Ravaged, And Now Rendered Invisible

Photo Essay on Chauncey, Ohio by Matt Eich
Featured in Newsweek:

"After extracting industries left in the '70's, communities like Chauncey never recovered. Work is hard to come by here. Many in this small, Appalachian town in Southeastern Ohio take jobs that pay minimum wage - or drive 75 to 150 miles to find something better. Still, a quarter of the 1,200 residents live below the poverty line. Matt Eich, a student at Ohio University, is documenting life in Chauncey and neighboring towns. Residents, he writes, can't escape the devastating cycle of poverty. And as it churns, he feels an "imperative to document." "
A selection of his work: http://www.newsweek.com/id/132802

Permission to post given by Matt Eich.

"Rural poor a growing problem"

A recent Columbus Dispatch article lists a number of statistics about the growing problem of rural poverty in Ohio, a trend that is mirrored--if not magnified--in Athens County.

According to the article, one in five Ohio residents lives in poverty. In Athens County, more than one in four does. (The individual poverty rate is at more than 27 percent in Athens County.)

Another piece of data highlighted in the article is that statewide, more than one third of students qualify for the free or reduced lunch program. In Athens County in 2005, more than 40 percent of students qualified; in one school district the number was nearly 60 percent.

This is an excellent article for general information about the state of the rural poor in Ohio. For more information about the rural poor in Athens County, Ohio, see our Poverty Report.

[where: Athens, Ohio 45701]