level of poverty in the City is apparent to her organization.
"Most people don't recognize the number of people that live in poverty because of our community's wealth," Althoff said.
What is poverty?
Lynch expressed concern about the living conditions of those below the poverty line but added that any discussion of poor economic situations should also consider those who are still in dire economic straits but not technically designated as impoverished by the government.
"When you say a family is in poverty, they are really in trouble," Lynch said. "Another thing to consider is, there is a much larger group that is the families making under $25,000. Those are the people who we consider the working poor."
According to Lynch, especially in Charlottesville, it is important to look at the number of families living in poverty because the individual numbers can be distorted by the inclusion of students who produce no income and therefore can be counted as living in poverty.
He said 12 percent of Charlottesville families are living below the poverty line, and another 12 percent would be classified as working poor. Lynch compared that 12 percent of families living below the poverty line in the City to 4.2 percent of families in Albemarle County and 4.8 percent in nearby Greene County.
"The number of families living in poverty in 1990 was 200," Lynch said. "That number has gone up by 100 families."
University Sociology Prof. Steven Nock also cited an increase in poverty among families, especially among single mothers and their children, both locally and nationally.
"Generally, the Charlottesville population of poor resembles the national population, and it is more likely to be single mothers and their children living in poverty," Nock said. "In Charlottesville and the U.S., the poor population is becoming increasingly feminine. It is what some call the 'feminization of poverty.'"
According to the Census Bureau report, 21.8 percent of children ages 5-17 living in families in Charlottesville live in poverty, while only 7.2 percent of Albemarle County children and 11.8 percent of children statewide in the same age group live below that $18,000 line.
Sources of poverty
While a variety of issues contribute to poverty in Charlottesville, Lynch said there are three prevailing types of poverty in the area: generational poverty, immigration poverty, and situational poverty.
"The generational poverty is the one we should put most of our effort into eliminating," he said. "It is a cultural cycle that people get caught up in."
Charlottesville also plays the role of regional haven for those who face poverty. The prevalence of what Lynch calls "immigration poverty" is due to Charlottesville's position as an urban center, which can provide services to the poor, such as public transportation and public housing. Lynch said the growth of the English as a Second Language Program and the placement in Charlottesville of refugees from areas like Somalia by the International Rescue Committee display the City's position as a magnet for those seeking help while living in poverty.
Lynch said while he applauds the City's efforts in welcoming victims of poverty, he also believes the burden of paying for social programs for this immigrant poor falls disproportionately on Charlottesville taxpayers.
"In a lot of ways, Charlottesville has a tradition about caring about poverty, and that is a two-edged sword," Lynch said. "Immigration of poverty never will or should be stopped, but we need to get the region and the state to help."
While generational poverty and immigration poverty contribute to the problems of the poor in Charlottesville, the majority of those living below the poverty line are in what Lynch calls "situational poverty."
This temporary condition could arise from a variety of instances including domestic violence, abuse, illness or economic circumstances such as the loss of a job.
The rising cost of living
Along with these factors, officials cite a rise in the cost of living in Charlottesville as a main source of poverty in the City. While the price of housing has gone up, there has not been a corresponding increase in wages.
"When the cost of housing and consumer goods are so high, low income households are struggling to manage," Althoff said.
According to City Councilor Kendra Hamilton, Charlottesville has a large number of entry-level jobs that allow people to work but not earn a sufficient wage.
"People that don't have a lot of education or skills can get into the job market," Hamilton said.
Ann Friedlander, peace and justice coordinator at the City's Holy Comforter Catholic church, which has many social outreach programs like a food pantry and soup kitchen, said the highly competitive housing market in Charlottesville is a major problem.
The large number of students prepared to pay high prices for housing distorts the market for local residents living and working in the City year round, Friedlander said.
"The number of students who live outside the dorms raises the price of housing," she said. "When that happens, it causes landlords and owners to think they can raise the rents."
Wages and the University's role
According to Lynch, the only way to counteract the increase in the cost of living in Charlottesville is to increase the income of people who live with the threat of poverty by increasing wages.
Officials said an increase in City income must start with an increase in the wages at the community's largest employer, the University.
"The University of Virginia, as the largest employer, sets the prevailing standard and determines the condition that a lot of people live in," Hamilton said.
This week is National Living Wage Week, and many organizations associated with the University are taking the opportunity to inform others about their desire for the implementation of the living wage for all University employees.
According to University Staff Union President Jan Cornell, the living wage for this region is $10 an hour with healthcare and $12 an hour without healthcare.
"Everybody deserves to make a good living," Cornell said. "People can't live on $8.56 an hour. They need to pay their employees."
Cornell said many people at the University are forced to work two jobs because their job at the school does not provide sufficient income. Additionally, she said some employees who work at University facilities actually work for contracted companies, such as Aramark Dining Services, which also do not pay a living wage.
The University "shouldn't sign a contract with someone unless they pay a living wage," Cornell said. "Everyone working under the University umbrella should be paid a living wage. It's appalling. We can afford to build a basketball stadium, new buildings and a new art museum, but we can't pay our employees."
Despite these concerns, University spokesperson Carol Wood said the University focuses a lot of attention on the issue of wages, and its salaries are driven by the market.
"For the past three to four years, the University has been looking at the salaries of its employees with some focus on the entry-level positions," Wood said. "That salary level has gone from $8.19 to $8.37 to $8.62 an hour, and in November, when the raises are implemented, they will be $8.88 an hour."
Wood added that University salaries are an average of 72 percent above the federal minimum wage and that the school provides competitive benefits.
"We have a strong commitment to pay fairly, but we are also looking at health insurance and retirement benefits," Wood said. "The University's health insurance plans and benefits stack up against the best, especially in higher education."
Wood also said the University sees the lowest paying jobs as a way for workers to move up in the system.
"We are talking about entry-level jobs [that] require no experience right out of high school," Wood said. "We look at these jobs as a place for people to come in and learn and use them as stepping stones for other positions."
Despite the University's efforts, some in the community said they feel the school can still do more for its workers.
"This is obscene," said Joe Szakos, executive director for the Virginia Organizing Project, a group working to empower people to fight social problems in their community. "How can you survive in Charlottesville making $8.85 an hour?"
Szakos added that he believes University President John T. Casteen, III and Leonard Sandridge, University executive vice president and chief operating officer, "know the numbers don't work" but that they "ignore the poor that are staring them in the face everyday."
What needs to be done?
Even if wage increases were implemented at the University and in the larger community, some question whether that would solve the problem of poverty.
"I certainly applaud efforts to increase wages," Nock said. "However, wages increasing is insufficient when they are only generated by one member in a household. Whether that will lift people out of poverty is a question."
Friedlander agreed and said she thinks the only way to counteract poverty in Charlottesville is to create more affordable housing developments for low-income citizens. The problem of wealthy students driving up City rental rates would also need to be solved, with the University potentially providing more on-Grounds housing.
Both of those solutions, however, could potentially place further economic strain on the City.
Ultimately, according to City officials, poverty undoubtedly places a harsh burden on the lives of those below the $18,000 income line but also affects the wider City population.
Even as citizens recognize the critical need to raise their neighbors out of poverty, the financial costs of paying for those public services most widely used by low-income residents, such as subsidized housing and public transport, are difficult to ignore as well.
"This is a big challenge for Charlottesville," Lynch said. "It's not just a moral issue but a financial one."
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