Economy
How to Tackle Growing Suburban Poverty
Houston's Neighborhood Centers has spent years addressing this hidden problem—which will spread throughout the U.S.
Think of a nonprofit that serves the poor, and the first image that comes to mind will likely be distinctly urban: an old, brick YMCA building, maybe with a neon sign announcing it to passersby, or the line for a soup kitchen spilling onto a city side street.
Ever since European immigrants flooded into American cities in the late 19th century, the charitable organizations that serve the vulnerable have clustered in urban centers. After World War II, white flight and the explosive growth of the suburbs only served to sharpen the divide. The suburbs were doing fine, it was long assumed, while hollowed-out cities needed help.