Part i: Introduction; Part ii: Public Charity in the Colonial Era through the Nineteenth Century; Part iii: Statewide Public Welfare Initiatives and the Modern Division of Social Services
Programs and initiatives to alleviate poverty and aid the needy have been undertaken in North Carolina since colonial times. In addition to private organizations and churches, government at various levels has attempted to address poverty issues, with mixed results. There is a direct correlation between poverty and poor health, reduced access to cultural and recreational opportunities, increased crime victimization, and below-average academic achievement. Even with the state's overall economic prosperity, poverty remains a persistent and disturbing feature of North Carolina's landscape, particularly in the rural Coastal Plain. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2005, 23 North Carolina counties-19 of which were located in the east-experienced poverty rates of over 18 percent. Twenty of these poorer counties had held similarly high rates since data collection began in 1960. More than half a million rural North Carolinians were living in poverty, with children and minority groups suffering disproportionately higher rates.