• Home
  • Campus
    • Academics
    • Greek Life
    • SGA
    • Student Life
  • State/Local
    • Around Town
    • Board of Regents
    • National
    • Pierre
    • Vermillion City Council
    • Vermillion Police Department
  • Sports
    • Cross Country
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Men’s Basketball
    • Soccer
    • Swimming/Diving
    • Track and Field
    • Volleyball
    • Women’s Basketball
  • Verve
    • Feature
    • Diversity
    • Events
    • CAB
    • The Vault
  • Opinion
  • E-Edition
The Volante
The Volante
  • Home
  • Campus
    • Academics
    • Greek Life
    • SGA
    • Student Life
  • State/Local
    • Around Town
    • Board of Regents
    • National
    • Pierre
    • Vermillion City Council
    • Vermillion Police Department
  • Sports
    • Cross Country
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Men’s Basketball
    • Soccer
    • Swimming/Diving
    • Track and Field
    • Volleyball
    • Women’s Basketball
  • Verve
    • Feature
    • Diversity
    • Events
    • CAB
    • The Vault
  • Opinion
  • E-Edition
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
Poverty affects one third of Vermillion residentsAround Town
Home
State/Local
Around Town

Poverty affects one third of Vermillion residents

November 18th, 2014 Ally Krupinsky Around Town, Campus, State/Local comments

Share this story

Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest

The University of South Dakota is getting involved in an initiative to assess why Vermillion’s poverty rate is not being addressed as much as it should.

Kelsey Collier-Wise, executive director for United Way of Vermillion, said Clay County has a poverty rate of 24 percent, with Vermillion’s poverty rate reaching nearly 33 percent in 2010.

To better understand what some of the underlying issues may be, the city, the South Dakota Department of Social Services, churches, the school district, the Department of Labor and local charities have joined the United Way of Vermillion to create a task force in an effort to reduce poverty in the area.

USD’s Department of Social Work and the South Dakota KIDS COUNT project are also involved, helping the task force conduct research.

Peter Kindle, associate professor of social work, said his role will primarily be trying to answer what questions the task force has through gathering information.

“We’re still planning, so what the poverty task (force) ends up doing could change pretty substantially,” Kindle said. “We’re still trying to figure out exactly which direction we should go.”

With only two meetings completed, Kindle said it’s too early to tell what the specific goals of the task force will be.

There isn’t much information about Vermillion’s homeless population, because it’s often more of a temporary issue, Collier-Wise said.

“Homelessness flies under the radar,” she said.

Once the task force determines some of the causes of poverty in Vermillion, its members will decide the best course of action to take.

Steps in the right direction

Research is still being conducted about the trends of poverty in Vermillion, but the increase occurred between 2000 and 2010, Collier-Wise said.

“Many people are surprised by the fact that the student population doesn’t have much of an impact on our poverty rate,” Collier-Wise said. “We were also surprised to learn that in families in poverty, most of them have someone working, and over one-third of them have some college education.”

According to the 2014 KIDS COUNT Profile, 17 percent of children in South Dakota are in poverty. Of the 16 different categories included in the the study — economic well-being, education, health and family and community, for example — South Dakota scored 17th overall in the nation.

Carole Cochran, director for the South Dakota KIDS COUNT project, said there’s a lot that goes into addressing poverty and homelessness.

“I think we can do better, and we certainly have made a lot of progress. If you look at those 16 indicators, we improved on 11 of them (gradually since 2005),” Cochran said. “I’m hoping we can continue on and do that and get better.”

As project director, Cochran is responsible for compiling data from all legislative districts and presenting it in a way that people are able to understand. Although KIDS COUNT does not lobby, Cochran said other groups take the information to advocate for their causes.

Cochran said the high poverty levels in Clay County reflect state-wide and national trends.

“There are a lot of single parents — the people who are most in poverty are single parent families and younger children. That’s two groups that I think are big here in Clay County,” Cochran said.

Thirty-four percent of South Dakota children were in single-parent families as of 2012, according to the 2014 KIDS COUNT Profile.

Feeding the community

Along with a 24 percent poverty rate, Clay County has about a 16 percent food insecurity rate as of 2012, according to Feeding America.

Cochran said some people below the poverty threshold in Vermillion may have difficulty accepting help.

“There are certainly a lot of things to offer here,” Cochran said. “I don’t think it’s always easy to go and ask for that though.”

Pat Flanigan, Vermillion Food Pantry and Salvation Army volunteer, agreed with Cochran.

“We’re wondering how many more are out there that we just not aware of,” Flanigan said.

Flanigan has been a food pantry volunteer for about four years and started as a Salvation Army volunteer a few years later. She said through that work, she has seen the need for services “exploding.”

Last summer, Flanigan loaned her tent to a woman who stayed in a campground.

