Forty percent of people living in a single-parent home are living in poverty, according to Congressman Keith Rothfus, who calls that number troubling.

Those scary statistics continue in our region where 50 percent of Greater Johnstown students are living in poverty with 100 percent of students receiving free of reduced lunch.

“The demographics are dire, but they can be beaten.  We have a great group for resources, great group of teachers and administrators, and most of all, great students who can help overcome some of these dire obstacles.  However, we need to put all of our resources together,” Mike Vuckovich, the school’s director of education said Tuesday.

Various Cambria County organizations met Tuesday to start the conversation and get going in the right direction.  Rothfus said we haven’t seen much movement on the poverty rate, so ideas were discussed on upward mobility and how to get folks out of the system.

“Those folks who have been marginalized, who through no fault of their own do not find themselves in the job position they would like be in, we need to help,” Rothfus said.

Officials told us it starts with education.  The roundtable started at Greater Johnstown High School, where educators said part of the problem is different resources.

“We want students here to have the same opportunities, support, and access that every other student in the commonwealth has,” Vuckovich explained.

The conversation then moved to the Helms Academy at Goodwill, which is an opportunity for adults to finish their education.  They agreed that education and educating individuals about where poverty comes from is key.
Rothfus said the next step is to take a closer look at different programs, including housing programs, so that they can encourage folks to finish their education and get back into the workforce.