Center for Poverty Solutions

Poverty loses when human dignity prevails

America has lost the War on Poverty. After nearly 60 years and $12 trillion, the poverty rate remains stuck between 11% and 15%. We’ve focused on making poverty more bearable rather than helping people escape a trap that lasts for generations. We’ve created dependence and taken people’s dignity and purpose. There are better ways to treat people, and we will bring free-market solutions to one of the most important policy issues of our time through the Center for Poverty Solutions, starting in Chicago. Together, we can defeat poverty and build self-worth.

The Policy Shop: New jobs solve poverty faster than new taxes

This edition of The Policy Shop is by Head of Policy Josh Bandoch. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to help the homeless, but his plan for doing so likely involves creating more homeless people who will need help. More people to help requires more government. That requires more taxes. More taxes mean fewer businesses and...

Dr. Eddie Kornegay joins the Center for Poverty Solutions as executive director

Kornegay will lead the center’s outreach and partnership programs aimed at reducing Chicago poverty levels

Illinois licensing makes escaping poverty harder than in other Midwestern states

Illinois could make it easier to escape poverty by letting more people work without first getting a license. Six neighboring states do a better job of easing occupational licensing on low-income professions.

By Joe Tabor

Valentina Marieyah Pacheco-Cornejo

“We want to be a role model. We hope that others will do the same through development to uplift and restore our communities to what they were.”

The Policy Shop: Tackling Chicago’s deep poverty crisis

This edition of The Policy Shop is by Director of Fiscal and Economic Research Bryce Hill. You’ve got $19 today. Can you get through the day on just that? Food. Shelter. Clothes. Transportation. Even if you make it through today, can you do it again tomorrow? Then the day after? Then for years? No stress...

Over 1M Illinois families rely on food stamps for Thanksgiving dinner

More than 1 million Illinois households will rely on federal food assistance for Thanksgiving. Eliminating the grocery tax could help those relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

By Dylan Sharkey

Nearly 101,000 Chicago single moms, their children live on less than $13 per day

Of nearly 240,000 Chicagoans living on less than one-half of the federal poverty income level in 2022, nearly 101,000 of them were in households led by single mothers.

By Bryce Hill

Nearly 240,000 Chicagoans living on less than $19 a day

Living on less than half of the federal poverty level is considered “deep poverty.” That describes 53% of impoverished Chicagoans.

By Bryce Hill

Black, Brown Chicago neighborhoods endure highest poverty rates

Minority neighborhoods on Chicago’s South Side and West Side face poverty rates of up to 51%.

By Bryce Hill

Female Chicagoans 21% more likely to be impoverished than males

The male-female poverty gap is higher in Chicago than in other cities.

By Bryce Hill

Poverty highest for Black, Asian Chicagoans; lower for white, Hispanic residents

Poverty in Chicago’s Black community is on the rise despite falling to record lows nationally.

By Bryce Hill

Matthew Hamer

Matthew Hamer grew up on Chicago’s South Side. In junior high, his family of four was evicted from their one-bedroom apartment, leaving them in homeless shelters. An abundance of hard work and the intervention of a highly committed teacher allowed Matthew and his brother, Levy, to graduate college and find successful careers. “I still remember...

Want to eradicate Chicago poverty? Create more full-time jobs

Data shows full-time, year-round employment virtually guarantees Chicagoans will live above the poverty line.

By Bryce Hill

How education impacts Chicago poverty

1 in 5 Chicagoans living in poverty has a bachelor’s degree. Those without a high school diploma are four times more likely to live in poverty.

By Bryce Hill, Dylan Sharkey