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The Eastside-Airport Metro Rail Extension
Citizens for Regional Transit — Aug 23, 2019
This policy brief provides information regarding the expansion of NFTA metro-rail services in east-side Buffalo to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
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The Consequences of Being Unbanked in Buffalo
Jessica Gilbert — Feb 28, 2018
This policy brief was drafted by Jessica Gilbert, a research associate at the Partnership for the Public Good and a Ph.D. student in geography at the University at Buffalo. It offers national and local information about people who lack bank accounts and describes some of the impacts of being “unbanked,” including reliance on exploitative services such as check cashing, rent to own stores, and pawn shops. This research supports the work of the Buffalo Niagara Community Reinvestment …
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State Funding for the NFTA Reduces Pollution, Fights Poverty, and Promotes Economic Development
Robert Grimaldi Feb 7, 2012
New York State should support public transit in Buffalo-Niagara by increasing Transit Operating Assistance and increasing the NFTA’s allocation of low-cost electric power. There is no more effective tool for reducing pollution, cutting poverty, and promoting economic development than affordable and comprehensive mass transit. In recent years, New York State has been cutting its funding to the NFTA, even as the NFTA’s costs have been rising. State funding has been …
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Unemployment and Poverty in Western New York
Owen Field — Apr 29, 2010
It is a common understanding that a high unemployment rate means that more people are out of work and therefore more people have fallen into poverty. But the relationship between unemployment and poverty is complex, and the two may not always relate very directly. It is necessary to examine states, counties, and even cities separately to determine the extent of this relationship and the possibilities of other influential factors.
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Who is Living in Poverty and Why?
Sam Magavern — Apr 29, 2010
In thinking about poverty, it is common to focus on those places and populations where the poverty rate is the highest, where poverty is the most concentrated and visible. Thus, many associate poverty with inner city residents, people of color, high school drop-outs, never-married mothers, and people without jobs – all of whom suffer from disproportionately high rates of poverty. There are both good and bad reasons to focus attention on these groups, but it is important to …
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Poverty: A State of Extremes
The League of Women Voters of Buffalo/Niagara Oct 1, 2006
New York was the only state where both poverty and income exceeded national levels in 2005, with 13.8% of residents living in poverty and a median household income of $49,480. This high poverty/high income paradox underscores a widening ‘wealth gap’ observed in New York and nationwide. Buffalo Niagara differed from the state in 2005, with a poverty rate (12.7%) close to the U.S. average and a median household income that was $4,000 below the U.S. median. Within the …