HONOLULU (AP) — One-third of children in Hawaii would be living below the poverty line without federal and state help, according to a new report from a Washington, D.C. group that studies the impact of assistance programs like Social Security.
The analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says “safety net programs” put 220,000 Hawaii residents, including 72,000 children, above the poverty line each year. Government assistance also helps cut the poverty rate for children in Hawaii from nearly 34 percent to about 10 percent, Hawaii News Now reported.
The report considers the impacts of several programs, such as Social Security, Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, on Hawaii families. A family of four is considered to be living in poverty in the state if they earn less than $27,950.
Social Security lifts 110,000 Hawaii residents above the poverty line each year, the most out of any other program. Social Security payments cut the elderly poverty rate from 47.9 percent to 16.4 percent, according to the report.
The SNAP program helps keep 74,000 residents out of poverty, while housing assistance helps 40,000 people stay above the poverty line in Hawaii leach year. About 340,000 Hawaii residents have coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which covers more than one-third of the state’s children.