“More than 94,000 households in Ottawa & Kent counties are living in survival mode – making more than the poverty level but still unable to afford the basics for where they live.”
—Love Your Neighbor
That’s a hard to hear— even harder to fathom, so let’s put it into perspective:
The population of Grand Rapids is 196,908; Kalamazoo: 72,873; Holland 34,006. (US Census Data, 2022)
So, about half the population of Grand Rapids— or all of Kalamazoo and about 2/3 of Holland — are living above the poverty line, only able to just make ends meet.
This can look like living paycheck to paycheck, eating fast food more often because fresh food is expensive and time is scarce, working multiple jobs, or relying on credit cards to pay bills. It’s a cycle that can pull families below the poverty line, endangering future generations of falling prey to the same fate.
Love Your Neighbor is working to change that with their Life Skills Program —not just by meeting the needs of people living in this perpetual financial limbo, but by helping them build skills to get off—or even avoid— the cycle.