I am a senior at UC Davis studying Political Science and Global and International Studies. For as long as I can remember, I have had a passion for learning about and writing about the struggles that people of different socioeconomic classes face, which is what inspired me to do research on living in the Bronx. I grew up with parents who always encouraged lending a helping hand to the less fortunate, being aware of homelessness and poverty, and most importantly they instilled in me the desire to do my part and help less fortunate individuals in any way that I can. My passion to help the less fortunate is what fuels me to continue to research and help in areas where such extreme poverty exists-like the Bronx.
http://colombiastreetkids.org/about-us/challenge/
LIVING IN THE BRONX: INCREDIBLE OR IMPOSSIBLE?
When thinking about the Bronx borough of New York City, one thing comes to mind: poverty. But why, doesn’t New York have one of the most thriving economies in the United States? Although that may be true, considering that forty of the population in the Bronx is living in poverty, a family of four living in the Bronx borough with no higher education is almost guaranteed to end up living in poverty. Even when both parents have jobs, one as a cashier at Burger King, and the father working in construction, life is an economic rollercoaster in the sense that there is hardly enough money in their pockets to put food on the table for their children. Whether these hardships are the effects of the demographics, economy, cost of living, or geography of the Bronx is up for debate, but a closer look at each category gives insight on how each one adds to the inequality barriers that those living in the Bronx face.
The demographics of the Bronx have not varied much within the last decade, and it is worthy to note that the Bronx has almost twice the poverty rate of the state of New York as a whole. In the Bronx, eighty-three thousand-three hundred and eighty-two families are living in poverty which translates to twenty three percent of the population. With an estimated 1.4 million people living there in 2012, housing is not easy to find and eighty nine percent of the population lives in multi-unit low income housing structures that almost resemble the structures one would expect to see in a third world country. Eighty seven percent of the people living there live in the same housing structures for a over two years at a time, which is most likely due to the fact that they cannot risk trying to find a new places, not have enough for rent at the new place, and end up being homeless. Fifty two percent of the people are women, and seven percent are people under the age of five. The Bronx is home mostly to whites and African Americans, but also to American Indians, Asians, and Hispanics according to the 2012 census. The Bronx is one of the most ethnically diverse boroughs of New York with Whites dominating Washington Heights, African Americans residing mostly in northern Bronx, and a mix of Latinos and Caucasians living in other concentrated areas. Given that the risk factor for African Americans being in poverty is ninety-one percent, the African American family that is under consideration in this case has a scarily high risk of being in poverty. Forty three percent of those living in the Bronx are African American. The median per capita money income in the past twelve months is eighteen thousand dollars, and the median household income is thirty-four thousand dollars. With a mother working in the fast food industry, she is a part of the thirty two percent of females that work in the service occupations force for this area. The father working in construction, who has to travel to New Jersey for work on a daily basis, is part of the four percent of the population that works in the construction industry. Neither parent has a bachelors degree and only eighteen percent of the people do have a bachelors degree or higher. The children are five years of age, and eight years of age. They are representative of the ten percent of people living in this borough under the age of eighteen. While both parents are spending most of their time at work or traveling to work, there is a clear effect on the behaviors, educational performance, and overall health for the children. The children will not have access to schools with high quality education, no educational after school programs, and a lot less opportunity overall than children living elsewhere. While the people and environment they are surrounded with play a large role in the lives of the family, money is also an important factor.
The economy of the Bronx has been growing quite steadying, and since 2007 the job market has grown a great deal. The close proximity to Manhattan and New Jersey serve as two leading causes of the economic growth. Due to the close proximity to Manhattan, the tourism industry plays a major role in creating service jobs such as janitorial work in parks, zoos, and other tourist attractions. The largest businesses in the Bronx are in retail accounting, and real estate. Most businesses there have less than ten workers, as no major corporations dare to take their business into a poverty stricken area such as the Bronx. The number of restaurants has grown twenty five percent within the last decade, and in that development is where the Burger King job that the mother in consideration holds. Despite the improvements that the economy has experienced, there is still great inequality and unfortunate realities for those who live there since unemployment remains high. In 2009 the unemployment rate was four and a half percent, and in 2012 it was reported as twelve percent, compared to nine percent for the rest of New York City. The Bronx does have the highest number of those in the workforce without a college diploma leaving them to seldom earn more than the minimum wage, which is currently eight dollars per hour. The living wage for this particular borough is seventeen dollars and twenty-five cents per hour. Given this information, the standard of living that the African American couple and their children are faced with is clearly far from comfortable or reasonable. Since unemployment is so high in this borough, the New York Division of Workforce Development has Workforce centers that allow job seekers access to current job postings for which they meet the criteria. There have been great efforts by New York City, including grants that fund programs that offer job readiness training, and teach job skill development. Jobs for those with only a high school diploma are receptionist, maid service, and administrative assistant. Wages for professions such as manicurists, and dry cleaning can increase based on the level of expertise. These jobs make $29,000 to $54,000 per year. In this case, the mother will be making approximately $30,000 working full-time year round, and the father will be earning approximately $40,000 annually. Given the growth but also the setbacks of the economy in the Bronx, another aspect to take into consideration is the cost of living.
