WSFA 12 News launches new series tackling Alabama poverty
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - WSFA 12 News is launching a new, multipart series that aims to tackle Alabama’s persistent issues with poverty. Starting in June, we’ll share stories that explain the impact of poverty on everyday Alabamians and show you how they’re overcoming the obstacles.
According to the federal government, more than 16.3% of the state’s population, more than 700,000 people, were living in poverty as of 2021. Alabama is, historically, one of the poorest in the union with the latest data putting it as the seventh poorest. Among the poorest residents are those living in the state’s Black Belt where some counties have poverty rates of more than 33%.
“Raising the Bar: Overcoming Poverty in Alabama” begins airing on Tuesday, June 20. Each WSFA 12 News anchor and reporter will focus on different aspects of the crisis over multiple weeks.
The reasons for poverty are numerous. This series will examine topics such as homelessness, ways of solving and fighting crime, predatory lending, the struggles of children growing up in poverty with their families barely getting by, the struggles of in-debt farmers, competition between urban and rural schools, and much more.
You’ll find these reports on overcoming poverty in multiple WSFA 12 newscasts and at wsfa.com/overcomingpoverty. Each week, we’ll also dedicate time during Alabama Live! to dig deeper into the issues with guests focused on fighting and overcoming Alabama’s poverty.
Not reading this story on the WSFA News App? Get news alerts FASTER and FREE in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store!
Copyright 2023 WSFA. All rights reserved.
