January is National Poverty in America Awareness Month. Almost 38 million people are living in poverty in the U.S. The poverty line adjusted by the federal government each year was almost 15,000 in household income for a single person in 2023. For a family of four, it was just shy of $30,000. President Lyndon Johnson declared a war on poverty in the 1960s that included programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps; Medicare; Medicaid; Head Start; and expanded Social Security. Those programs kept millions out of poverty but they obviously didn’t eliminate it. So, what factors lead to poverty today and what is being done to improve the lives of those living below the poverty line? On The Spark today, we’re joined by Beck Moore, CEO, Community Action Association of Pennsylvania and Robin Rohrbaugh, President & CEO, Community Progress Council in York County and is on the board of directors for the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania, to talk about poverty in 2024 and how families can move toward self-sufficiency.

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