The cost of living in the Bronx, although it’s one of the poorest areas in the country, is not significantly lower than that of the rest of the country. The cost of food for the parents and their two children is seven hindered and forty-nine dollars per month based on an average food basket. The cost of childcare is two hundred and fifty dollars per week per child at Zaida’s twenty-four hour childcare facility. It is smart for the owner of this childcare facility to be open twenty-four hours because most wage earning parents in the Bronx work graveyard shifts, or work through the day and need to sleep at night so they drop their children there. Medical care for this family would be one thousand four hindered and twenty-six dollars per month. Under the new healthcare act, they may be covered for free healthcare but for now this is going to be considered in their monthly budget. For those who register for medical insurance with an address in the Bronx, rates are higher because the children who grow up there are more prone to disease, malnutrition, and asthma from the previous landfills that stood where parks and houses are now being built. The cost for housing in an apartment complex with one bedroom and one bath is one thousand two hindered and twenty-two dollars per month. This is not nearly enough space for a family of four, but they have to manage. Living in such a small space offers no privacy for the parents, no playroom for the children, and only a small space that results in unneeded tension between the families. With no backyard to play in, and no proper study area this small space also takes a toll on the children. This housing cost includes utilities, and the expected extra use of the heater during a New York winter. There is no television for them because that would be too expensive for them to afford at this point. Transportation for the family is approximately three hundred dollars per month since the father is commuting using two uses to and from work daily, the children take the bus to school, and mother uses the bus to get to work as well as to run any other errands such as grocery shopping. When traveling for work, the father takes two busses and a train, which costs almost fifteen dollars per day. He is part of the thirty eight percent of people in the Bronx that travel for work. For entertainment or other small expenses through the month the family will need an additional two hundred dollars. These costs would go from an array of things such as field trip costs, school supplies, or a movie on Friday night. Although they may not always have the money for these additional costs, some are essential and others not so much but they are human and do need a source of entertainment from time to time. In total, the required annual income after taxes is thirty one thousand dollars, and annual taxes are usually around six thousand dollars. Needless to say, it would be nearly impossible for this family to survive and live a comfortable life given that they earn half of the estimated living wage for Bronx. How much of this is a direct outcome of the boroughs geography?
Geographically, the Bronx is 468 square miles and the northernmost of the cities boroughs. Bronx is the only borough that’s physically connected to New York City, since all of the others are technically considered islands. It is the nations poorest congressional district with forty three percent living below the poverty line. It is home to two of New York’s largest tourist attractions: the Yankee’s stadium, and the Bronx Zoo. This does create jobs within the borough, but mainly in janitorial work. Most travel outside to work, like the father of the family being considered. Those residing in the Bronx often rely on public transport though the Subway and busses. There is a well-developed bus system though the borough with a stop at almost every corner. The fares are two dollars and fifty cents per ride. Considering the family doesn’t have a car, and uses this transport to get anywhere it would be beneficial for them to buy monthly passes, but that requires spending a large sum of money at once which is not always possible given tight financial situations. One of the biggest issues that the people face is the air pollution that leads to six percent of the deaths in the Bronx annually. Dry cleaning air pollution has been a large problem, and now the Department of Environmental Protection is enforcing regulations that require the drycleaners to list the chemicals that they use in their processes. Heating oil is the most prevalent issue since it accounts for fourteen percent of the pollutants in the air. If this is improved by the regulations that are proposed, an estimated 200 deaths and 300 emergency room visits could be prevented. Regarding the police, there are 12 precincts through Bronx that are spread within a fifteen to eighty-mile radius of one another. Bronx is listed as being safer than twenty two percent of cities in the United States. Annually, there are forty-four thousand crimes in the Bronx despite the heavy policing. As parents, it is understandable that sending your child to school in the morning can be stressful because any violent or hate crime could occur, and is more likely to occur in your neighborhood. As for fire departments, there are thirty-three in the Bronx. In terms of healthcare there is the Children’s Aid Society that offers services for children under the age twenty-one. There is a Bronx health center with two locations that offer services for adults and children. There are also a number of free clinics. It must be kept in mind that these clinics are not the same quality that one would find in the Upper East Side. There are a number of bank locations and grocery stores that are in close proximity of bus stops, but not in all districts. Nine of the twelve districts of the Bronx were listed as having too few supermarkets in 2011. However, there is not enough. In Southern Bronx, there was a major effort made by Michelle Obama to address the great increase in obesity. The stores that are in existence offer the lowest quality foods, there are no health educational outreaches made to the community, and there is a great deal of fast food options available. When nutritional education and resources not provided, it’s no surprise that the populations are so overweight. Obesity leads to long-term health problems, and increased medical visits. When parents such as the ones being considered are always busy and working, fast food seems like the best and easiest option. After all, working seven days a week full time would be both mentally and physically exhausting.
The family of four living in the Bronx borough of New York City would not only face hardships economically, but also emotionally given that money, space, and time are always scarce. With the rate of poverty in the Bronx it is no surprise that they do not have access to adequate healthcare, and groceries since funding tends to go more where the rich are. This family, with the way that the economy and policies currently structured, has little to no hope for coming out of poverty. Be a voice for those living in the Bronx borough, and work to make it known that living in the Bronx is impossible. Impossible meaning that it is nearly impossible to live there and be healthy, both physically and mentally.
Works Cited
“Cost of living in NY.” Prices in New York, NY (2009): n.pag. Numbeo. Web. 10 Mar 2014. .
City Data (2009). New York: Economy. Retrieved from http://www.city-data.com
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DiNapoli, T. C. & Bleiwas, K. B. (2013). An economic snapshot of the Bronx. Retrieved from
www.osc.state.ny.us/osdc/rpt4-2014.pdf
New York (2014). Salaries in the city. Retrieved from http://nymag.com/nymetro/news
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New York State Department of Labor (2014). Labor statistics. Retrieved from
https://labor.ny.gov/stats/nyc/index.shtm
The New York Times (2011). Then as now – New York’s shifting ethnic mosaic. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/01/23/nyregion
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NY CENSUS: BRONX (2013): n.pag. Census . Web. 10 Mar 2014. .