Because Vermillion doesn’t have a homeless shelter, the Vermillion Salvation Army refers people to ones in Yankton, Sioux Falls and Sioux City.

“We are lacking longer term shelter or crisis housing. There are more gaps, and that’s one of the things our Poverty Task Force is looking at,” Collier-Wise said.

Collier-Wise said Vermillion’s poverty and homelessness issues are often ones that surprise the local community, as well as volunteers.

“Until I started doing this, I had no idea,” Flanigan said.

Flanigan and Cochran are waiting to see what Measure 18, which will raise South Dakota’s minimum wage to $8.50 in January, will do for Vermillion residents.

“I certainly think that will give people some breathing room, but we’ll see,” Cochran said.

As Welcome Table, Inc. executive director, John Lushbough is focusing on the county’s food insecurity rate.

“All the surrounding counties in South Dakota have a lower rate than we do. I can’t give you reasons for why that is — it’s really puzzling for a lot of folks that we have that phenomena here in Vermillion,” Lushbough said. “But it does exist.”

Welcome Table is in its 14th year of serving meals to those in need. What started as a monthly service with as many volunteers as there were recipients has now become a weekly meal with an average of 150 people.

Lushbough is also heavily involved with the Vermillion Weekend Backpack Program, which supplies about 200 bags of food for children every Friday.

“I guess that’s what keeps me energized, is all the volunteers,” Lushbough said. “None of this would happen without the volunteers and the generosity.”

Thad Vavrek, a graduate student, is another volunteer in the community, at USD.

Vavrek and two undergraduate students put together a menu selection to give kids more options for the backpack program, because there’s often little variation week-to-week.

Lushbough is testing the new menu system this week on 15 high school students receiving food from the backpack program.

Vavrek said volunteering puts local poverty in perspective for many students, but he was aware of them prior to working with Lushbough.

As a former New Jersey resident, Vavrek said it’s not difficult to get used to seeing poverty and homelessness everyday. So although a lack of visibility may result in a lack of awareness, it’s not always a solution, he said.

Lushbough said as services like Welcome Table and the backpack program are able to accommodate more people, volunteers struggle between celebrating growth and knowing that the need is increasing right along with it.

“Humans are very good at ignoring what’s in their face,” Vavrek said.

(Photo: Volunteers go through an assembly line to fill bags for the Vermillion Weekend Backpack Program. The program supplies about 200 bags of food to children every Friday. Ally Krupinsky / The Volante)

Share this story

Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest

Ally Krupinsky

Related Posts

Student Government Association votes against Kevin Hart visit Campus
November 19th, 2019

Student Government Association votes against Kevin Hart visit

Career Closet providing free dress clothes for students Campus
November 19th, 2019

Career Closet providing free dress clothes for students

Graduation and beyond: preparing for the career world early Campus
November 19th, 2019

