Poverty in Adams County

We have been working for the past few months on an analysis of poverty in Adams County. As people who spent most of our lives as regular visitors, it has been a real eye-opener.

First, a surprisingly large number of Adams County residents – 32 percent – live at an income level where it is impossible to afford the basic necessities of life. The Adams County job market – heavily based on tourism – is so weak that 65% of the workforce must leave the county every day to find work. For those remaining behind, especially those lacking a college degree and advanced skills – the job choices often come down to a series of minimum wage, seasonal jobs.

But despite the fact that the local economy generates primarily low wage jobs, the housing market is very tight and expensive. The rental vacancy rate approaches zero and rents are high. One consequence is that low income residents frequently are forced to look for housing in rural areas – where there is no public transportation.The incidence of poverty is surprisingly durable in Adams County – and around the state. Ten years ago, the country was in the deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression. We are now in our 10thyear of economic recovery and the nation’s economy passed “full employment” while Barack Obama was still president. But this economic good news has bypassed Adams County. The percentage living in poverty spiked up from 8% to 10% in 2014, but otherwise has remained level since.

Another indication that economic good times have not materially improved the condition for those living in poverty is the continuing demand for social services. We checked demand over time for the Food Pantry, SCCAP’s Gleaning program, the Adams County Homeless Shelter, and the Soup Kitchen and found that their number of clients served has remained level or increased since the 2008-2010 timeframe.

Other factors increase the challenge faced by the working poor. We’re far from finished with the report and there are some issues, such as Healthcare, that we don’t fully understand. But we have been able to draw a few conclusions.

Nutrition is a major factor. It is a major expense (exceeded only by housing, childcare, and transportation for a family with children) and a major requirement of life. It is a prime area where a family under financial pressure is likely to cut back but the consequences of hunger can be severe. Of all the social services areas, it has the most fully developed infrastructure of support services, including nonprofit organizations such as the Food Pantry, the Soup kitchen, Gleaning, Ruth’s Kitchen, Meals on Wheels, and Campus Kitchens as well as government-funded programs such as SNAP (food stamps), free and reduced school lunches, free breakfast and lunch for students in Head Start, and others. Nevertheless, hunger persists in Adams County. In a recent survey of food stamp users, a third of participants said they regularly or occasionally experienced times where the food ran out before they could afford to buy more or they had to skip meals to make the food last.

Incarceration is both a symptom of poverty – the poor are less likely to have effective representation, less likely to make bail, etc. – and a cause. Even a short term in the county jail can cost a job and a month or more might cost housing as well. But the people serving in the jail aren’t all hardened felons. The majority of cases filed are misdemeanor DUI/DWI, drug, or public disorder charges.

At any given time, 100 people are serving in the jail who haven’t been convicted of any crime. People who can’t make bail or who have run afoul of one of Adams County’s predatory fines and fees or who can’t be released because they don’t have an approved housing plan. The fine and fee system is particularly insidious: anyone entering the criminal justice system faces an escalating schedule of fees and any missed payment results in increased fines – or a return to jail.

Adams County differs from jurisdictions around the country, which have been identifying alternative sentencing, reduced bail, and other ways to reduce prison populations. Given the social and human costs of incarceration, Adams County should examine ways they could reduce their prison populations. 

Poverty is deeply embedded in Adams County and it will not be easy to make progress. It will require changes in the job market and housing market, and programs to train workers for the jobs of the future.

Leon Reed is a retired Congressional aide and defense consultant. Lois Lembo is a retired defense consultant and an author of books and articles on military history.