Reports on Racial Disparities in Wealth in North Carolina
Racial Wealth Disparity in North Carolina highlights the assets divide between whites and African Americans, and men and women, in the state. Among the study's findings:
- In North Carolina, the median white household's net worth is $68,441. The median African American household has a net worth of $3,000.
- 35% of African American households have a net worth of $0 or less.
- More whites than African Americans have some home equity (73% to 45%); whites have larger amounts of home equity ($73,000 to $27,000).
- Median net worth for single, African American women is $6.
Used less often than income as a measure of economic self-sufficiency, wealth provides a larger buffer during times of financial strain, a path to opportunity, a cushion for retirement and a boost for the next generation.
Tracing the Causes of Racial Wealth Disparity is the Center's second report in this series. Issued in spring of 2011, it looks at the reasons underlying the gap in wealth accumulation between blacks and whites.
Report Examines Adult Care Homes in Public Housing for State's Elderly
The NC General Assembly, in Session Law 2009-391, charged the Poverty Center with looking into the feasibility of locating an adult care home in federally subsidized public housing.
Adult care homes are a type of assisted living facility for older adults who need help with some activities but don't require regular medical care. This model had been suggested as a new way to address the both the care and housing needs of some of North Carolina's low income seniors. However, the report found that while the need is pressing, attempts to implement this model would encounter numerous significant challenges. Instead, it encouraged working with established networks of care to bolster provision of services to the elderly.
Report Explores Cost of the 287(g) Program in North Carolina
Two UNC researchers, Mai Nguyen and Hannah Gill, have written a report examining the monetary and public safety impact of the 287(g) program, as well as the relationship between immigration and crime.
Nguyen's and Gill's study, The 287(g) Program: The Costs and Consequences of Local Immigration Enforcement in North Carolina Communities, which was funded in part by the Poverty Center, concludes that the program, set up to target violent criminals, is instead primarily used to deport immigrants picked up for minor offenses. The authors suggest that other crime-fighting policies might be more effective and debunk the myth that increased immigration leads to a higher crime rate.
Center Releases "Documenting Poverty, Economic Distress and Challenge in NC," a Report for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
In fall 2009, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation enlisted the aid of the Poverty Center in helping the Foundation revisit its community economic development goals and strategies. The first phase of the project - understanding the current picture of poverty in North Carolina - culminated in this report "Documenting Poverty, Economic Distress and Challenge in North Carolina." The report was principally written by Gene Nichol and Heather Hunt of the Poverty Center with guidance from an advisory committee setting the outline and direction for the research project. These faculty members, from a variety of disciplines at the University of North Carolina, included Ferrel Guillory, Jesse White, Paul Voss, Peter Leousis, Daniel Gitterman, Mai Nguyen and Jonathan Morgan. Paul Voss and Jon Breece worked extensively with U.S. Census materials and developed many of the graphics. The report was presented to the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation board in January 2010.
Law Journal Publishes Proceedings from 2007 Poverty Center Conference
The Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy published the transcript from the Center's 2007 conference, Wealth Inequality and the Eroding Middle Class. Topics include the impact of globalization and immigration on wealth inequality in the U.S.; the way policies drive inequality; and what can be done to reduce inequality domestically. For ordering information, visit the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy website.
Policy Brief Series - Original Research by UNC Faculty
In spring 2006, the Center hosted a competitive process to support original research by UNC faculty members in the form of policy briefs. Each brief was authored by a UNC faculty member and was reviewed by two experts - an academic and a practitioner in the field. Read the Policy Briefs.
The Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity's Book Ending Poverty in America: How to Restore the American Dream, Published
Through analysis and policy suggestions, the Center's book tackles various facets of the poverty problem in the United States. It was published in the spring 2007 by The New Press, and was edited by Senator John Edwards, Marion Crain and Arne L. Kalleberg. View the Table of Contents, including all authors and chapter titles or buy the book.
The Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity Summit Published in Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal
A transcript of the proceedings from the Center's Summit on Nov. 9, 2005 was published in Volume 10, Issues 1 of the Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal. Read the agenda for the Summit or order a copy of the Journal.