Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Representatives from the Pullman League of Women Voters presented the results of a poverty study to Whitman County commissioners Monday. Mary Collins and Karen Kiessling told of how they undertook the project four years ago after seeing a USA Today newspaper article which reported that Whitman County was the poorest county in Washington.
“I didn’t believe it,” said Collins.
So she and the LWV chapter decided to look closer. Two years later they completed a 114-page study in May 2016.
The group began by considering the 2010 U.S. Census report that the article referred to, which showed that the county had 33 percent of its citizens living under the poverty level.
In looking further, they found that the Census Bureau had also put out a study on the effect of colleges on rural areas – which concluded it misrepresented poverty numbers.
The Pullman women then took the Whitman County census data, removed the student household numbers and re-ran the numbers.
“In an apartment with three students, you ask them about income,” said Collins, noting that the main census report would not note what grants a student may have, student aid and/or simply money from their parents or what they had saved from working the previous summer.
“We came up with a number of 17 percent living under the poverty line,” Collins said. “Still in the lower third of counties in Washington.”
The LWV report also considered the state of county services such as food aid, housing, healthcare, eldercare, transportation and legal services.
“We did not work with the faith community,” Collins said. “That’s a significant gap in our research.”
They did confer with churches, however, finding that the clergy do not necessarily keep records of the information the LWV sought – such as how many families each year they provide a type of assistance to.
Nonetheless, once the League’s study was complete, Collins and Kiessling visited 15 towns in the county to further gather information, noting that towns in the northern part have more people in low-income circumstances.
“The main issues we found were the basics – food, housing, healthcare, childcare,” said Collins.
She and Kiessling noted that each town had some kind of food bank service and how it was run.
“Food is one issue, but the biggest is volunteers,” Collins said. “In these little towns, most of the people who volunteer at the food bank are food bank users.”
She concluded by relaying to commissioners how she and Kiessling gave presentations on what they found to each town.
In further comments to commissioners, Collins highlighted more.
“I want to compliment the Whitman County Public Health Department,” Collins said, pointing out one particular area of need. “Dentistry – the most serious healthcare need in every town.”
The study was taken on by the League of Women Voters to document what is truly there in the county as far as poverty, without looking to propose solutions.
“The report was done so we can be an informed electorate. To have a better understanding of how many people are in this situation.
“We don’t have any problems that are just ours,” Collins said, comparing the county to nationwide. “And it’s getting worse.”
After she and Kiessling concluded Monday, commissioners thanked her and asked a few questions.
“What a fantastic project,” said Michael Largent. “You have private people doing something that government is not so good at.”
The City of Pullman is next on the list for the LWV to present their findings to.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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