Poverty Pulse Study finds growing need for food, housing and necessities in Westchester County
Launched in the 2020s, the study was designed to more accurately track poverty in the county to better advocate for certain needs in the community.
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The Westchester Children's Association, otherwise known as WCA, has released its 2025 Poverty Pulse Study, which takes a closer look at rising poverty in the county. The largest takeaway this year is that the need for food, housing, and basic necessities continues to grow.
This year's study included timely data from 914 Cares, Feeding Westchester, The Sharing Shelf, West Hab, and The United Way of Westchester and Putnam. Launched in the 2020s, the study was designed to more accurately track poverty in the county to better advocate for certain needs in the community.
"When we use the term pulse, that data that's being shared with community stakeholders, and decision makers, and policy makers, is as real-time and accurate as possible," said WCA Executive Director Adam Rabinovitch.
During a panel discussion earlier this month, the WCA and other participating organizations reinforced that delays in federal data create outdated statistics.
"The poverty rate is still being calculated, using an old methodology from the 1960s when food was the primary expense. You've also got the fact that the poverty rate doesn't address the regional cost of living and a place like Westchester County, which is one of the most expensive places to live in the United States, that is a big deal," said Limarie Cabrera, the WCA director of data, finances and operations.
The study also mirrored where and how federal policies affected community need.
"Some school districts were seeing a lot more impact around the government shutdown and risk to SNAP...Just under 27,000 Westchester kids are depending on SNAP to eat…So when those kinds of cuts are hitting, schools are seeing that impact first," said Rabinovitch.
The data collected goes toward funding, assistance and advocacy.
