South Dakotans Regularly see People Who Are Struggling to Make Ends Meet

News Release

Fr: Susan Buckles, APR

Northwest Area Foundation

60 Plato Boulevard East

St. Paul, MN 55107

651-225-3865

sbuckles@nwaf.org

For Immediate Release

St. Paul, November 27, 2007: When asked how they see neighbors struggling to make ends meet, South Dakotans view their communities through a distinct lens when compared to the rest of the nation, according to a 2007 poll commissioned by the Northwest Area Foundation. South Dakotans who live in the suburbs, who are middle aged and minorities say they are most likely to regularly come into contact with people who are struggling.

Whether it’s the closing of plants, outsourcing of work or lack of living wage jobs, approximately half of all South Dakotans surveyed said they regularly see people at church, work or in every day situations who are struggling, and even more say they know someone holding two or more jobs. People who live in the suburbs – 57 percent– are most likely to come into contact with people who are struggling to make ends meet, versus 51.5 percent in the urban and 50.4 percent in the rural areas. Nationally, suburbanites were the least likely to give this response.

“Many of our neighbors are struggling, and the solution isn’t just adding jobs to our economy,” said Kari Schlachtenhaufen, interim, president and CEO of the Northwest Area Foundation. “What we need are quality jobs that offer living wages. That’s what will help families meet basic needs in education, housing, healthcare, and hope for a better future” she said.

In South Dakota and nationally, respondents also said a family of four needs $40,000 a year to make ends meet, a figure nearly twice the federal poverty threshold.

The Northwest Area Foundation is dedicated to helping communities in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon reduce poverty for the long term. These states were served by the Great Northern Railway, founded by James J. Hill. In 1934, Hill’s son, Louis W. Hill established the foundation. The Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant requests.

The Foundation has a 10-year partnership with community members in Miner County, and another with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Also, 32 small South Dakota communities are participating in the Foundation’s Horizons leadership development program to reduce poverty. For more information, visit www.nwaf.org, or call 651-224-9635.

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The Northwest Area Foundation commissioned Lake Research Partners to conduct a national tracking survey among 4,000 Americans age 18 and older, from March 2 -22, 2007. Over samples were conducted and weighted down to reflect their true proportion in the country in each of the following eight states: Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The margin of error is +/-3.5 percentage points for the national results and +/-5.0 points for the state results. This is the second survey of its kind. The first was released in April 2006.