The Cost of Poverty

How Inaction Leaves Our Communities Vulnerable To Disaster

The cost of poverty threatens both our nation and our local Pierce County economy. Statistics show that when children grow up in poverty, they earn less, have poorer health later in life, engage in more crime and produce less in our economy. Researchers now display these hidden costs publicly in a 2007 report. The research team finds that poverty costs

• $500B per year, or the equivalent of nearly 4% of Gross National Product (GDP),
• Reduces productivity and economic output by about 1.3% of GDP,
• Raises costs of crime by 1.3% of GDP
• Raises health expenditures and reduces the value of health by 1.2% of GDP.¹

The Metropolitan Development Council brings action in the stand against poverty in Pierce County. MDC unifies disciplines that range from treatment, healthcare and education to housing and job creation. MDC chooses to serve not only children and families, but also those adults and youth who are our lowest income residents and are vulnerable to repeated victimization. Every dollar provided to MDC goes to our goal of countering the roots of poverty and not covering up its symptoms.

The cost of supporting an individual or family's determination to leave poverty is does not compare to the human cost of doing nothing. This is what inspires MDC to develop and operate innovative programs. This is our stand against poverty.