A tale of two counties in Anne Arundel

In mostly affluent Anne Arundel County, huge pockets of poverty persist.

The divide formed the backdrop for an Oct. 27 town hall meeting at St. Bernadette, Severn, where a Johns Hopkins researcher presented stark contrasts between the haves and the have-nots.

The county’s 509,000 residents had the fifth-highest median income in Maryland based on the 2006 U.S. Census – $76,160, or 22 percent above the state average, which is the nation’s highest, according to “Poverty Amidst Plenty: The Two Faces of Anne Arundel County.” More than 40 percent had family incomes exceeding $100,000.

But in his report, Lester M. Salamon of the Institute for Policy Studies at Johns Hopkins University wrote: “Beneath the image of general affluence, Anne Arundel County has another face as well, one characterized by poverty and distress. Indeed, it is this presence amidst plenty that makes poverty so painful.”

The affluence, in fact, could worsen and perpetuate poverty in part by driving up housing costs and contributing to racial and economic isolation, the report said.

The meeting was co-sponsored by Beyond the Boundaries, an archdiocesan program that combats poverty and racism, and the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County, a grant-making organization controlled by local citizens.

“Through the Gospels, we as Christians are called to seek justice,” said Kathy Lyon, a St. Bernadette parishioner who facilitates parish advocacy. “Tonight we have the opportunity to find out about our neighbors who are in need and to begin searching for answers to a very important question…. How can we advocate on behalf of the poor and how do we promote the well-being of all the residents of Anne Arundel County?”

Among the report’s findings, based on 2006 U.S. Census figures for Arundel:

• Among African-Americans, one in seven, or 14 percent lived in poverty during the 2004 to 2006 period, compared with 4 percent of caucasians. In the same period, 20 percent of African-American children lived in poverty, compared with 5 percent of caucasian children.

• More than 28,000 residents, or 6 percent, lived in poverty, more than 9,000 of them children.

• More than a fourth of all children lived in single-parent households, and of these children, 23 percent lived in poverty.

• Home ownership remained out of reach for many moderate-income families. And finding affordable rentals can be tough in a county with a median rent of $1,151 a month for a two-bedroom apartment.

The report also found nearly 10 percent of residents – or 49,000 people – had no health insurance and noted racial and economic disparities in education.

In 2007, the high school graduation rate for African-Americans lagged about 10 percent behind that for caucasians, and the rate for Hispanic students has declined sharply in recent years.

At the same time, Anne Arundel’s per-pupil spending was 5 percent below the state average, and the county ranked below the average in instructional and professional staff as well as instructional assistants.

Despite its high median income, the report found, the county lagged behind Maryland and the nation in its level of charitable giving. And the county’s charitable, non-profit sector is the state’s sixth smallest when measured in terms of its share of total county employment.

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