On October 13, Newsday published an article titled, “LI’s Shrinking Middle Class”, here is an overview:
According to a recent study, 17.8% or 165,758 Long Island households are making more than $184,657 annually. This is a 60% increase since 1990.
While this seems like wonderful news, the study also states an increase in the number of Long Island households earning less than $46,165 a year from 179,879 (21% of all households) in 1990 to 227,914 (24.4% of all households) in 2014.
What this article re-enforces, is the message we, as a collective having been saying for years. Long Islanders are struggling! It takes almost 2x that amount to survive.
The survival budget standard for a family of 4 is approx.$85,000.
Almost 25% of all Long Island households are experiencing significant daily challenges in meeting the basic human needs of our families- housing, food, clothing, transportation, and health care.
Since the release of this article brought greater visibility to the issue, we were prompted to create a plan of action. A plan of action that continues to bring visibility to the needs of Long Islanders. A plan of action that must include all of Long Island’s elected officials.
Join us in HWCLI’s Twitter Chat on November 4th at 1 PM as we ask ourselves and our elected officials what we can do to support the 24%.
Simply use the #Forthe24 to join the conversation.
How to join:
- Log on to Twitter
- Make sure you are following @HWCLI
- Use the #Forthe24 along with your tweet
Making a difference starts with a conversation!
