Some legislators as well as taxpayer advocates say excessive spending has put Kansas on a collision course with fiscal disaster, and the state budget director has been warning legislators and agency heads that the state is on track to rack up a budget deficit of $188 million by the end of FY 2010 and of $400 million the following year.

But despite its recent habit of spending more than it earns, Kansas has seen a startling increase in the number of citizens living in poverty during the administration of Democratic Governor Kathleen Sebelius.

That’s according to the 2007 Kansas Economic Report, a report by the state’s department of labor, which reviewed conditions in Kansas in 2006.

Jim Garner, Secretary of Labor, painted a rosy portrait of the state’s economy, before addressing the poverty issue with classic understatement.

“Kansas,” Garner wrote, “has a growing and diverse economy, with increased job opportunities. The Kansas economy mirrors some positive national trends, and in some cases, bucks some negative ones. Our state enjoys an affordable cost of living and low inflation. We appear poised for continued growth in the coming years."

Garner admitted some mild concerns about the future. “Despite all these positive signs," he wrote, "we cannot be complacent. We face some challenges down the road in our efforts to combat poverty and to attract more skilled workers to our state.”

It’s not until page 38 of the 39-page report that the depth of the poverty problem in Kansas is revealed in a series of bleak statistics:

• The number of Kansans living beneath the poverty threshold in 2004 totaled 297,733, or more than 11.0 percent of the total population;
• From 2000 to 2004, the number of people in Kansas living below the poverty level increased more rapidly than the state’s population as a whole, with a 26.6 percent increase in poverty and a 1.7 percent increase in population;
•  Since a low in 2000, the number of people under the age of 18 in poverty in Kansas has increased by nearly 20.0 percent, reaching more than 98,000 people in 2004. This rate was higher than the national rate which increased at 12.5 percent;
•  The number of people under age five in poverty in Kansas has increased 27.5 percent in the past five years compared to 15.1 percent for the nation.

A check by Kansas Liberty of state charities suggests that conditions have only gotten worse since the report was issued.

Mandy Stark, a spokesperson for Harvesters, the community food network, said that organization’s board of directors had voted recently to increase its food purchasing budget by 233 percent, to more than $2 million, in fiscal year 2009, which begins July 1.

The increased food-purchasing budget reflects growing demand for the services Harvesters provides, demand that is escalating in the face of high food prices and skyrocketing gas prices.

Stark said since the first of the year, demand has increased 15 percent in the 13 counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area it serves.

And the organization isn’t just serving the unemployed or the homeless. “Forty-eight percent of the people we serve are families with at least one family member working, who just aren’t able to make ends meet,” Stark said.

Harvesters also has seen a decrease in the amount of food contributed by the food service industry, which is tightening its belts as the economy continues to worsen. She said individual donations – generally the source of the best food products -- are sorely needed, as are corporate donations. 

Catholic Charities of Northeast Johnson County also has seen up upswing in demand at its four food pantries.

“Demand is up 20 percent since April,” said Nancy Jenkins, a spokesperson for the organization.

She said demand for the many other services for the underprivileged, including rent and utility assistance and health care services, offered by Catholic Charities also has increased.

Overall, she said, Catholic Charities estimates it will offer assistance to more than 85,000 families this year.

Sen. Chris Steineger, a Kansas City Democrat, said many of his constituents in eastern Wyandotte County are struggling to cope with financial difficulties related to economic conditions that have been made more problematic by the soaring price of gas and food.

He blamed the federal government, specifically the tax policies of the Bush administration, as well as increased global competition, for conspiring against the working poor.

Surprisingly, even Johnson County, known to many in the Kansas Legislature as the Golden Ghetto because of its affluence, has seen a dramatic increase in the number of families living below the poverty line.

According to Jenkins, news reports based on U.S. Census data reveal that Johnson County led the nation with a 350 percent increase in the number of severely poor residents, from about 2,100 in 2000 to about 9,600 in 2005. The Census defines severe poverty as a family of four living on less than $9,903 a year.

Despite the dire numbers on poverty, advocates for the poor shouldn’t realistically expect the issue to take center stage when the Kansas Legislature convenes in January; its first priority will be to address the pending budget shortfall. Kansas, like other states, must have a balanced budget – it can’t run a budget deficit like the federal government.

For information about how to donate to Harvesters, or to search for a drop-off box near their homes or businesses, visit the Harvesters website at www.harvesters.org.

To offer time or donations to Catholic Charities, visit www.catholiccharitiesks.org for more information.

The Week in Review