This is a series from my hometown's newspaper, the El Paso Times.
The stories are consistent with other border cities, not to mention forgotten areas of Appalachia and other rural and urban pockets of poverty around the country.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/poverty/ci_5568546Week 1: Pushing throught poverty
More than 200,000 El Pasoans survive $14 a day
By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 04/01/2007 01:21:57 AM MDTEsperanza Rodriguez, a proud grandmother, has pushed through poverty her entire life. She now lives on about $8,000 a year.
The word "poor" evokes the image of a homeless man in tatters, coaxing change from motorists with a loyal dog at his side, clutching a flagrantly misspelled sign. Or perhaps, the image is that of a family of recent immigrants living in a mobile home with no running water in a dusty, desolate colonia.
But those are not the faces of the poor in El Paso, where stereotypes are shattered and redefined.
Most of the poor live in the city. They are U.S. citizens. They are married couples. They work, although few bring home two full-time wages that total at least $20,650, the amount a family of four must earn to avoid living below the federal poverty line.
Most of the El Paso families living in poverty also have children. They are young. They are not on Social Security or on cash public assistance. Close to half own their homes.More in the series:
http://www.elpasotimes.com/poverty/ci_5670966http://www.elpasotimes.com/poverty/ci_5620102http://www.elpasotimes.com/poverty/ci_5670968http://www.elpasotimes.com/poverty/ci_5671020http://www.elpasotimes.com/poverty/ci_5672077