Newark Poverty Reduction Conference Conference Solutions

1. Question #1:  What are top solutions to reduce Newark's poverty rate by 10 percent in 10 years?

a.Massive government-sponsored jobs creation

b.Improve education for adults as well as young people - provide citywide and regional adult literacy and job training programs, especially for ages 18-24

  1. c. Create cultural change by:

  2. a.creating public outrage to persistence of and inaction to poverty

  3. b.empowering residents to demand more from the city and themselves

d.Build new neighborhoods that are free of poverty and link them to other non-poverty communities


2.Question #2:  Is funding needed?  If so, source?

a.Immediate funding needs to come from:

-Federal government

-State government 

-Corporate partners who do business in the city

-Non-profit

-Private


3.Question #3:  Who should implement this plan?

a.Effort needs to be directed by mayor in collaboration with:

-Local residents

-Federal government

-State government 

-Local officials

-Corporate partners

-Private groups

-Universities


4.Question #4:  What are the measurable goals within 5 years?

  1. a.10% Increase in the high school graduation rate (if current graduation rate is 22%, that would be an increase to 32%)

b.5% decrease of the poverty rate (if current poverty rate is 25%, that’s a decrease down to 20%)

c.5% increase in middle class population (if current population is 277,000 people that’s an increase of 13,850 people)


5.Question #5:  What’s are benefits of poverty reduction to the middle class?

a.Reducing poverty makes Newark more attractive to new middle class residents and businesses

b.Tax reduction