Graduation and beyond: preparing for the career world early

Facebook Comments

Latest Stories

Dec 5th 9:21 PM
Sports

Volleyball defeats Central Michigan in first round NIVC win

Dec 4th 11:05 PM
Sports

Women’s basketball defeats Creighton Bluejays 72-65

Nov 24th 12:45 AM
Sports

Coyotes upset Jackrabbits on Senior Day

Nov 24th 12:26 AM
Sports

Coyotes stifle Tigers to remain unbeaten

Nov 23rd 7:58 PM
Sports

Coyotes fall in four to Nebraska-Omaha

Nov 23rd 12:14 AM
Verve

Students share International Experiences during Global Showcase

Nov 19th 10:21 PM
Campus

Student Government Association votes against Kevin Hart visit

Nov 19th 9:16 PM
Opinion

Friends aren’t therapy

Nov 19th 7:53 PM
Sports

Drengenberg makes history as Coyotes take second at National Championships

Nov 19th 7:11 PM
Campus

Career Closet providing free dress clothes for students

Instagram

the_volante

Instagram post 2193019433537362387_10450899735 Coyotes advance to round 2 after winning three straight sets over Central Michigan 3-1 last night. .
They’ll take on UNLV this afternoon at 2pm in the SCSC. UNLV took down UMKC yesterday afternoon to advance. Follow us on twitter for game updates. 📸 - @madilynsindelar
Instagram post 2191136621603566389_10450899735 🚨 | Coyote women’s basketball cracks the top 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll this week, coming in at 24. .
Last season, the team wasn’t ranked in this poll until the week of Feb. 12. That same week, they debuted in the AP Top 25.
.
📸 - @peyton_beyers 🎨 - @heidisxhneider
Instagram post 2187364686574673537_10450899735 From our family to yours- Happy Thanksgiving.
Instagram post 2183938332281919470_10450899735 For the first time since 2000, Coyote football took down the Jackrabbits. 
@adeloluwa76 captured the historic win. Find us on flickr for more shots!
Instagram post 2182574803972826189_10450899735 Some scenes from the Coyotes’ win over Missouri on Nov. 21. >> Swipe for more >>
📸 - @peyton_beyers
Instagram post 2177055532241107775_10450899735 ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!
.
Coyote women’s basketball downed Drake 102-94 in an overtime thriller last night in the SCSC. .
@peyton_beyers and @austinrlammers captured all the action from last night. >>SWIPE>> to check it out and look us up on Flickr to see the full gallery.
Instagram post 2173741637656909836_10450899735 A sweep and a regular season conference title win by Coyote volleyball on Friday night, captured by @peyton_beyers 😍  Look us up on flickr to see the full album.
Instagram post 2162840859757174951_10450899735 Miss the Drag Show on Wednesday? We got you sis. Get swipin’ for more >>>>>>
.
USD Spectrum put on their fall drag show this week, featuring student and professional drag queens and kings.
.
📸 - Miles Amende
Instagram post 2159181697147950200_10450899735 The Nepalese Student Association (NSA) celebrated Dashain, a South Asian celebration symbolizing the victory of good over evil last weekend. Miles Amende captured the celebration. >>> SWIPE >>> for more.
Instagram post 2156133344713431163_10450899735 Eve Weiser is a barista at The Bean in downtown Vermillion. She recently won the Ladies who Latte competition in Minneapolis in September. Check out her story by following the link in our bio!
📸 - @lexi.kerzman
Instagram post 2150982076818986649_10450899735 Kandy Stevens and her family began raising pigeons after one of her children died in a bus crash in 2008. Read this story by following the link in our bio. 📸 - @laurensoulek
Instagram post 2145986760134851858_10450899735 The Heights has been the popular place for students to attend tailgate this year. This has been one of the many different ways students have tailgated before USD football games. Follow the link in our bio to find the history of student tailgate. .
📸 - Maddie Petry
Instagram post 2142193983584219349_10450899735 During D-Days, downtown is flooded with USD students and alumna that return for the festivities. Dakota Brickhouse will be opening their doors early on Saturday to serve a limited breakfast menu equipped with 10 kegs of beer to start off the game day. Follow the link in our bio to read how downtown restaurants prepare for D-Days. 📸 - @peyton_beyers
Instagram post 2141499168177676256_10450899735 Did you get a chance to see the Dr. Pepper National Championship trophy during its stop in Vermillion yesterday? If not, we’ve got the recap right here for you: it was shiny.  It made stops in the MUC and HyVee. Fans got the chance to pose for pictures with it. 
Did we mention it was shiny? 📸 - @peyton_beyers
Instagram post 2137286875864824485_10450899735 @aaron_mercado_official captured An Evening With The Stars this year. >>SWIPE>> for more pictures and follow the link in our bio to read the story behind the event.
Instagram post 2135781925296819305_10450899735 Would you complete a 45-mile bike ride for margaritas at the finish line? Last Saturday, 84 local cyclists did just that. Follow the link in our bio to find out why. 📸 - Chloe Fullenkamp
Instagram post 2135023776864625989_10450899735 Coyote soccer fell to Eastern Washington in a double overtime thriller on Sunday afternoon. They face Drake today, looking to snap a five game loss streak. Follow the link in our bio for the recap of Sunday's game.
📸- Peyton Beyers
Instagram post 2134384957026933735_10450899735 Madilyn Sindelar captured the Coyote volleyball team as they went undefeated in the South Dakota Classic this weekend. They shut down UC Davis and Wyoming 3-0 and 3-1 respectively. They closed out the tournament Saturday night by winning a 5 set thriller against Iowa in front of over 1600 fans. 
They’re back in action on Friday and Saturday in Illinois at the Bradley Classic to close out their non-conference schedule. 📸 - @madilynsindelar
Instagram post 2132205196892646317_10450899735 Plain White T’s are set to perform at fall CAB concert. Follow the link in our bio for all the details.
Instagram post 2132084070912835519_10450899735 Have you noticed new sculptures around campus and Vermillion this fall? Follow the link in our bio to learn more about them. 📸 - Chloe Fullenkamp
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Weather

Coyote News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfKtBw_zsgA

Wake Up Vermillion

https://youtu.be/atIgvHLJb60
  • Home
  • Campus
  • State/Local
  • Sports
  • Verve
  • Opinion
  • E-Edition
  • Back to top

The Volante

The Volante is the University of South Dakota’s independent student-run newspaper since 1887. Al Neuharth Media Center The Volante 555 N. Dakota Street Vermillion, SD 57069

About

  • About
  • Code of Ethics
  • History
  • Awards
  • Executive Staff
  • Jobs
  • Comment Policy
  • Advertise

Engage

  • Letters to the Editor
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe

Media Partners

  • Coyote News
  • KAOR 91.1
  • Media & Journalism Department
© The Volante 2015. All rights reserved.